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Thinking of building a fuzz pedal

J

jedi

Apr 11, 2003
156
0
north texas
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#1
Hello there.
In search of a fuzz pedal that I like or can afford, I do'nt really have the resources to try many out. Instead, I found the fuzz I like and have found it to be from a Shin Ei Fuzz pedal. I don't have the 175 to drop on a used one, so I found these schematics:
Link Removed
From this site which I found on talkbass:
http://fuzzcentral.tripod.com/index.html

I was curious if anyone had had any such luck on building a fuzz pedal, and the lucky chance that someone has reproduced a Shin Ei, could you leave some comments or feedback. I'm still mulling this over in my head. I've taught myself via the internet on how to construct other things, so I'm not to worried about that, I'm just curious about your thoughts.

Thanks
Kyle
 
#2
hey thats a good idea, the only thing i would say is i would start on an easy fuzz, such as the tweak-o (Invalid Link Removed), so you can get a good grasp on what you need to do for that pedal, but i don't know your level of expertise so i will say that it is worth a try...tell us how it ends up!


Good luck,
Charlie
 
#3
well, my expertise is this
i'm sufficiant with a soldering iron
and stubborn as hell
so i work on it till it works, or quit when i don't know what is wrong since i don't ever have any friends to ask because they aren't into diy about things they've never done.
kyle
 
#7
jedi said:
Hello there.
In search of a fuzz pedal that I like or can afford, I do'nt really have the resources to try many out. Instead, I found the fuzz I like and have found it to be from a Shin Ei Fuzz pedal. I don't have the 175 to drop on a used one, so I found these schematics:
Link Removed
Click to expand...
I don't know how that will sound on bass, but I've heard tell it's great on guitar. If you build it, there is a small error in that scheme... swap the connections to lugs 1 & 2 on the fuzz pot. ;)

I would recommend the Bazz Fuzz or the Buzz Box (two Bazzes in series). IMVHO, the Tweak-O sucks a lot of low end. The Buzz Box is way fatter. :cool:

~ Charlie
 
#9
Flea666 said:
http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html

is that the bazz fuzz?

has any one got the diagrams for the real one if thats not it?
Click to expand...
That one will do fine. The original had 10uF input and output caps if I remember properly.

Start with the simple one. I found the "deluxe" model is geared too much towards guitar, not bass. YMMV.
 
#12
yo jedi,
i built the shin-ei companion fuzz some weeks ago.
it is an interesting box but imho, absolutely useless for bass...the distortion is so over the top. sounds great on guitar, tho.
i experimented with the input cap when i built it, so i increased the value to have more bass come thru, but after i found out that that i won´t use it for bass, i went back to the original input cap and now it sounds better with guitar.

cheers,
lowstar
 
#13
If money is the issue, than beware wasting money on:
* Analog problems - physical layout can affect the final result (noise problems)
* Parts selected - different types of resistors and caps have different sounds to them

While more expensive, at least with a ready-made item, you can "try before you buy".
 
#14
The shin-ei fuzz pedal is expensive for what it is. If you wanna buy a real one, the Fuzz Wah is way better value. It has a switch for 2 fuzz sounds, one midrange up, the other midrange scooped out. And the pedal works. The switches are the only bugbear.
 
#16
I heartily recommend Craig Anderton's genius book Electronic Projects for Musicians and
Guitar Player Presents Do-It-Yourself Projects for Guitarists:
http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Projects-Musicians-Craig-Anderton/dp/0825695023

The 'tube sound fuzz' project is excellent for bass, and has been (ahem) 'adapted' by many boutique manufacturers. It uses a 4049 hex inverter/buffer chip which is commonly available, and if you're interested in the other projects, I'm told that modern replacements are available for some of the more esoteric components that he uses.

Fuzzes are one of simplest & cheapest things to build - it staggers me how expensive some boutique pedals are. (However, there are some great innovators out there - Zvex is cool. I applaud Polish Love!) It pays to learn the techniques to do it right tho (and to a lesser extent, purchasing quality components), because sloppy construction can be detrimental and frustrating. Craig Anderton's books, although dated somewhat, are brilliant in this respect.
 
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#17
Soulman said:
The shin-ei fuzz pedal is expensive for what it is. If you wanna buy a real one, the Fuzz Wah is way better value. It has a switch for 2 fuzz sounds, one midrange up, the other midrange scooped out. And the pedal works. The switches are the only bugbear.
Click to expand...
i made the fuzz part of the super fuzz wah circuit that has the tone switch but used a pot instead of the tone switch (gets you inbetween the tonal extremes)
works good with bass . but it is pretty full on.
 
#19
Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I just built this pedal, with 2 1N4148 diodes, and the decay is almost instantaneous. Sounds like it would sound awesome, but no notes last long enough to find out.

Any suggestions?
 

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