Carbon comp resistors.

[MmmPedals]

How do you identify carbon comp resistors? I know they usually have squared edges and film resistors are rounded at the edge with a thin "waist" but is that an absolute identifying mark?
What effect could they have on the sound of a circuit. I cloned an old fuzz and mine had a much smoother sound. The original was harsh and raw sounding. could that be a result of the resistor type? I have no other explanation why the sound changed. the only other thing i changed was from 1/2 watt to 1/4 watt as well as the transistor type (from bc 173 in original to 2n5088).

[sixstringphil]

I would bet that the transistor change had much more to do with the difference in sound than the type of resistor.

[Taylor]

Also, even if you used caps with the same nominal value, the actual value can be up to 50% different from the marked value, depending on cap type. And old caps and resistors can drift in value, so what this old fuzz sounds like now may not be the way it sounded when those same parts were new.

Basically, there are several things that are more likely to make a difference than resistor type.

[StereoKills]

The type of resistor has little effect on the sound itself (change in the value will however). Changing the transistor is practically guaranteeing a change in sound.

[kungpow79]

To answer your ?, in my exp, carbon comps are dark brown, and yes they have a straight or flat edge and are purely cylindrical.  Like a Tootsie rool    Carbon film are tan colored, metal film are light blue, and they have a narrow "waist."   

[Paul Marossy]

You should read RG's article on carbon comp resistors sometime - www.geofex.com

[Taylor]

You should read RG's article on carbon comp resistors sometime - www.geofex.com

Indeed, a good read, but that article only talks about amps (but I suppose from that we can extrapolate that the only noticeable difference is when signals are big, as in amps).

[trjones1]

Yeah, I think one of the points of the article is that whatever difference in sound there is in carbon comp resistors, it doesn't come into play in the 9V world.

[Paul Marossy]

Yeah, I think one of the points of the article is that whatever difference in sound there is in carbon comp resistors, it doesn't come into play in the 9V world.

That's my point. So save them for tube amps! 

[BAARON]

Yeah, I think one of the points of the article is that whatever difference in sound there is in carbon comp resistors, it doesn't come into play in the 9V world.

That's my point. So save them for tube amps! 

And even then, only in the right spots!  Strategic use of metal film plate resistors can make a shocking reduction in noise levels compared to carbon comp, even in low-gain amps like the normal channel of a Fender Twin.