mancunianfox

[quote name='cheddatom' post='762611' date='Mar 3 2010, 09:30 AM']Couldn't you just buffer the return and not the send?[/quote] Tried that but that creates a new problem in that the unbuffered fuzz face or bazz fuzz signal feeds back into the clean signal and the blend stops working properly.

@Jack I've made a buffer for the looper already and it works great. The problem I am having is that fuzz face type circuits work best going straight from the instrument. If there is an active circuit or a buffer before it they sound really crappy. That is why pedals like the Woolly Mammoth are notoriously bad with active basses. When I put it through the buffered effect loop the fuzz face sounds different because of the change of impedance. If I use my cheapo Behringer FZ-2 clone or my Clone Theory the looper works great because of the input and output buffers built into those circuits.

Just finished a pedal that blends an effect loop with the clean signal. It works great with my chorus and my cheapo Behringer distortion but does not work at all well with my bazz fuss or fuzz face builds. I think this is because they do not have a buffer stage and don't react well to having a buffer before it either. Any suggestions? Thinking of a new build anyway so any suggestions for a buffered distortion or fuzz I could try are welcome.

[quote name='JackLondon' post='758228' date='Feb 26 2010, 02:11 PM']I can do better than that [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-282620-Piece-Step-Drill/dp/B0015NPPCY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=diy&qid=1267193440&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-282620-...3440&sr=8-1[/url] got one of them and it's ace delivered for free as well [/quote] Thats the same one I have, with the three different sizes. Mainly I use the middle one and then the big fat one for the stompswitch. Costly but well worth the investment.

If anyone wants advice on drilling enclosures the best way is buying a unibit. I got one from US ebay but the easier but more expensive option is clas ohlsen. They go through enclosures like a hot knife through butter. [url="http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Product/Product.aspx?id=146433468"]http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Product/Produc...px?id=146433468[/url]

Which circuit is it that you have built for that side of the pedal?

If anyone is looking for a first project I would highly recommend the Bazz Fuss. This is a really easy beginner project. It only has six or seven parts but produces a square wave fuzz sound that is quite similar to the ZVEX Woolly Mammoth. [url="http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html"]http://www.home-wrecker.com/bazz.html[/url] You can socket the parts to play around with different combinations. I built this with a 1N914, MPSA13 and the 1k pot to ground to control the amount of fuzz.

Anyone got any advice on making pcb's? After doing a pcb build I don't think I could cope with veroboard again. I'll probably make a right hash of etching those though.

Maybe a stickied DIY thread in the effects section? That would be cool. Finishing a simple blend circuit tonight

It's subjective really and it depends on the song. Nine Inch Nails have used some really nice overdriven and a few fuzz bass sounds on their last couple of records which have really impressed me. I don't think overdrive sounds like your thing tbh although you might want to try blending the overdrive/distortion with the clean signal. That can sound really great and helps maintain the lowend.

I think car paint is the way to go in the future, I just got the first spray paint that I found. Worked ok though. Thinking of trying Hammerite on my next build.

I think the chaos fuzz looks like my next build. Blend plus options for both germanium and silicon fuzz each with its own volume control. That sounds like a money idea.

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='754921' date='Feb 23 2010, 12:53 PM']What did u cnage the caps from and to, to get more bass?[/quote] I increased the 2.2 uF to 4.7uF and the output from 0.01 uF to 0.047 uF.

[quote name='umph' post='754868' date='Feb 23 2010, 12:01 PM']how come you went for a bias control as apposed to input impedence for a silicon fuzz face?[/quote] Inexperience

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='754567' date='Feb 22 2010, 11:58 PM']I saw it! (ill reply on your thread rather than mine!) any chance of a shot of its guts? just so i can steal ideas from you! also you've got a really nice finish on it, what did you use to paint it?[/quote] I'll try and send one to you. This was my first painted enclosure excluding the one I didn't use as I decided I didn't need to use primer. DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE! Painting process: Drilled the holes in the enclosure. Punch a guide so that the drillbit doesn't slip on the enclosure. I use a normal drill bit for metal to make a small hole and then get a unibit to enlarge the holes. Get a unibit. They are genius. Sanded down enclosure to remove the oxidised aluminium and dirt. I didn't do this as much as I would if the box was going to be left bare as I hate sanding more than any other job in the world. Used a sanding block which had a few different grades on it. Heavier one first and then a finer one. After that I used a lighter fluid to clean any residue off of the enclosure and wiped that down with a cloth and left to dry off. Then I used Plastikote Super Primer (Matt Grey) (about £6 for a big can in most shops). I didn't use the metal one although it probably would have been a good idea. I sprayed three light coats of primer. You want to use light coats rather than heavier ones to avoid runs (I hate sanding). I made a rig out of some polystyrene and old yoghurt pots so that none of the edges were touching a surface. This is so if the paint does run it would collect at the bottom of the enclosure. Leave this to dry. You could sand this down with fine sandpaper though I didn't because there were no major flaws and I am lazy. Next was Plastikote enamel spray paint. I used a small can of metallic red (this might be why I got a speckled finish). It cost me £3.50. I again sprayed three light-ish coats as directed and left to dry. A lot of people bake this in a toaster oven to get a hard even coat. I didn't as I don't have toaster oven. Finally to protect the paint I used some Humbrol clear paint I had in the house. Again, three light coats. Put everything together and hope it looks ok. I had some slight blemishes using this method but nothing you would notice unless you were very close up. I was happy with this process and I will use it on my tubescreamer build.

Good to see your bits arrived. Here is my latest build...Fuzz Face... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78299"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78299[/url]

First pedal I have built in ages. Silicon Fuzz Face with increased input and output caps for more bass. I used 2N222 transistors in this. Controls for Fuzz, Bias and Volume. First time painting an enclosure, a metallic red finish. Very hot output. Has two sounds really, a gated fuzz and a full on fuzzy meltdown. Quite pleased with how it turned out although next time I think I will try some decals as well.

Don't do what I did last night and forget to prime the the enclosure before spraying the top coat or it will look rubbish. If you use a primer first most finishes will look ok.

Does anyone have any experience of using these? Looking for a cheap-ish delay with some modulation options.

Awesome pedal Al. I really like your idea of the switch to select so many different diode options. Your labels look particularly good. Any magic there or just water slide decals?

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='741445' date='Feb 10 2010, 08:52 PM']jeez - delays and chorus effects are a huge step up from an overdrive and a compresser. I've never been brave enough to attempt anything that complex - you need the ability to make a very accurate good quality pcb or you'll spend hours trying to get it to work.[/quote] Agreed. I thought it would be a lot easier than I found it. A modulation effect would give me nightmares. Not that its impossible but you might want to start small and find out how you get on with it first. I actually planned to make that fliptop from runoffgroove two years ago before I made my first circuit. Two years later and I still haven't even attempted anything more complicated than a tubescreamer.

www.musikding.de is a good one stop shop for pedal parts with cheap(ish) delivery from Germany. Theres also a decent website which I think is called bitsbox in the UK. Best off avoiding maplin tbh. Switchcraft jacks and 3PDT footswitches are a good way to go. Pots aren't really that important to me in a pedal. I use 16mm alpha pots. I like the look of neutrik jacks but I haven't used them myself (yet).

You can also find some kits here which are a bit cheaper than the BYOC ones. I've built the tubescreamer for a guitarist friend which turned out well. [url="http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c122_Musikding-Kits.html"]http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c122...kding-Kits.html[/url]

I love making pedals and its definitely worth it. Starting off with a kit is great advice.