Bazz Fuss e1 Progress

Here is a snapshot of my latest circuit diagram. When my latest order from Pedal Parts Plus arrived I realized that the switches I ordered were 3 position and not just on-off. Originally, I was going to switch the hard clipping diodes. I was going to start assembling my pedal. Now I have another switch position that I don't want to let go to waste. I tried some other diode combinations, but didn't hear any difference from the ones I was already using. So, I thought I might try using a transistor I'm place of a diode to provide clipping. It is working and makes a noticeable difference. It's providing something of a treble and level boost and changes the character of the distortion. I'm not sure if I like it, though. I need to play around with it more to be sure.

MXR+ Bazz Fuss

I think I really nailed the sound that I'm looking for on the 6-string and on the bass. At first I thought I was going to have to add switches to change to different capacitors on the input and the output. For the bass I thought I needed a ridiculously large 100uF cap to let the lows through, luckily I found a way around that. I was doing a little more pedal building research and came across a schematic of the MXR+ Distortion pedal. I noticed the little diode network and capacitor hanging off of the output pot on the right - it makes distortion. Sooooo, I added it to the Deluxe Bazz Fuss (along with the 10k resistor between the output capacitor and output pot). Reference the schematic in my previous post to picture the placement. I'll post a schematic with my mods in a later post after I draw it up (it's still just in my tinkering breadboard state). The effect of this mod was to smooth out the distortion and deepen the tone, really great for bass and metal guitar. I think I'll add a switch when it goes in the box to be able to turn it off. Without it I can get a nice overdriven tone that is a little brighter. Still amazed at how versatile this little circuit can be.

Deluxe Bazz Fuss on the Breadboard

I completed the breadboard of the Deluxe Bazz Fuss. It is really versatile for such a simple circuit. On the 6-string I can get thick fuzz and also a nice overdriven sound. I achieve a nice overdrive turning the volume down on my guitar and turning the Dirt knob down some and the output level up. On the bass it seems like its fuzz or nothing, turning anything down just makes an annoying crackling kind of sound. The Thickness knob acts like a tone control, it is very subtle and could possibly be left out by choosing a single capacitor that suits your taste. So, for guitar I can get 2 nice sounds and for bass I get one good fuzz. It is a good quality effect and worth building and putting in an enclosure.

One "modification" I made from the circuit as presented in the diagram is I put a 1N914 and an Orange LED in series. I'm going to continue to experiment until I have something that suits my style of playing. I'm not real keen on using my guitar's volume knob as part of the circuit. I might replace the Thickness knob with a Input Level knob. Also, I haven't tried it with my Schecter Omen 5-String bass yet. I'm not sure how it will do with a guitar that has active EQ.

Rather that just making a link to the schematic, I'm going to post it here, just in case it ever disappears from the web.

My First Working Pedal Circuit - The Bazz Fuss

I got my first Bazz Fuss v2 working at 12:00 last night. This was one of the most fun things I've done in a while. It was a real thrill when I heard that first sound coming through the amp - SUCCESS! I was so impressed how such a simple circuit could produce such a rich and creamy fuzz. For the input capacitor I used 4.7uF and for the output capacitor I used .047uF. I've used it on both a 6-string and a bass, it sounds good on both. Next, I'll start adding and substituting components working up to the Deluxe model. 

Bringing a DOD FX56 American Metal Back from the Dead

This was my very first pedal. I still have it, although it has been put away for a long time. It doesn't work anymore, for unknown reasons. It died in its sleep, I guess. I'm suspecting it's the foot switch. It was always touchy and I couldn't depend on it to turn on when I stepped on it. I would always need to look at the LED to be sure. The button has a very short travel. If that's all it is I'll try to replace it with the round, silver, ugly kind that stick up. They might be ugly, but they give a good CLICK when engaged so you know it's a done deal. But, in all honesty I never really liked this pedal. It was too shrill, it lacked depth. I found a schematic, so maybe there is hope to turn this into a mod project and make it sound good. Time to polish this turd.

Basic Pedal Mod Circuits

buildapedal.com is a great getting-started resource for pedal modding. I don't think you even really need to know anything about electronics to understand what's going on here. If you don't know your electronic symbols just go to the definitive site for all human knowledge, Wikipedia. That's all you need to know to start modding pedals with this guide.

First Pedal Parts Arrive

My first order from Pedal Parts Plus arrived yesterday. Everything came really fast, so far I'm very happy with them. I hope I didn't forget anything, shipping is a killer. This will be for my first pedal build, a Deluxe Bazz Fuss. I'm still waiting on another order from Mouser. I could have probably ordered everything from Pedal Parts Plus, but I needed a transformer that they do not carry and I needed some other things for another robotics project, so I got the rest from Mouser. Hopefully the other stuff will be here by this weekend, I'm getting an itchy soldering iron finger. Actually, I'm going to breadboard it first and will start with the v1 to get warmed up. I'm also interested in doing some component substitution to see how it changes the sound before I glue it all down with solder.

It Only Took 25 Years To Get Here

I have been dreaming of building pedals for more than two decades and I finally, FINALLY, got around to doing it. I'm starting this blog to document and share my experience with others. I hope it will be fun for everyone. I'm already amazed at the online resources and pedal building community that I have found and I want to contribute. I think my story is a common one, when I was a kid I would take my toys apart and marvel at the electronic components and wonder what was going on inside that circuit. I'm surprised I never burned the house down when I found a Heathkit in the basement that belonged to my Dad and just randomly connected components before plugging the AC power supply into the wall. No smoke came out. My guardian angels were watching over me once again. Later I went to West Virginia University and received a degree in Computer Engineering, a hybrid of Electrical and Software Engineering. I've been an on-and-off guitar player (and more recently a bass player) for 28 years. I've been steady at it for the past eight years and continue to try to improve my musicianship. Every few weekends I play in the contemporary worship band at Community United Methodist Church, where I and my family are members. So, if you're reading this post, thanks for coming. Now let's have some fun building guitar pedals...