Mosrite - Fuzzrite [schematic]

[mikeSmith]

Just Joined.
I've been looking for a good layout diagram for a Mosrite Fuzzrite. My head is spinning a bit as I've found many different versions online. Does someone have a schematic and layout diagram of the real Mosrite Fuzzrite? It's probably in this thread, but i'm not sure.

Thanks
Mike

[allesz]

Hallo, regarding layouts you should find everithing you need on the first page.
For the schematic just google "mosrite fuzzrite schematic" and you should find it, both silicon and germanium.

[ljn]

Hi, everyone. I just wanted to say I switched out my silicon fuzzrite for the germanium version. It has a much nastier sound, but doesn't clean up as much as the silicon version. This is the fuzzrite tone! Nothing else comes close.I can now pull of any Iron Butterfly riff with every bit of crackling nastiness as the original. Adding a decent amount of reverb really makes it sound incredible. If you want the Iron Butterfly tone, build the germanium version. It also does a good Doors tone if you back the guitar volume down to about 8.

[Mr.Grumpy]

I built my own Silicon version of the Fuzzrite, but uses a 0.0068 for the out cap of the first stage instead of the stock 0.0022. I used plastic-case 2N2222, I don't remember if I chose them for any particular gain. I used a 500K pot for the fuzz/balance/tone control and a 50K pot for volume.

I've never played a real Fuzzrite to compare with my homemade one, but WOW, this thing is crazy! No doubt all the weird behavior is due to the Fuzzrite's out-of-phase stage mixing. Some notes are louder and/or bassier, others seem to almost fade out or degerate into super thin fizziness. First sweet spot on the fuzz knob is around 9 or 10 o'clock, nice fat OD sound with the second stage fuzz layered on top. The middle third on the fuzz control isn't very useful, there's a lot of volume drop (due to phase cancellation no doubt) and the tone is pretty thin. There's another 'sweet spot' around 2 or 3 o'clock where it's the classic buzzy, fizzy, super treble fuzz, beyond that the treble screech is almost unbearable.

[BMS1971]

I have to admit I have some TZ82 and nothing compares to them in a fuzzrite... For Germanium I used MP42B and MP41A (HFE 75 and 95) and it's a loud and amazing fuzz

[mozz]

What are the tz82 testing at?

[bdhact1]

TZ82 has become practically and cost effectively unobtanium. But, I did get excellent results using two 2SC828P si transistors. They were left over from my Shin-Ei FY-6 build. I found the 2222, 3904, et al... (All the usual suspects) were either just too typical, blase', or unstable to my ears. Of course, tastes and opinions will differ.

[mozz]

Yes, i know that transistor is hard to find but i was wondering what they are measuring at since he said he has some. My book shows they are at hfe 165 @1ma.

[BMS1971]

Hello guys
looking for information of the latest variants:
1 the one with the "bass side" always on and only the trebles are added instead of blend.
2 the one with a third knob "tone" (pro suzzz fuzzz)
Any schematics or information?
Cheers
Ben

[quantum]

They got some decent gut shot pics at ...
https://www.gbase.com/gear/mosrite-pro- ... 968-chrome

[universalmind]

cool, thanks, AG!


I tried making the germanium fuzzrite based on the following layout maybe a week or two ago with sockets for the transistors, but got kinda lackluster results. Anyone made that one and have any advice? If I remember right it was pretty screechy at the fuzzier settings, almost like there was something wrong. Then again i've had the same thing happen with a fuzzface build where it sounded like shit on the breadboard but fine when it got into an enclosure.

http://aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php? ... alNumber=2

I tried it with some 2n5088s as a control, and then with some old soviet germaniums I have, which were reading hfe ~200.

I know, I’m over a decade late to this party. Just kill 3 minutes reading my 2c and 50 seconds listening, they’re interesting results considering the components.

The Fuzzrite was the first circuit I stripped naked to find out what each component did, because (a) I’ve always been obsessively curious about something interesting that I don’t immediately comprehend and (b) I realized very early in that you can really get any fuzz sound you want just by subbing slightly different value components. That being said,
The Ge transistors measuring around 200 is WAY too high. The most faithful Ge recreation I ever made was with Q1 hFE = 44 and Q2 hFE = 72. I subbed 6.8nF film caps in place if the stock 2.2nF and it beefed up the tone without losing the Fuzzrite soul. The 4.7M resistor can be replaced with anything from 1M-10M and it will adjust the “character” of the fuzz. I used 3.6M, and these are the results. Seriously, hFE 44 and 77 for Q1&Q2.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0nwdqtwq6eo4x ... F.mp3?dl=0

If you go the silicon route try something really low like MPSA05 with hFE about 70-80 in Q1 and something pretty greatly like BC183C in Q2, hFE 350ish. I know, the pairing sounds like I should probably be hugging a padded cell for even thinking up a pairing like that, but it sounds absolutely killer with them and 5.6nF caps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2xun5b8gzxx7i ... F.mp3?dl=0

[andare]

cool, thanks, AG!


I tried making the germanium fuzzrite based on the following layout maybe a week or two ago with sockets for the transistors, but got kinda lackluster results. Anyone made that one and have any advice? If I remember right it was pretty screechy at the fuzzier settings, almost like there was something wrong. Then again i've had the same thing happen with a fuzzface build where it sounded like shit on the breadboard but fine when it got into an enclosure.

http://aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php? ... alNumber=2

I tried it with some 2n5088s as a control, and then with some old soviet germaniums I have, which were reading hfe ~200.

I know, I’m over a decade late to this party. Just kill 3 minutes reading my 2c and 50 seconds listening, they’re interesting results considering the components.

The Fuzzrite was the first circuit I stripped naked to find out what each component did, because (a) I’ve always been obsessively curious about something interesting that I don’t immediately comprehend and (b) I realized very early in that you can really get any fuzz sound you want just by subbing slightly different value components. That being said,
The Ge transistors measuring around 200 is WAY too high. The most faithful Ge recreation I ever made was with Q1 hFE = 44 and Q2 hFE = 72. I subbed 6.8nF film caps in place if the stock 2.2nF and it beefed up the tone without losing the Fuzzrite soul. The 4.7M resistor can be replaced with anything from 1M-10M and it will adjust the “character” of the fuzz. I used 3.6M, and these are the results. Seriously, hFE 44 and 77 for Q1&Q2.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0nwdqtwq6eo4x ... F.mp3?dl=0

If you go the silicon route try something really low like MPSA05 with hFE about 70-80 in Q1 and something pretty greatly like BC183C in Q2, hFE 350ish. I know, the pairing sounds like I should probably be hugging a padded cell for even thinking up a pairing like that, but it sounds absolutely killer with them and 5.6nF caps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2xun5b8gzxx7i ... F.mp3?dl=0

I also tried increasing the capacitors and the character was immediately lost. Your versions don't sound like Fuzzrites to me and you also managed to make the Ge and Si versions sound practically the same.

IME this circuit is forgiving of transistors but that's it. You touch resistors and caps and it doesn't sound like itself anymore.
Using resistors across lug 1 and 3 to get the traditional pot values was pretty inconsequential. If anything, using 500k and 50k is better because they give you a tad more bass, which this circuit lacks. I also tried using a reverse log pot for Depth but it lost a lot of the tones across the sweep.

The only deviation I find useful is putting the 22k to ground on a switch for a bass and volume boost. That's what Catalinbread has probably done with their Vintage/Modern toggle switch on their new Germanium Fuzzrite (which IMO sounds phenomenal in demos).

My only gripe with the Fuzzrite is how noisy it is. A small cap (say 10nF) to ground on the input kills the radio star and assorted bacon sizzles but the noise floor remains very high.

[BMS1971]

cool, thanks, AG!


I tried making the germanium fuzzrite based on the following layout maybe a week or two ago with sockets for the transistors, but got kinda lackluster results. Anyone made that one and have any advice? If I remember right it was pretty screechy at the fuzzier settings, almost like there was something wrong. Then again i've had the same thing happen with a fuzzface build where it sounded like shit on the breadboard but fine when it got into an enclosure.

http://aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php? ... alNumber=2

I tried it with some 2n5088s as a control, and then with some old soviet germaniums I have, which were reading hfe ~200.

I know, I’m over a decade late to this party. Just kill 3 minutes reading my 2c and 50 seconds listening, they’re interesting results considering the components.

The Fuzzrite was the first circuit I stripped naked to find out what each component did, because (a) I’ve always been obsessively curious about something interesting that I don’t immediately comprehend and (b) I realized very early in that you can really get any fuzz sound you want just by subbing slightly different value components. That being said,
The Ge transistors measuring around 200 is WAY too high. The most faithful Ge recreation I ever made was with Q1 hFE = 44 and Q2 hFE = 72. I subbed 6.8nF film caps in place if the stock 2.2nF and it beefed up the tone without losing the Fuzzrite soul. The 4.7M resistor can be replaced with anything from 1M-10M and it will adjust the “character” of the fuzz. I used 3.6M, and these are the results. Seriously, hFE 44 and 77 for Q1&Q2.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0nwdqtwq6eo4x ... F.mp3?dl=0

If you go the silicon route try something really low like MPSA05 with hFE about 70-80 in Q1 and something pretty greatly like BC183C in Q2, hFE 350ish. I know, the pairing sounds like I should probably be hugging a padded cell for even thinking up a pairing like that, but it sounds absolutely killer with them and 5.6nF caps:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2xun5b8gzxx7i ... F.mp3?dl=0

I used with great success, MP1A and MP42B (50 and 80 Hfe). But always found the Ge design odd sounding wen gain is at middle or 0. Is there another schematic than the one from the amp input stage?
Cheers
Benoit