Heelllp me please!!!- I cannot eat, sleep or a have a free moment without thinking (lol) about the 3 knob Tone Bender that I built last weekend (re: boutique TB3 from GGG btw- this is the original pos ground version). The issue: I can hear the signal (although slightly diminished) but there is no fuzz!!! The build: got it all together and read all about the need for PNP Ge trannys especially in Q1. After the original build I even put a 50k trim + 10k resistor in series in place of the 47k resistor before the base of Q1 and a 10k trim + 4.7k resistor in place of the 10k resistor at the base of Q2 for biasing. I have a number of PNPs so I found some that measured good hfes Q1- 70, Q2- 90 and Q3- 120. I have swapped and swapped till my eyes can barely see- no sleep, no food just the 3TB!!! ARGHHHH… Btw I have searched the archives, FAQs and beyond as carefully as possible and have a monster txt doc of issues for the TB. I have traced the pcb checked wiring and pinouts trannys/capsdiode) 10x times per the layout but still nada on getting it to produce anything but a diminished clean signal… Anyone have suggestions, insight to right this wrong??? :shock:
Very big thanks,
Nefos
Did you use the probe trick cause that's the only way i can debug a circuit, i'm to ignorant to understand voltage readings...
i can't remenber where was the pic so...
-->to make an rg keen's audio probe: unplug the output jack, stuck a spare female jack on it which has a 0.1 uF filmcap soldered on the hot lug and the other has a wire going to the tonebender's ground. struck your guitar with one hand and "trace the sound" with the remaning lead of the cap (i mean the probe's tip) from the input wire to the very gut of tone!
This is a cool device, i wouldn't had achieve a lpb without it!
In my experience, that's always a wrongly oriented or inversely polarized transistor. Sorry I can't be of more help (without seeing it).
How about trying my idea I came up with a couple months ago over a similar issue: find a friend on this or another diy forum who will agree to look it over for you and MAIL it to him/her.