Electrolab - Fuzz Buzz [guts][schematic]

davidgiandiletti · Post by **davidgiandiletti** » 16 Nov 2010, 19:24

Found this while surfing the web, never heard of this and it looks interesting. It looks like a somewhat different design (not a fuzz face or tonebender at least) thought someone here might be interested. Trying to contribute something here since i lurk all the time. I hope someone can benefit from this.

devastator · Post by **devastator** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:22

Nice !

Doesn't look like a meastro or tonebender schematic posted on DAM forum ? (fz1 or something like that I think)

the switching system looks bizarre, it put the ouptut at ground on "off"

davidgiandiletti · Post by **davidgiandiletti** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:28

it does look strange, from the schematic it looks like one switch mutes the pedal and the other cuts power

lolbou · Post by **lolbou** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:31

Grounded when off appears normal to me for a non-bypassed pedal (as drawn)... But then I wonder about the two switches...

davidgiandiletti · Post by **davidgiandiletti** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:34

maybe to save the battery without disconnecting the input jack? only thing i can think of.

davidgiandiletti · Post by **davidgiandiletti** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:36

also now that i'm looking at it a little more it could be similar to a maestro FZ-1, I'm basing this off the 1.5V supply

lolbou · Post by **lolbou** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:36

davidgiandiletti wrote:maybe to save the battery without disconnecting the input jack? only thing i can think of.

Yes, but to achieve a "no sound when off" pedal, only the power switch is enough.

Why two?
..........
WHY TWO??

(your next stop: the twilight zone.......................

)

B Tremblay · Post by **B Tremblay** » 16 Nov 2010, 20:40

Very interesting. I acquired a Lectrolab amp a few years back and had never heard of that manufacturer at that time. That fuzzbox is certainly in nice condition.

Electric Warrior · Post by **Electric Warrior** » 16 Nov 2010, 21:11

davidgiandiletti wrote:also now that i'm looking at it a little more it could be similar to a maestro FZ-1, I'm basing this off the 1.5V supply

It's exactly the same circuit topology.

mictester · Post by **mictester** » 16 Nov 2010, 21:16

davidgiandiletti wrote:Found this while surfing the web, never heard of this and it looks interesting. It looks like a somewhat different design (not a fuzz face or tonebender at least) thought someone here might be interested. Trying to contribute something here since i lurk all the time. I hope someone can benefit from this.

Looks like the Maestro FZ1 to me. It mangles the signal by messing with the bias for the second transistor. My very first fuzz design working a bit like that, but used silicon transistors.... Schematic to follow!

Electric Warrior · Post by **Electric Warrior** » 16 Nov 2010, 21:22

actually the FZ-1 was the 3V version. The FZ-1A is the 1.5V one.

The Lectrolab has a .0047 cap at the output instead of a .0033 one. That's the only difference.

jrod · Post by **jrod** » 16 Nov 2010, 21:53

Nice! Thanks for sharing!!!

davidgiandiletti · Post by **davidgiandiletti** » 17 Nov 2010, 03:23

i figured if it were anything too unique and still decent sounding it would've already been discovered. if nothing else its a nice gut shot.

bootle · Post by **bootle** » 17 Nov 2010, 13:59

love the retro look/design of this pedal,
cheers for posting it!

Alex Frias · Post by **Alex Frias** » 17 Nov 2010, 16:49

Could it be possible to tell us the transistors code?

jrod · Post by **jrod** » 17 Nov 2010, 17:39

Alex Frias wrote:Could it be possible to tell us the transistors code?

The schematic says 2N2613,14. Is that what you needed?

Electric Warrior · Post by **Electric Warrior** » 17 Nov 2010, 19:19

bootle wrote:love the retro look/design of this pedal,
cheers for posting it!

better than retro: it's vintage!

Cups · Post by **Cups** » 19 Nov 2010, 18:38

If this was a boutique builder you cats would have been all over this as being "badly soldered" and "sloppy".

Is it me or does the board look to be "retouched" in spots, maybe some components replaced?

D-Day · Post by **D-Day** » 20 Nov 2010, 08:50

Cups wrote:If this was a boutique builder you cats would have been all over this as being "badly soldered" and "sloppy".

It's almost as if these guys hold $300 boutique dudes who have fancy hakko soldering stations, teflon insulated wire, circuits designed by or based on the work of others, custom through plated PCB's, photographic reference of the work of thousands before them and the internet to read from, ask questions of and source any part or tool under the sun to kind of a different standard than some low wage factory worker trying to cobble together a cheap fad item a few years after the dawn of the transistor.

A-holes imo

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 29 Nov 2010, 23:53