freestompboxes.org

not sure of this either. THe SHO is a completely different circuit and isn't related to the FF, so what do you mean?

I thought the fuzz factory was a SHO pushing a fuzz face? I know with the machine you can switch the SHO on without the machine. Maybe I was mistaken though...

SHO is a mosfet booster. there are not mosfets in the FF. the FF is a fuzz face with numerous fixed resistors replaced with pots and a booster similar to the lpb2 in front. there isn't much else to it.

Oh ok! yea I'm a noob. So can you seperate the booster in it with a switch?

hazelwould wrote:Oh ok! yea I'm a noob. So can you seperate the booster in it with a switch?

if you want, but why wouldn't you just build a booster and a fuzz face?

Part pedalboard real estate, part of the fact that the FF isn't a leave on all the time type of fuzz pedal. So if I could flip a switch and use a booster where I may need one on a song.. I'm not a huge booster user either but I could see using both in a band setting.

I may end up building something like a SHO to begin with and really try to learn it. I've got some parts laying around and just need the mosfets for the SHO. While I'm at it I should probably pick up Wamplers book!

wouldnt a SHO be a bit too noisy for a FF input??

A little possible mods.

would it be possible to add a second switch controlling the Stab knob. How to wire a second stomp switch?

Off position--> Stab knob doesn't work (like off)
On position--> Stab works and the circuit begins to oscillate. A second led for this switch would be possible?

I like how the fuzz sounds when gate and comp knobs are at minimum. How can I eliminate the Gate and Comp pots? Just a pair of wires instead of pots?

Maybe Wacky Fuzz instead of Fuzz Factory??

Hope you can help me. Thanks.

Spazzmatazz wrote:A little possible mods.

would it be possible to add a second switch controlling the Stab knob. How to wire a second stomp switch?

Off position--> Stab knob doesn't work (like off)
On position--> Stab works and the circuit begins to oscillate. A second led for this switch would be possible?

I like how the fuzz sounds when gate and comp knobs are at minimum. How can I eliminate the Gate and Comp pots? Just a pair of wires instead of pots?

Maybe Wacky Fuzz instead of Fuzz Factory??

Hope you can help me. Thanks.

for the comp and gate, take a 10k resistor, solder it in where lugs 3 and 2 connect to the board (or to put it another way, from the juction of the stab pot and the 10k collector resistor of Q1 for the comp, and from the 470ohm collector resistor of Q1 to ground for the gate. you could also remove the 470ohm and put a 10.5ohm-ish here if you have one, 10.2 would likely work) . For the stab switch, you can use a single pole single pole switch. connect one side to the 9v supply and one side to lug 1 of the stab pot (or on the board where the stab pot lug 1 connects). When closed, the stab pot is bypassed, when open the 9v goes through the stab pot.

Thank you very much Barcode!

Spazzcode Fuzz instead of Fuzz Factory?? Zvex won't recognize it

Comp and Gate mods OK

the Stab Switch it doesn't not work, the sound goes off (because the 9V goes off) Maybe I did not understand it. this is how I wired it.

Spazzmatazz wrote:Comp and Gate mods OK

the Stab Switch it doesn't not work, the sound goes off (because the 9V goes off) Maybe I did not understand it. this is how I wired it.

hmm, the stab knob on that pcb isn't wired exactly like the schematic, though it is functionally. lug 1 according to the schem should be bridged to lug 2 according to the schem, but functionally it makes little difference. however, the 9v shouldn't be going off at all if you've wired t the way your attachment indicates. think about it logically:

the pot is wired to be a variable resistor, so what you essentially want to do is bypass the pot and open the voltage up wide, which would render the pot useless, as is your wish. so, in the layout you are using, lug 3 and 2 make up the variable resistor. so, a switch that bypasses the stab pot would short those two lugs together when closed, bypassing the pot. in the switch's open state, the pot is no longer bypassed and works as normal.

if you have it wired as you have posted, the switch will basically introduce the max resistance to the voltage supply that the pot can offer, because what you are shorting is the outside lugs of the pot. the resistance between lug 1 and lug 3 is th max value of the pot, so the way you have it wired essentially means the pot is at the highest resistance setting.

so, wire as shown below and that should do it

Thanks once again Barcode!!

I got a new camera.

this is my fuzz factory.

did you get the mods working for you?

I'm waiting for a new pack of enclosures, I'll post some photos when I finish it, but the mods work great! that photo is really my second Fuzz Factory, the first I built gave me problems when I tried to fit it in the enclosure because of the pots, now I use it to make the mods and to design the holes box.
a friend has given to me a wah wah enclosure to install a fuzz factory on it, I'll put the Stab as a pedal expresion (the fuzz probe, no?)

hey all,
i've just read through the 15 odd pages of this thread, and i have a few questions. I did read right through, so apologies if i missed these being answered before:

firstly, has the circuit on matsumin's Japanese site been 100% confirmed and verified? I know there's a couple of slight variations, particularly between that and the french site (which is now taken down??) but is there one circuit that people generally stick to?

secondly, the transistors. I have loads of 2n3904's, they're fairly common. But the AC128's are proving to be a difficulty. I know some people opt for 2N404's, or if they're lucky enough, the AC128a's with the tasty little radiator, but on mouser.com, there's 2 transistors given as cross-reference matches to the AC128 and 2N404's. they're NTE158's and NTE102's respectively. Anyone care to share some insight on these??

I'm planning to build this pretty soon, and i'd like to get it right...

trad3mark wrote:hey all,
i've just read through the 15 odd pages of this thread, and i have a few questions. I did read right through, so apologies if i missed these being answered before:

firstly, has the circuit on matsumin's Japanese site been 100% confirmed and verified? I know there's a couple of slight variations, particularly between that and the french site (which is now taken down??) but is there one circuit that people generally stick to?

secondly, the transistors. I have loads of 2n3904's, they're fairly common. But the AC128's are proving to be a difficulty. I know some people opt for 2N404's, or if they're lucky enough, the AC128a's with the tasty little radiator, but on mouser.com, there's 2 transistors given as cross-reference matches to the AC128 and 2N404's. they're NTE158's and NTE102's respectively. Anyone care to share some insight on these??

I'm planning to build this pretty soon, and i'd like to get it right...

the ac128 is germanium, the 2n3904 silicon. this is an important distinction to make in stompbox circuits, though some have reported equally good results with no regard to silicon or germanium in this circuit.

from a functional standpoint, the nte158 will work fine, in fact any pnp germanium in the right gain range will work fine. however, tonal characteristics are likely not the same.

Spazzmatazz wrote:I got a new camera.

this is my fuzz factory.

Very cool box - I like it!

Barcode wrote: the ac128 is germanium, the 2n3904 silicon. this is an important distinction to make in stompbox circuits, though some have reported equally good results with no regard to silicon or germanium in this circuit.

from a functional standpoint, the nte158 will work fine, in fact any pnp germanium in the right gain range will work fine. however, tonal characteristics are likely not the same.

that's perfect. It's only for home use. I'm heading over to america next winter, and i'll probably buy one there too. You can never have too many fuzz factories.

thanks a million barcode.