Shin-ei/Jax - 8Tr Fuzz Wah

picker · Post by **picker** » 13 Jul 2009, 15:21

Way back in 1971, I bought a combination fuzz/wah pedal at a local music store. The manufacturer name on it was Jax, but I have since found out it was made by Shin-Ei of Japan. This is a picture of the side panel showing the fuzz:

The wah was okay for what it was, but the fuzz was quite something. It had two voice settings. One was a very buzzy Vic Mizzy sort of fuzz that I didn't like much at all. But the other voice was a cool sounding boost without the buzz, and I liked it so much that I took off the treadle and kept using it long after the wah broke.

I have seen these pedels on ebay, going for outrageous prices. I wonder if anyone has a schematic of the unit. The one I owned had a schematic pasted to the bottom cover plate. If anyone has one, could I get a copy, please?

Thanx much,
Picker
(Mike Vande)

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 13 Jul 2009, 15:34

The fuzz circuit is a Superfuzz.

You can find schematics for the different versions at http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay

The schemo for the one you probably had is at http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/superfuzz1.html

picker · Post by **picker** » 14 Jul 2009, 02:01

Thanx much, cowbell!

picker · Post by **picker** » 14 Jul 2009, 02:16

No offense, Cowbell, but I checked out a few Super Fuzz boxes out on You Tube, and they don't sound anything like the pedal I had. Mine didn't have the octave effect on either fuzz setting.

Dan N · Post by **Dan N** » 14 Jul 2009, 04:40

Some years ago someone on the HC forum posted a hand drawn board layout of a Japanese fuzz wah that was some kind of an FY-2 derivative. I wonder if yours could have been one of those? If so, I've never heard of another.

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 14 Jul 2009, 05:49

Does yours look like this inside ?
Then it is the 8 transistor Fuzz-Wah.

analogguru

Solidhex · Post by **Solidhex** » 14 Jul 2009, 06:52

picker wrote:No offense, Cowbell, but I checked out a few Super Fuzz boxes out on You Tube, and they don't sound anything like the pedal I had. Mine didn't have the octave effect on either fuzz setting.

I've seen a lot of those and they've always had a shinei wah circuit with a Superfuzz circuit. Sometimes on one board or two but always the same two circuits. If an octave tone wasn't present and a tone setting sounded clean in anyway the pedal probably had a bad component or wiring. Seriously the two defining characteristics of that circuit are its extreme fuzz and octave tone.

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 14 Jul 2009, 14:45

picker wrote:No offense, Cowbell, but I checked out a few Super Fuzz boxes out on You Tube, and they don't sound anything like the pedal I had. Mine didn't have the octave effect on either fuzz setting.

I wouldn't necessarily rely on youtube to compare sounds, but it is possible that it is the 8 transistor circuit like AG mentioned.

Also note that some Superfuzzes have a way more pronounced octave effect than others.( Plus your description of a "boost-like sound without the buzz" points to a possible wiring / component issue like Brad mentioned.)

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 14 Jul 2009, 19:08

8 tr schem-

http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/jax1/jfwsch.html

my best friend has one of these and i played it a lot growing up. great fuzz sound.

rs · Post by rs » 14 Jul 2009, 23:09

Does somebody have anyother gut shots?
I have one of these without any wires in it.
Thanks

tube-exorcist · Post by **tube-exorcist** » 14 Jul 2009, 23:31

Here you go:
http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/jax1/jaxfw.html

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 15 Jul 2009, 00:10

Take a look at the Fuzz section of the 8Tr schematic and the Superfuzz schematic ...

http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/superfuzz1.html

http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/jax1/jfwsch.gif

Notice any similarities ?

(I suspect that AG already knew this...)

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 15 Jul 2009, 02:02

Paul Marossy · Post by **Paul Marossy** » 15 Jul 2009, 13:46

I have always been curious about these old Shinei and Jax wah pedals and their variants. Maybe one day I'll pick one up to play around with. Or just build one. Hmm...

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 15 Jul 2009, 17:55

MoreCowbell wrote:Take a look at the Fuzz section of the 8Tr schematic and the Superfuzz schematic ...

http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/superfuzz1.html
http://members.fortunecity.com/uzzfay/jax1/jfwsch.gif

Notice any similarities ?

(I suspect that AG already knew this...)

I think it will be hard for me to deny this - the evidence is too overwhelming:
http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 71&start=1

analogguru

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 15 Jul 2009, 18:29

analogguru wrote: I think it will be hard for me to deny this - the evidence is too overwhelming:
http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 71&start=1

analogguru

Suspicion confirmed !

I just KNEW that you had already compared these schematics. I hadn't looked at them "side by side" until this thread, and as soon as I did I realized why you mentioned the 8Tr.

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 15 Jul 2009, 18:41

.... and then there was this:

http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 81&start=0

analogguru

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 15 Jul 2009, 19:43

analogguru wrote: .... and then there was this:

http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic ... 81&start=0

analogguru

Yep - no talk of the 8Tr there though.

The old SF circuit is just a cool sounding fuzz.

DougH · Post by **DougH** » 16 Jul 2009, 15:16

MoreCowbell wrote:
Yep - no talk of the 8Tr there though.

True. But the core of all of these are that "differential-like" octave generator circuit. I think all these plastic cheap fuzzes and fuzz-wahs (Japanese and otherwise) are basically variations on a theme.

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 16 Jul 2009, 16:57

DougH wrote:
MoreCowbell wrote:
Yep - no talk of the 8Tr there though.
True. But the core of all of these are that "differential-like" octave generator circuit. I think all these plastic cheap fuzzes and fuzz-wahs (Japanese and otherwise) are basically variations on a theme.

Yep. I knew that they were all "very similar" (Kay, SF,Fuzz Machine, Jax, Pax, etc), as do most people ...I just didn't know that the SF and the 8Tr were "the same" (with the exception of I think a 22k on the input IIRC). I figured there would be a few more differences between the 8Tr and the SF (kind of like the Kay vs SF differences) . As soon as AG mentioned the 8Tr in this thread though I figured I should compare the two schematics.

(Of course the version of the SF with the jfet input is different.)

Shin-ei/Jax - 8Tr Fuzz Wah [schematic]