Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Here’s a great bass drive from BearFoot FX in Sweden. Kind of similar to a RAT, but not really. It’s a completely different beast. Q1 calls for a 2N5952, but other JFETs should work there too, just socket and mind the pinout.
First The Tim Overdrive is a pedal developed by Paul Cochrane. Although its only available on request (these pedals are still handmade only), its a very hyped and popular pedal. The Timmy is a small version of the Tim, missing the Send/Return jacks and the boost section. So it only contains the OD section of … Read more
Here’s a 1590A candidate. The Kay T-1 Tremolo originally came in a plastic housing with a treadle that controlled the speed. Apparently similar to the Vox Repeat Percussion tremolo, but a little smoother.
The Maestro Super Fuzz-Tone was introduced in the early 70s. It uses 6 transistors, 2 of which are used as clipping diodes. Original transistors were 2N5133s, but 2N5088s or BC109Cs can be good subs. I’ve built 2 clones of this pedal in the past (though not with this layout) and used 2N5088s with good results. … Read more
This was (I believe) the 3rd iteration of Maestro’s Fuzztone fuzz pedal. The first 2 used germanium transistors and AA batteries. This marked the changed to silicon transistors and a 9v battery. Originals had 2N3860 transistors, but 2N2222s or 2N3904s would probably work just fine. Couldn’t find any info on the diode, so socket and … Read more
Gnarly, oscillating fuzz tone–this is a bit of a weird one. The original used both positive and negative 9v (which I have a hard time wrapping my head around). FSB forum member Induction altered the circuit to support standard power supplies, so no need for a 9v battery or adding a +/- converter. And it … Read more
This one was a request. I removed the input/output buffers and the original switching scheme to allow for true-bypass switching. There is one jumper (the original had 6!) and a couple things that bug me, but I’m probably the only one who would care, so I won’t worry about it. Update Feb 25, 2022: Had … Read more
Here’s a simple blending circuit that uses a JFET to allow you to blend between effected signal and clean signal. I’ve used this on Big Muffs before and it’s quite useful.
PinkJimiPhoton from over on FSB shared this circuit he came up with. It’s a bit of a Fuzz Face variant, but sounds fantastic. His original schematic doesn’t include a master volume control, but one is easily added (if you want to add to the offboard wiring mess… lol). Use an A100k pot and wire the … Read more
Alright, let’s look at what materials you’re going to need to get started Soldering Iron This one is rather apparent. You’re going to want something that will last you for a few builds and not fall apart on you. DO NOT BUY FROM RADIOSHACK! Radioshack soldering irons will corrode really quickly and will only last … Read more