Creepy Fingers - Fuzzbud

greenskull · Post by **greenskull** » 01 Feb 2012, 04:07

I just watched a demo of this pedal over at the Guitar Player website and really liked it. Now I know it's "based" on the Colorsound Fuzz-Wah circuit, but I'm curious to what values and transistors they went with to tweak it so well.
The schematic of the Fuzz-wah shows the fuzz circuit section looking not exactly like the Colorsound One Knob Fuzz as I expected:

Hopefully someone here can provide gutshots or even a schematic of the "Fuzzbud" version to compare. Thank you!

beedotman · Post by **beedotman** » 01 Feb 2012, 08:15

I think this could be straight copy of fuzz circuit from Fuzz Wah but with higher Level pot value - maybe 50 or 100k?

beedotman · Post by **beedotman** » 01 Feb 2012, 08:24

input and output cap are 100nF for sure.
there is also small ceramic cap (100pf or something like that) between base and collector - on Q1 I think or smaller - 10pf from input to ground to kill RF noise.
bias resistor (8.2K) is also lowered to 5.6K.
trannies - I would use BC182L or BC183L, BC337-16 should do the job well, too.

Solidhex · Post by **Solidhex** » 04 Feb 2012, 20:59

220pf cap across Q1 base collector junction. 50K output volume.

disorder · Post by **disorder** » 03 Apr 2012, 17:02

cant find the original bc167b transistors, anyone know of a close substitute? or what creepy fingers is using here?

danielzink · Post by **danielzink** » 03 Apr 2012, 17:20

disorder wrote:cant find the original bc167b transistors, anyone know of a close substitute? or what creepy fingers is using here?

Google says:

substitue for BC167:

BC174 BC182 BC190 BC 546 BC107 BC147 BC 151 BC 171A BC 317 MPS 3704 2N3242 2SC1815
2SC828 = BC167

engineelite · Post by **engineelite** » 11 Apr 2012, 16:02

I've got the Fuzzbud and I'll ship it to one of you guys to trace if you want. I'm not using it right now anyway. I would ask for you to pay for return shipping. I REALLY dig my doomidrive more but both are excellent pedals.

I'll have to give a stab at tracing sometime but I just don't have the spare time right now.

I've also got an EQD Tone Reaper (latest version with an AC176) that could be traced as well.

I'm definitely willing to send someone my tech 21 liverpool v2 to get traced.

btw: my fuzzbud has (2) 2n2222a transistors.

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 14 Apr 2012, 10:32

I really liked this on the breadboard, so knocked up a quick vero. Consider it verified (I made a couple of changes in my actual build, but nothing substantive):

: FB1_vero_nocentelli.gif (12.08 KiB) Viewed 4075 times

After i'd acually built the vero and played with it in my rig to check it, i noticed that the excellent clean-up i'd had on the breadboard was substantially lacking, and discovered the coloursound schematic above, using 2N2222As really doesn't like buffers. It's really cool connected direct to the guitar, quite filthy with humbuckers at full volume, turning into nice bright convincing overdrive as the volume is reduced to almost half (but with enough compression to still keep it easily audible). Sort of like I imagine a good germanium fuzzface to behave (I imagine, I've never tried one). But placed after either my homemade input buffer, or the Japanese buffered bypass in my Pearl octaver and it turns into a muddy monster, with little-to-no clean up and a much less useable sound.

Since it's a fuzzface-type circuit, I assumed the same rules apply, so I've messed about with a few suggested solutions, and found that a series input resistor (i've used 15-30k) helps reduce the effect without losing too much of the original unbuffered sound, but it's not perfect. If anyone has any other suggestions as to help this circuit work better after a buffer, I'd be grateful. Oh, I used a 100k volume pot.

p.eat · Post by **p.eat** » 14 Apr 2012, 11:10

Maybe try something like DougH's Wah buffer: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=9233 or the Foxrox Wah buffer.

No idea if it helps, as I haven't built any of them. But they seem to be recommended on here.

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 14 Apr 2012, 12:43

Hmm, the DougH crybaby thing seems to be a JFET input and output buffer: Given that my using my pedalboard JFET buffer in front causes the Fuzzbud a problem, I'm not sure it will help.

I've got the circuit on the breadboard again, this time with a 50kB pot, the 5k6 bias resistor and the 220p Q1 B/C cap as suggested in the thread above. A 22k series input resistor seems to be a good compromise to allow it to clean up better when presented with a buffered input signal but not lose to much input signal. I suppose I can always just route my pedals so the Fuzzbud sees only the unbuffered guitar anyway. Also, I'm finding it pretty bright, so I'm experimenting with a simple 100k tone control bleeding some highs off through a 3n3 cap right before the volume pot. Sounds pretty good.

engineelite · Post by **engineelite** » 14 Apr 2012, 15:38

Wow you guys are good. I didn't even have to send my fuzzbud to anyone. I'll have to build the vero now and compare it side-by-side. It is very true that the fuzzbud is very picky about having clean untouched signal in front of it.

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 14 Apr 2012, 16:12

engineelite wrote: I'll have to build the vero now and compare it side-by-side.

That would be really cool. Before you build though, if you could just open her up - you don't need to trace it - and just take a high-res picture, or even just note the resistor colour codes and post it here we could draw up a definitive schematic and I can change the vero so it's closer.

Many thanks,

Leo

engineelite · Post by **engineelite** » 14 Apr 2012, 21:56

Nocentelli wrote:
engineelite wrote: I'll have to build the vero now and compare it side-by-side.
That would be really cool. Before you build though, if you could just open her up - you don't need to trace it - and just take a high-res picture, or even just note the resistor colour codes and post it here we could draw up a definitive schematic and I can change the vero so it's closer.

Many thanks,

Leo

Will do.. I'll have the pics up by tomorrow sometime.

engineelite · Post by **engineelite** » 15 Apr 2012, 18:57

I did my best to get the correct colors off of the resistors but sometimes the blue/purple/black look VERY similar. The only resistor in question in my mind is the bottom metal film value because the the color stripes were much more transparent and difficult to see than the others. The pot is 50K linear.

beedotman · Post by **beedotman** » 15 Apr 2012, 19:20

engineelite wrote: I did my best to get the correct colors off of the resistors but sometimes the blue/purple/black look VERY similar. The only resistor in question in my mind is the bottom metal film value because the the color stripes were much more transparent and difficult to see than the others. The pot is 50K linear.

Great pics!

sinner · Post by **sinner** » 15 Apr 2012, 19:24

beedotman wrote:
engineelite wrote: I did my best to get the correct colors off of the resistors but sometimes the blue/purple/black look VERY similar. The only resistor in question in my mind is the bottom metal film value because the the color stripes were much more transparent and difficult to see than the others. The pot is 50K linear.
Great pics!

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 15 Apr 2012, 20:13

Great pictures, thanks. That totally makes sense: Looks like the only change from what we've got already is an 820r instead of 1k coming of the +9v supply and going to the collector resistors... ...and that extra 5-band resistor at the top of the board

phibes · Post by **phibes** » 15 Apr 2012, 20:40

Nocentelli wrote:and that extra 5-band resistor at the top of the board

LED resistor

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 15 Apr 2012, 20:49

phibes · Post by **phibes** » 15 Apr 2012, 23:29

Creepy Fingers - Fuzzbud [traced]