Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
Initially I wasn’t sure about doing a layout for the Boss FZ-3, as it isn’t the most popular fuzz out there – then looking at the schematic, it appears to be quite tweakable, so I thought why not make a start, and see where this goes. It has elements of a Tone Bender, a silicon Fuzz Face … Read more
This is the distortion section from a Vox Super Beatle V1141 amplifier, which happens to be almost identical to the Colorsound one knob fuzz. So much so that I used the layout and transistor selection from the D*A*M version. Interesting when you look at the schematic, as the distortion effect is first in the signal chain, ahead … Read more
There’s a massive thread of modded circuits at Free Stomp Boxes by Dylan159 – this one is a Bazz Fuss / Fuzz Face hybrid, suitably called the Bazz Face. There’s plenty more in the thread, including schematics and sound demos. DYLAN159 BAZZ FACE – VERO LAYOUT BAZZ FACE SCHEMATIC Drawn by Dylan BAZZ FACE … Read more
After having played around with some random mic preamps on the breadboard and in LTspice lately, I thought I might go back to basics with a fuzz face derivative – the Zvex Woolly Mammoth. Brother to the Fuzzolo and Mastoron (they all share the same bones). ZVEX WOOLLY MAMMOTH – VERO LAYOUT
Another tweaked Fuzz Face from Zvex – not to downplay the good work of Mr Vex and his amazing array of guitar effects pedals, but it is what it is. The Fuzzolo, Mastoron and Wooly Mammoth all have a similar Zvex Fuzz Face variant as a base – thread on DIY Stompboxes, and you can … Read more
I haven’t done a point to point layout for a while, and I also remembered that I’ve been meaning to make a Zvex Fuzz Factory for some time, but have never quite gotten around to it. So here it is. I tried a Fuzz Factory using a different layout as one of my first guitar … Read more
I typically buy tag board strips with 18 lugs, usually leaving 6 left over after a few of my recent builds. So, what to do with a small board? Fuzz Face… has to be one of the all-time classics of guitar effects. ARBITER FUZZ FACE – TAG BOARD LAYOUT – PNP GERMANIUM ARBITER FUZZ … Read more
This is the Shin-Ei Companion Fuzz’s lesser-known, but earlier incarnation – which is confusingly also called a FY-2. It’s closer to a fuzz face than a fuzzrite, and there’s no notch filter on the output.More info on DIY Stomboxes via this thread. It is said to be quite a monster fuzz… SHIN-EI FY-2 GERMANIUM FUZZ – … Read more
The D*A*M TB-00 Tone Bender is Vox Tone Bender with a minor variation on the original. Strangely the input capacitor on this layout is hidden under the board, so I guessed the value. Likely to be the same as the original (150n) or a 220n like the ’66. No idea why it’s hidden – some were … Read more
It’s a silicon Fuzz Face with an input cap blend – the D*A*M Meathead M-27, or the Meathead Deluxe. I copied the D*A*M layout from photos on Stompboxes UK and the usual pics on Reverb. Strangely, the same issue I had on another layout – in all photos, the yellows on resistors looked green… … Read more