Danelectro - CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz

Xelbo · Post by **Xelbo** » 07 May 2010, 13:09

thanks tubedude! the schematics you made are probably somewhat the same as the circuit my v2 fuzz has got. in the v1, D1 (the 1n4004) is the polarity protection is i suppose, but in my fuzz there's no D1 whatsoever! however, there is a Q1, which looks like a black cilinder, and it reads 2N 7000 +J43. do you reckon that's it or have they just skipped polarity protection in the v2?

wesmwatson · Post by **wesmwatson** » 06 Aug 2010, 16:05

Would it be possible to get just the fuzz without tone or sustain in a much simpler circuit?

strungpeace · Post by **strungpeace** » 09 Sep 2010, 17:15

Hey there!

I know its been a long time since this threads been in use however I wanted to ask,

Would it be possible to change the transistor in this model to a germanium one for that earthy'er sound??

If so, do you know which component in the circuit is the transistor?

Kindest Regards

John

MicMicMan · Post by **MicMicMan** » 10 Sep 2010, 16:20

The transistor here is just used as a buffer, so no it's not worth changing it, as it's not supposed to affect the sound of the effect.

Mike9 · Post by **Mike9** » 19 Mar 2011, 21:02

I just picked up a NOS CF-1 and in my case I swapped the .47uF for a Tropical Fish cap and the .01uF for a Mallory. The biggest improvement came from putting a A100k volume pot in it. Smooths everything out and gives the tone and fuzz more range. Got the pot from Small Bear - it's solid shaft so you need to get a knob from him as well. Man after buying, selling and swearing off Fuzz boxes I'm happy with this one now. It reminds me of the original Fuzz Boxes from the 60's. Makes me want to build one in a larger enclosure with all top shelf components and a TL071 op amp.

amonte · Post by **amonte** » 14 Oct 2011, 21:09

I've got one of these CF-1's and it feels a little harsh on the top end and a little (or a lot) muddy.

I found this schematic of the Peach Fuzz:

I noticed some differences.

1) The value of C7 is .22uF, but the equivalent in the Peach Fuzz is 1uF - though this should produce MORE bass, not less
2) Not entirely sure what's going on with the buffer in the Frantone, but it looks like it's inserted in the middle of the tone control whereas on the CF-1 it comes right off the volume pot
3) I can't find the equivalent to C11 and R11 on the Frantone

Could this setup with C11/R11 and the buffer be causing the fizziness ont he CF-1? Would it be possible to bypass the buffer?

mictester · Post by **mictester** » 15 Oct 2011, 09:38

strungpeace wrote:
Would it be possible to change the transistor in this model to a germanium one for that earthy'er sound??

1. Not directly - you'd have to change some other component values too. If you don't feel confident in identifying the transistor that's already there, you certainly won't be able to do that modification!

2. There's no point - the transistor stage is just a buffer. Changing it to germanium will not change the sound of the thing at all, but would just add some hiss.

Danelectro - CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz [schematic]