Tools, Tones and Toys for Guitarists
I used Kit Rae schematics, but I did not follow the same component numbering, as I don’t find it all that intuitive. Kit did it that way for a good reason, this way works better for my brain. There’s also this excellent post by Kit Rae on the EHX forum, broadly describing differences between versions. … Read more
This is the layout that D*A*M used for the Fuzzrong FZ-69, which is essentially a germanium Fuzzrite. I couldn’t make out the pot values or the 2n2 cap values on the photos I could find, so will have to take this at face value. D*A*M FUZZRONG FR-69 – VERO LAYOUT
Something of a classic and many other designs are based on the MXR Distortion + so no real need for an introduction. MXR DISTORTION PLUS – VERO LAYOUT DISTORTION PLUS ANALYSIS There’s an excellent analysis of the Distortion + here on Electrosmash including a schematic (be prepared for some maths) Note that I have used alternate pot … Read more
The Musitronics Mu-Tron Micro V is a cool old auto-wah / envelope filter from the seventies – I feel I need to be wearing a valour tracksuit, possibly with a half-unzipped jacket exposing generous chest hair with a gold dangler to really play this properly. Maybe a moustache too… I’ve used a LM13700 instead … Read more
The somewhat misleadingly named Foxx Clean Machine is lesser known than the other famous Foxx. Three gain stages stack via a rotary switch, then out via a standard volume pot. The result – dirt… dirt and more dirt. FOXX CLEAN MACHINE – VERO LAYOUT
This is a simple little IC-based Fuzz from Maestro – it’s pretty raw. You can also find a layout of the BYOC Lil Black Keys here, which is a variation on this circuit. MAESTRO MFZ-1 FUZZ – VERO LAYOUT
This is an early two knob Guild Foxey Lady, which is very similar to a silicon Mosrite Fuzzrite. However it’s different to other schematics I have seen online – I traced this from the circuit shown below – it’s easy to make out part values, excluding the pots and transistors. I left some room for power … Read more
This is a very unusual one – the Earth Sound Research Graphic Fuzz. Why is it so unusual – have a look at the schematic. It has no input or output caps, and the IC runs at +/- 4.5V. Practically half the parts on the board are for the split rail power supply. Be careful … Read more
Univox Unidrive boost with Aion FX mods The original Univox Unidrive was a straight boost, with a bit of dirt – it was a large rocker pedal with preset gain levels on a rotary switch, and the rocker controlled the output level, not unlike a regular volume pedal, but with the increased level of a booster. The don’t … Read more
The DeArmond Square Wave – it’s pretty much an MXR Distortion + with a couple of minor values changed. It does come in a cooler-looking box… There’s a great analysis of the Distortion Plus on Electrosmash, which will apply equally to the DeArmond Square Wave. DEARMOND SQUARE WAVE – VERO LAYOUT MODS The most obvious place to … Read more