looking at the schematic at fuzz central: http://fuzzcentral.tripod.com/blender/blenderschem.gif

It seems to me that the tonecontrol only works in 1 position ? That is when the 47k is not connected. However I read in some old posts that the tone control is "active" in both position. I've just built it and I dont' hear any audible differences when i rotate the tone pot. ( it works in 1 position, but not the other [mid-scooped like position])

Any idea ?

Hey there

I built the Fender Blender and my tone control is a footswitch on off. When the tone control is switched on the tone is basically a treble control. When the tone is switched out the tone has a lot more lower midrange and has a bold sound. I don't really like how the tone changes so much when it's switched but at the same time it gives you more sounds to play with.

I've found that it takes a while to find all the sounds available with this pedal. You can get some neat, strange octave sounds in the less sustaned settings. Play with it for a while and try all the extremes of the settings. Not for everyone, all the time, but very different and depending where you play on the neck and high to low notes. Sounds good on a wurlitzer or Rhodes electric piano for an experimental type mood.

Not sure if I anwered any questions but I had some observations for you.

John

Just 1 thing:
Does the tone control like change the sound in both position ? Boost on and off ?

Mine seems to only work in 1 position.

I like the pedal alot !
Careful interplay between level & blend will give a whole range of interesting results

Han

This is the first time I've looked closely at the schematic, and it just seems wrong.

If it were me, I would move that 47k resistor.  It seems to be connected in the wrong place.  If you tie it between the junction of the tone pot and ground, what you have is essentially a standard Big Muff style tone control.  The 3300pf cap and 47k resistor to ground would make a highpass filter rolling off around 1100hz.  The 27k resistor and 0.1uf cap form a lowpass filter rolling off at just under 60hz, which makes no sense.  If you changed that cap to .01uf, you end up with a rolloff around 590hz, which makes more sense.  A 590hz rolloff on one side and a 1100hz rolloff on the other should yield a nice bit of mid-scoop when the tone control is set in the middle, and variations in bite and woof in either of the extremes of rotation.

Try it out and tell me if you like it more.  As for the tone bypass switch.  By my reckoning it ought to be tied to the negative side of that 10uf cap just before the tone section.  Do that and you have a zero ohm path from the cap to the input of the volume control, which should yield no effect of rotation of the tone control on the sound.

This may not be what the posted schematic says, but I'll bet it sounds a helluva lot better.

Yuan

My Fender blender has two foot switches, bypass and tone. The tone switch activates the tone knob. When it's off the tone knob does nothing.

Mark. I'll have to check out these mods with my pedal. A friend built the one I have so I'm not too savy with how it works as far as how it was built.

John

hey thanks guys.... at least now i know , nothing's really wrong.

Mark:
Actually i'm quite happy with the tone control now. when it is activated it acts like a normal tone control (or at least sounds like), from a low to high. On bypass, it seems to be midscooped at just the right place. If i get you correctly, your mod will make the tone pot control the mid-scoopness ala big muff. sort of like the inverse of what is happening.

I've check the schemo on fuzzcentral n on geofex's site, and the section for the tone control is similar.

Thanks once again.
Han