Tripple Fuzz input gain problem

[Slabdragger]

Hello all!!

My name's Sam, I play in Slabdragger (http://myspace.com/slabdragger). We play sludge/doom type stuff and with my very limited knowledge of electronics (soldering and knowing about cap polarity, pretty much haha) i want to make a brutal fuzz that has my own unique flavour and one for bass too. I already built a dual effects looper with killswitch and switchable feedback loop which rules but I feel to make some TONE!!

So, last night, I built Tim Escobido's Tripple Fuzz circuit on vero/stripboard according to this diagram http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/TCobrettis-Stuff/album161/TimeE_Trip_Fuzz_Vero.gif.html

I'm also going to try and graft a fender brownface tone stack onto the output after I nail the circuit.

However, there's a problem. I can only hear my guitar if I hit it loooud and hard, and then the sustain only lasts for 2 seconds at the most, only on lower strings. The resulting sound, when it happens, is very short, gated, buzzy and bee-like. I had to use a 5.1M resistor in place of the 5M, a 510k resistor in place of the 500k and an electrolytic 1uf in place of the normal 1uf, polarized correctly. The transistors are MPSA18 in Q1, 2N3904 in Q2, 2N3906 in Q3, random silicon diodes.

Bearing in mind, i'm not very well versed in usuing a multimeter and dont have an oscilloscope, i have my axe, my amp and my ears!!!

If anyone could maybe steer me in the right direction, that would be ever so helpful as i'm kinda stuck and don't know anyone into electronics. maybe some knid of trimpot somewhere??

Thanks!!!

Sam

[boogietube]

Cant help you, but Slice the Mainbrace rocks. Early Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Death. Cool!

[Slabdragger]

Cant help you, but Slice the Mainbrace rocks. Early Sabbath, Alice in Chains, and Death. Cool!

Thanks alot dude!! I can dig that!!! Sabbath and Death are two of my fave bands!!

I just plugged my guitar into a rubbish little 15w watson bass amp (terrible little thing haha), then took a lead from the bass amp's headphone socket into the input of the circuit. Brutal fuzz. No noise. sustains for ages but gates out completely when you dont play. Siiiick!!!

Maybe I should install some kind of simple boost circuit on the input?? Hmmmm.... Anyone have any ideas?

cheeeers

[Talon5051]

The vero layout does not have a 100k pot for the volume.  Here is the schematic http://folkurban.com/Site/TrippleFuzz-708.html.  After just a quick glance at the vero layout that is all that I see wrong.  Maybe someone else can look it over.  The more eyes the better.  And I agree Slice the Mainbrace rocks.  I think it sounds like Electric Wizard.

[Slabdragger]

The vero layout does not have a 100k pot for the volume.  Here is the schematic http://folkurban.com/Site/TrippleFuzz-708.html.  After just a quick glance at the vero layout that is all that I see wrong.  Maybe someone else can look it over.  The more eyes the better.  And I agree Slice the Mainbrace rocks.  I think it sounds like Electric Wizard.

ahh yeah i should have posted that schematic too. i've been going by that schematic and the veroboard layout. i have the 100k pot present and accounted for. is there any way of opening the gate on the input, so to speak?? it seems as if i need to build a preamp that boosts a whole lot. even when plugged out of the bass amp headphone socket, the effected volume doesnt even come close to bypass volume.

i saw a schematic last night for a 30db clean boost pedal, looked simple enough, i'll whack that together on a breadboard and see what happens.

cheers for the electric wizard comparision dude!! doom kings!!

[Slabdragger]

AHAAAAAA!!!!

i made a boost circuit attached to the input, the blighter works!!!! yeeeeesss!!!

this is the schematic i used, minus the diodes and c3.

http://www.muzique.com/schem/muff.gif

this is the whole schematic i compiled, although the tone stack isnt in place yet.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm4/henchbeastcro/muffboosttripplefuzzbrownface.jpg?t=1265465763


now, my mission is to achieve more gain from the boost section. i'll probably try a couple of diodes and a cap like on the schematic. at the moment ithe sound is quite thin and buzzy but i reckon i can make it sound a tad better by adding the tone stack. then i'll whack together a mini veroboard section and use an overly huge box to fit it all in for the hell of it.

so, my first fuzz pedal will have 5 knobs. input gain, volume, fuzz, bass and treble. hahah to think i was gonna start off with a simple 1 knob overdrive and now i've ended up with this beast!!

eeeexcellent!!!

[John Lyons]

The triple fuzz I made does not gate. There must be a problem in you layout.
Make sure the transistors are correct and in the right positions.

John

[Slabdragger]

Hmm. I've triple checked all the transistor values and orientation, the only thing thats different from the veroboard layout/schematic is that mine has a 510k inplace of the 500k and a 5.1m in place of a 5m. oh yeah and an electrolytic in place of the standard 1u cap.

i really dont know what the problem may be!! the boost circuit helps but doesnt give enough gain to drive the input of the fuzz circuit. i may just use a trimpot instead of the 100k pot on the boost section, keep it neat.

also, the gain pot seems to make weird noises when i touch it and doesnt raise or lower gain anymore.

i'll get there eventually!!

[John Lyons]

Are you saying that the gain pot doesn't do anything, ever?
The gain pot is different because it changes the bias of the tranistor
and it is noisey/crackely when you turn it.
I would like to figure out a way to change the gain control
or at least make it silent when it gets rotated.
Any know what to do to accomplish that?




The way the circuit works is great, just to get that last 5% out of it
by making the gain control quiet.

John

[Slabdragger]

Sooo, after some tweakery, i have come up with this tone. considering its my first pedal, i think i'm getting some nice tones!!! cant wait to add a tone control, box it up and crank it live!!! total filth, but really clean and noise free, i love it!!! this was just recorded thru a squier champ 15g and the laptop mic. if you dont wanna download it just select 'open with' when it asks you. http://www.mediafire.com/?tmymmhbmimo

feedback welcome!!! i am quite proud of my first fuzz!!

it's a lonely beast, it doesnt really like other pedal's company too much, it kind of like being fed with a ts808 on low OD settings but if i turn it up note attack goes out the window!!! when put before any other pedal, nothing happens, no sound.... anyone know what may be causing this??

thansk!!

samdragger