RNFR - Green Bomb Fuzz

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 17 Mar 2010, 23:21

well, there is only one way to find out- populate the fucker! seriously though, does eagle say it's good? that usually helps it along for me. looks good on a quick glance though. thanks for making it! if it doesn't end up working, i have one that i made(untested) that i can post for you, if you want.

i chose the BC109C simply for the higher Hfe. so you could just pick your BC109s through for a hot one, and that should work fine for Q2. i used a 2n3565 for Q1 in my build, just because i like how they sound, and they usually have a decent medium sized amount of gain- similar to the BC108.

let me know how it goes!

irmcdermott · Post by **irmcdermott** » 18 Mar 2010, 00:32

awesome. i have to source some parts that i'm out of. once they get here i'll report back. thanks!

gonzo1999 · Post by **gonzo1999** » 09 Apr 2010, 15:31

ibodog2 (or someone),

Could you list the cap values you changed by cap number (e.g. C2, etc...)? I was getting a little confused by your description of which caps you changed. I'm really interested in getting that thinner Spaghetti Western sound, and your clip sounds awesome.

Thanks!
gonzo

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 09 Apr 2010, 17:31

you should be able to get a thinner sound out of this build stock if you put the shape control all the way to the left. if you want to go with a more stock fuzzrite sound (which i have found to be crazy thin- a bit much) just change the input caps on each stage from.1 to .047 and the output caps from .047 to .0022. just beware, it's going to be very bright, especially if you play through a fender.

gonzo1999 · Post by **gonzo1999** » 09 Apr 2010, 17:58

ok, good - i'll probably start with stock and socket those caps in case i want to go thinner. but i've got a tele-style guitar and a deluxe reverb, so really bright is not what i need.

thanks for posting this - can't wait to try it out!

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 10 Apr 2010, 01:39

gonzo1999 wrote:ok, good - i'll probably start with stock and socket those caps in case i want to go thinner. but i've got a tele-style guitar and a deluxe reverb, so really bright is not what i need.

thanks for posting this - can't wait to try it out!

cool!

also- remember to use a 50k LOG pot as well for easier tonal variation.

Nocentelli · Post by **Nocentelli** » 31 May 2010, 19:18

Just built a tagboard version of the Green Bomb - What an awesome fuzz! Very versatile, does everything from gritty 60's psychedelia and fuzzy 70's rock to a more modern grunge sound. Massive

for RnFR!

Can't wait to get it boxed up and on my board...

Thanks again

gigelmargel · Post by **gigelmargel** » 31 May 2010, 19:58

WOW...very good sounding fuzz...thanks you RnFR for it!
Anyone made a PCB for it?

Waimana · Post by **Waimana** » 01 Jun 2010, 04:36

Hi RnFR, what hfe do you have for Q1 and Q2? Cheers

gigelmargel · Post by **gigelmargel** » 01 Jun 2010, 09:45

irmcdermott wrote:I love the sound of this fuzz. Awesome job! RnFR, do you think this PCB I came up with would work? Can't wait to build this!

hello,
can you post the pcb for this layout (very nice done, anyway)?

best regards!

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 05 Jun 2010, 01:58

sorry guys, missed these posts...

Nocentelli wrote:Just built a tagboard version of the Green Bomb - What an awesome fuzz! Very versatile, does everything from gritty 60's psychedelia and fuzzy 70's rock to a more modern grunge sound. Massive for RnFR!

Can't wait to get it boxed up and on my board...

Thanks again

no problem! glad you are enjoying it. it's my fave 60's style fuzz, but it does do much more.

i'd love to see some pics for my blog!

gigelmargel wrote:WOW...very good sounding fuzz...thanks you RnFR for it!
Anyone made a PCB for it?

sorry, i don't have one finished yet. i'll post one when i get it done.

Waimana wrote:Hi RnFR, what hfe do you have for Q1 and Q2? Cheers

Q1 is probably around 350, Q2 somewhere between 500-800.

gigelmargel · Post by **gigelmargel** » 05 Jun 2010, 04:34

ok...thanks you very much for it

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 05 Jun 2010, 13:15

here you go! unverified of course, so please let me know if you build it. the holes are for running wires and mounting. use them if you like.

gigelmargel · Post by **gigelmargel** » 05 Jun 2010, 15:38

RnFR wrote:here you go! unverified of course, so please let me know if you build it. the holes are for running wires and mounting. use them if you like.

Thx a lot RnFR!
Unfortunately, the man which makes me PCB just send me my last command, so it will take almost 2-3 weeks to send it to him (I must to send it a minimum of 7-10 PCBs to be profitable).
Anyway, as soon as I will build it I will let you know

Best regards,
Radu

gonzo1999 · Post by **gonzo1999** » 14 Jun 2010, 22:28

I just finished putting this together and it sounds pretty amazing - it does all sorts of things! A ton of sounds.

But I just want to verify that I put it together correctly and I'm getting the response I should, because as I increase the fuzz and shape settings, things change in ways that I wasn't expecting/can't predict. For example, with the shape in the far left position and held constant, starting with the fuzz in far left, I first get some mellow, muffled tones with more bass response and muted highs, then raspy low crunch at 9 o'clock, a louder, biting crunch at noon that almost seems cleaned up a bit with a lot more presence, and maybe gradually increasing gain (and volume) up to max. Normal? I guess I was expecting just more fuzz if I held the shape constant and increased the fuzz, but it's almost like there's a different set of tones at each position. It works and sounds amazing, so if this is the way it is, excellent - but just wanted to check. I'm not having any issues that sound like build errors, but if this doesn't sound right, it could be that I've got one somewhere.

I'm not super familiar with fuzzes or at least this fuzz, so this may be a dumb question.

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 15 Jun 2010, 00:45

nope, not a stupid question at all. this fuzz is different than most, as the gain control is mixing together two out of phase stages, so you are going to get some canceling of the signal at different gain settings. the shape control also works in a similar fashion, so you are going to get lots of different sounds there as well. and yes, they don't really work "logically", or how you would normally expect. it's part of what makes this thing so cool! glad you are enjoying it!

just wondering, what layout did you use?

gonzo1999 · Post by **gonzo1999** » 15 Jun 2010, 02:18

excellent! that's kind of what i was suspecting from your description, but wasn't sure. just wasn't expecting it to work the first time i fired it up.

i built the vero board layout that ibodog2 posted, but with a 50k audio for the shape. right now i have the 2n3904 transistors in there, but they're socketed and i've got bc108 and 109's to plug in. going to try that next. i'm also going to socket the input and output caps so i can try those smaller ones, as i'm looking for some thin spaghetti western type of sounds.

thanks again for your help, and for coming up with this crazy thing.

pillof · Post by **pillof** » 02 Jul 2010, 02:03

My friend made me a Green Bomb and this fuzz is what I've wanted for a long time.

Kudos to RnFR for sharing this awesome pedal.

Here's a short clip I recorded just after getting the pedal.

CIJ Jazzmaster -> Green Bomb -> ztamp lunch box ->Zoom H4

http://www.mediafire.com/?t0md2ricyto

recorded in bedroom volume.

fuzz comes in around 1:20..
I fooled around with my clean tone at the beginning.
My friends wanted to hear how lunchbox sounds recorded.
Didn't edit that out.

I lowered guitar volume and my picking. the semi clean and broken amp buzz are really fun to play with IMHO.

RnFR · Post by **RnFR** » 02 Jul 2010, 02:48

right on! i'm glad you are enjoying it. it really filled in the spot that i was trying to fill for a while as well. that extra bit of gain and functionality that this circuit provides, in my mind, really puts it on top of most other sixties style fuzzes out there that i've heard. it really nails that square wave tone, but it does much more. if you don't mind, i'll link to the clip on my blog for posterity. thanks for making it, the clip sounds cool!

pillof · Post by **pillof** » 02 Jul 2010, 03:16

Sure! Glad you like the clip, it's my honor.
The three controls provide so many options to tweak the sound.
Never thought I'd describe a 60s' style fuzz versatile, but this fuzz do have many sounds in it.

Thanks!

RnFR wrote:right on! i'm glad you are enjoying it. it really filled in the spot that i was trying to fill for a while as well. that extra bit of gain and functionality that this circuit provides, in my mind, really puts it on top of most other sixties style fuzzes out there that i've heard. it really nails that square wave tone, but it does much more. if you don't mind, i'll link to the clip on my blog for posterity. thanks for making it, the clip sounds cool!