Nice simple "One Knob Fuzz" for ya !

[MartyMart]

http://www.pbase.com/image/40356630

Just click the link above to view/download the veroboard circuit.

Based on "Tim Escobedos Lofo Mofo" and the vero layout was "chopped" from "Dragonfly's" version.
Just three 100k resistors, one 0.1uf poly cap, two 1uf poly caps and your choice of "NPN" transistor.
Works well with : 2N3903/2N2369/2N2270/BC547C/BC549C/BC549B  or anything with a hfe of between 75  and 150.
I settled on the 2N2369 ( reverse pinout! )

I have only changed the caps and tranny and omited the 500kpot and schottky diode.
Sounds very nice and "Full" more like a good overdrive, with quite a bit of "GO" in it.
It cleans up well with the guitar volume pot, or you could add a "gain" pot
to the front end of the circuit.
Lots of fun to be had from this very simple circuit  

Enjoy,
Marty.

[Dragonfly]

Dammit Marty....now ive gotta build this one !!!!

<hmmmm...wonder how it would sound with some clipping diodes tacked on the end?>

[MartyMart]

Dammit Marty....now ive gotta build this one !!!!

<hmmmm...wonder how it would sound with some clipping diodes tacked on the end?>

Tried it earlier ! it changed the "crunch" tone a wee bit, but it sounded better without, there's enough "crunch" going on, so i removed them !!
It does sound VERY good, I have to say as good as my "Easy Drive"

PS: where the original 500k pot was, I placed a 1M resistor across, brett suggested this !

Marty.

[petemoore]

What are you referring to Marty, I don't see a 500k pot or a 1m resistor on that board layout.

[lethargytartare]

So I built the GES Bad Trip so I could get a tiny distortion circuit that would be easy to fit in a guitar, and so far so good there -- but this one looks like it'll be well suited to that too, and possibly better sounding...I'm envisioning using a tranny socket, have the components overlap and stack on the pin side pointed in the direction of the pins,  insulate any leads that are close to each other, then bury the mofo in hot glue...and then on the other side pop in tranny, cover with a cap of some sort and be done with it...

And on that topic -- do you know of any other hot distortion circuits that might be this simple and suited to building completely off-board?

Thanks for whipping this up!!

Cheers!

ltt

[MartyMart]

What are you referring to Marty, I don't see a 500k pot or a 1m resistor on that board layout.

Sorry Pete,
Tims original "LOFO MOFO" had a 500k pot/schottky diode on the left of the board ( Dragonfly's layout post ) and they were removed in Photoshop rather "crudely" !!
So, where the 500k pots lugs 1 and 3 were connected, i stuck in a 1M resistor, this is missing from that drawing !

http://diystompboxes.com/sboxforum/viewtopic.php?t=30466

Here's the original layout above.

Marty.

[lightningfingers]

Hey Marty, I was just looking at some of your other pics --- where did you the box for the orange squeezer? It looks very cool

[onboard]

Yeah Marty! Just popped that on the breadboard and it sounds good. I used a 2n3904 though - max hfe 300 - so I'll scrounge thru the drawer for a lower gain tranny to try.

And to think, the Lo-Fo Mo-Fo was a little gem waiting to be found after all...

(I'm guessing Tim had a good fuzz going to begin with and Lo-Fi'ed it   )

[Dragonfly]

What are you referring to Marty, I don't see a 500k pot or a 1m resistor on that board layout.

Sorry Pete,
Tims original "LOFO MOFO" had a 500k pot/schottky diode on the left of the board ( Dragonfly's layout post ) and they were removed in Photoshop rather "crudely" !!
So, where the 500k pots lugs 1 and 3 were connected, i stuck in a 1M resistor, this is missing from that drawing !

http://diystompboxes.com/sboxforum/viewtopic.php?t=30466

Here's the original layout above.

Marty.

Marty...heres an "updated" layout for your "One Knob Fat Fuzz"...please check it for accuracy  

Andy

[MartyMart]

Hey Marty, I was just looking at some of your other pics --- where did you the box for the orange squeezer? It looks very cool

Aha ! thats an "original" Orange Squeezer enclosure, found it on E-bay in the "USA".
It was £18   !!  so a bit expensive, ( no guts in it ) but now its as good/better than an original, after I built the circuit for it.
Funny, they go for about £90  now .... ! :roll:

Marty.

"Dragonfly" - that looks correct, thanks Andy, I need to improve my "on-line" drawing skills as I have a few other vero-layouts on the way, or perhaps I should just send 'em to you ?

"Onboard"  - It does sound quite decent eh ?  cool.

M.

[BD13UK]

I'ts great to have all these layouts for the electronically challenged like myself and I'm having some fun particularly with the Boosters however I'm trying to decide on a Fuzz that will go from cleanish thru a medium overdrive to fuzz via the Strat volume control but not of the proportions of a Tonebender circuit as I prefer a FF type fuzz, I've built the Hornet and the EZ face but found the Hornet a bit too much and the EZ a shade tame on the fuzz side.  Would the Dragonfly/MartyMart One knob Fat Fuzz or the Dragonfly Silicon Fuzz cover this as the Ge units tend to be noisy and rather unstable plus these options appear to be a fairly simple build, I use Strats and a Fender Blues Junior if this helps.

[MartyMart]

I'ts great to have all these layouts for the electronically challenged like myself and I'm having some fun particularly with the Boosters however I'm trying to decide on a Fuzz that will go from cleanish thru a medium overdrive to fuzz via the Strat volume control but not of the proportions of a Tonebender circuit as I prefer a FF type fuzz, I've built the Hornet and the EZ face but found the Hornet a bit too much and the EZ a shade tame on the fuzz side.  Would the Dragonfly/MartyMart One knob Fat Fuzz or the Dragonfly Silicon Fuzz cover this as the Ge units tend to be noisy and rather unstable plus these options appear to be a fairly simple build, I use Strats and a Fender Blues Junior if this helps.

This little "One Knob Fat Fuzz" will do exactly that !!
I'm very surprized at how great it sounds, and it will "clean up" quite a bit with the GTR vol pot.
If your strat has very quiet pickups, then it might not be as "wild" but mine has only "bog standard" alnico's in it and that works fine.
I'd say it sounds more "good,thick overdrive" than "Fuzz" ie; its not too muddy and doesn't have the "mis biased" type fuzz thing going on.
You could put one of your "boosters" in front of it, to push it some more,
that would then sound like "humbuckers" driving it harder !
As its only a quick build, give it a try and let me know what you think of it.
Cheers,
Marty

[BD13UK]

Thanks MM, it may well be a quick build to you but I'm a bit on the slow side now as I had too many failures rushing things thru but I'll certainly make one and let you know the outcome, I'm just a bit fed up using very noisy Ge Rangemasters etc and although I appreciate that there will always be added noise from booster and fuzz circuits the LPB1 I have is a lot quieter than any of the Ge stuff although I still think that the Ge stuff generates more warmth and less fizziness so maybe as suggested to me at one point a Piggyback Si Fuzz circuit might be the way to go I'll just have to await a veroboard layout for one Hint Hint !!!!!!!!!!!! No pressure

[lethargytartare]

Ok, so I cranked this baby out because it met my number one threshhold test -- I could build it with parts I already had lying around!  I used the vero layout on perf, using the leads to make up the horizontal runs.  Here's the upside-down (relative to the vero layout) component view:

here's the solder side (proper side up, obviously flipped horizontally):


I didn't have any of the recommended transistors on hand, so will have to try it with those when I do.  What I did have was a 2N5088 and one marked 751PN100A.  The output was good and loud with both.  I think the 2N5088 was a bit fuller because in places the 751PN100A sounded pinched/nasally.  Here are clips of the two versions:
2N5088: http://www.lethargytartare.com/caves/gerbcave/diystory/oneknobfuzz/one-knob-fuzz-2n5088.mp3
751PN100A: http://www.lethargytartare.com/caves/gerbcave/diystory/oneknobfuzz/one-knob-fuzz-751PN100A.mp3

I'm not a big fuzz guy, but for a simple build, you have to appreciate the volume and distortion this baby gives you.  What I'm going to do next is add a switch to add back in the components that will revert it to a Lofo Mofo.  Then you'll have the fuzz and the option to switch in a quirky alternate noise mode -- something I'm always a fan of.

When I get some other transistors to try in here, I'll post those clips.

Thanks to all behind the circuit and the layouts (you all know who you are)!!

Cheers!

ltt

These notes and full 1024 size pics can be found here (down the page a bit):
http://www.lethargytartare.com/caves/gerbcave/diystory/diy-3.html

[MartyMart]

Thats great LTT !
It's a surprisingly good OD/Fuzz circuit eh !
sometimes simple IS best .....

Enjoy,
Marty.