Another Trip Down Fuzz Rite Lane.....

Started by Sparky, June 28, 2022, 06:09:35 PM

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Sparky

 A few years ago I built the Sanner "Nu Fuzz"  using the original schematic and original transistors.   It's a great fuzz.
So...every couple of years I try to build a Fuzz Rite  [silicon version] and fail wonderfully.  I've tried the schematic with the 470K resistors and the schematics that I've dug up on the web to no avail.  Perhaps it's the transistors??
Who has had good results   [and what schematic did you use] ?
Thanx!

Sparky


antonis

"I'm getting older while being taught all the time" Solon the Athenian..
"I don't mind  being taught all the time but I do mind a lot getting old" Antonis the Thessalonian..

Sparky


cspar

Because of the way the circuit does the phasing there is a lot of tonal variation depending on the transistors that you use and there is no consistent ideal transistor. Just preferences.

Fuzzrites are the fuzz for folks that like to roll tubes.  :icon_wink:

Old school silicon fuzz tends to like my low hfe junk drawer transistors more than the part #'s from modern builds. Especially Fuzzrites and Bosstones in my experience.

I've personally had much more success swapping transistors with sockets than trying to bias with a trim pot to a voltage I found online and I use the same schematic as the Small Bear article.

Some commonly used hfe values are 170/170 or 200/90 for the pair but I've used much lower ones too like in the Small Bear article Antonis shared the link to, so let your ears be the judge.

My best build is with random junk bin transistors from pulls that measured lower in Vbe than average for comparable hfe. I don't remember the hfe or Vbe off hand but I'm sure that I sorted them that way to help define a beta characteristic.

I'm pretty sure it was PRR that said something in a Mossrite thread to the effect of the beta being odd in the original transistors which led me to sort them this way.

He didn't suggest the sorting method and I am unsure what the ideal values would be or if I'm getting close to them, but it's worked for me as a good starting point for ear testing.

So my 2 cents is socket and experiment.


Sparky


                 This "Comparison Chart" has produced some good results so far.   I tried PN2369A [because of their pretty low gain]. 
Using sockets is a good idea ......I would try them if I had some! 

zbt

I think this chart for FY2 must add Uncle Jimi mods and Sir Mark Hammer mods, so we can just used one pcb  ;D