Help please! I'm crying :'(

[o0soulpower0o]

Please help me.. I'm building the acoustic 360 clone but I can't make it to work properly! The clean sound is completely ok, while the fuzz works too but there's a lot of background noise!
Where could be the mistake? Thank you!!!

[petemoore]

You can't read the debugging page very well with wet eyes...
 Try to see, to see if you can find where in te circuit the signal is getting alot of background noise.  :idea:

[LP Hovercraft]

My first instinct would be to try going around it with RG's audio probe and finding the component in the audio signal path from which the hiss is originating.  Secondly, is the germanium tranny that you are using in there non-leaky?
Bad germanium transistors can introduce high levels of noise into your fuzz.  If you have another 2N1306, try one.  
Also, try reading Aron's easy/simple mods section.  I was able to get a much smoother sound out of the fuzz by tying a .05 cap around the texture pot as Aron suggested.

[o0soulpower0o]

I've used all 2N3904 transistors, I wasn't able to find the original ones.. I think I read in this forum that 2N3904 are compatible.
The audio probe is only for 9V circuits... while the acoustic 360+ needs 25V... can I adapt the audio probe?

[lightningfingers]

Audio Probe will work just fine with a 25V circuit.  

[o0soulpower0o]

Okay, the audio probe works fine.
I've tested some transistor.. the sound gets noise in more than one transistor... maybe the 2N3904's don't work right?

[petemoore]

For some reason I think the noise you're hearing in the others is coming from the one transistor.
 If noise is in Q1, then as the signal path follows..later on this noise will still be present.

[o0soulpower0o]

Most noise comes from the fuzz transistor, that in the original schematic is the 2N1306, but I've used the 2N3904... should I try other transistors? I can't find 2N1306 here in Italy...  

[petemoore]

I don't see the schematic...need to to continue.

[o0soulpower0o]

So... I removed the 2N1306 substitute and connected directly base and emitter on the pcb: now noise is perfectly normal I think.. and the pedal works! But the fuzz is not extremely "farty" as it should be.
So guys... I need a 2N1306! Where I can find it?

[petemoore]

So... I removed the 2N1306 substitute and connected directly base and emitter on the pcb: now noise is perfectly normal I think.. and the pedal works! But the fuzz is not extremely "farty" as it should be.
So guys... I need a 2N1306! Where I can find it?

What is the data sheet description of that transistor...look for a substitute !!!

[petemoore]

So... I removed the 2N1306 substitute and connected directly base and emitter on the pcb: now noise is perfectly normal I think.. and the pedal works! But the fuzz is not extremely "farty" as it should be.
So guys... I need a 2N1306! Where I can find it?

What is the data sheet description of that transistor...look for a substitute !!!

Check Mouser Electronics or Small Bear for that part #?

[o0soulpower0o]

As I read on a prevoius post:

2N1306 : Ge-NPN 25V/300mA/150mW ß: 60-300/10mA F=3dB ft>10MHz

Charlie Barth wrote that nte101 works properly... but I can't find both nte101 and 2n1306. Small bear and  Mouser electronics do not have any of these... should I contact JC Mallet to ask if he can send me only the transistor and not the entire kit?
Thank you so much for your help!!

[downweverything]

i use 2n5210 for all the gen purpose and 2n5089 or other high gain before the germanium in the fuzz (switching just this one may solve your prob).  i think i did 2n3391 and it worked good but they have a weird pinout.

[downweverything]

oh i use nte 101 for the germ, i got it from mouser it was like $5 though, boo.

[downweverything]

sorry for the multiple posts but heres the mouser link... http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=displayproduct&lstdispproductid=353835&e_categoryid=131&e_pcodeid=52600   if you still cant get it for some reason, i have one i can send

[o0soulpower0o]

Just incredible... I switched the 2N3904 before the AC127 (fuzz transistor) with a BC550, and the hiss is veeeeery much lower!! But still a little present, so I put a .01 cap on the volume pot as LP Hovercraft suggested... so it works very fine!!! Or better... I hope so... is it possible that switching the trannyes is the real solution? I don't want to go around the real problem, even if the pedal seems to work.
Another question: the bright control and the effect pot do nothing at all.. why?
Thank you so much for your great help guys...

[downweverything]

not sure why the effect/blend stuff isnt working, maybe a wiring problem, they should make quite a noticable difference.  Changing the transistors in the fuzz section and the very first one in the preamp will make a noticable difference.  The first transistor in the preamp originally had a much higher gain than the rest (I think). Some people put a JFet stage here.  Im not sure if changing the transistors is going to make much difference elsewhere, it didn't seem to make much difference in mine.