Having traded away my previous Fuzz Factory, I decided the time was nigh to reintroduce a 300 dollar circuit into my life. Since 2010, the good folks at ZVEX have added a "fat switch" into the mix, which toggles between capacitors in the circuit. This build is a few months old, however. Details of this mod can be found online. I recommend it, along with boosting the value of the input/output caps - particularly if you use this on bass guitar. This particular build uses 2N404 germanium transistors on the DIY layout from Madbean, the Zombii.
This build was something of an experiment. I learned a couple lessons here.
1. I use black spraypaint to etch. I use it as a mask, then as a finish before final sanding and clear-coating. I had always wondered what it might look like using white spraypaint instead. I decided this build was the one I was going to test that on, and the result is that it looks like trash, but that's ok. It's a wacky circuit that arguably sounds like trash, so it's fitting.
2. Plan your drilling carefully. I made a big hole for the power jack, but it turns out there's a gigantic transistor there instead. I'm normally pretty cavalier about where I drill holes for jacks. That is, I like to leave a lot of room for the jack so I don't have to be super precise when it comes to placement. You can see the result in this case, dang. All the better for ventilation, right? Perhaps the nice warm transistors will make a cozy little home for a spider family.
3. While implementing the fat switch mod, I was not quite 100% confident that I was switching out the right cap. It seemed to be a mod that wasn't all that well documented, because DIYers don't generally splurge on pricey boutique pedals to open them up and analyze them; that's why we got into building in the first place.
Anyhow, I've always been one to implement risky mods, so I went for it. That, and changing the input/output caps for higher values than stock as suggested in the build documentation. The result was awesome. Look for the Pudgii by Madbean for a more traditional layout of the Fat Fuzz Factory.
1. I use black spraypaint to etch. I use it as a mask, then as a finish before final sanding and clear-coating. I had always wondered what it might look like using white spraypaint instead. I decided this build was the one I was going to test that on, and the result is that it looks like trash, but that's ok. It's a wacky circuit that arguably sounds like trash, so it's fitting.
2. Plan your drilling carefully. I made a big hole for the power jack, but it turns out there's a gigantic transistor there instead. I'm normally pretty cavalier about where I drill holes for jacks. That is, I like to leave a lot of room for the jack so I don't have to be super precise when it comes to placement. You can see the result in this case, dang. All the better for ventilation, right? Perhaps the nice warm transistors will make a cozy little home for a spider family.
3. While implementing the fat switch mod, I was not quite 100% confident that I was switching out the right cap. It seemed to be a mod that wasn't all that well documented, because DIYers don't generally splurge on pricey boutique pedals to open them up and analyze them; that's why we got into building in the first place.
Anyhow, I've always been one to implement risky mods, so I went for it. That, and changing the input/output caps for higher values than stock as suggested in the build documentation. The result was awesome. Look for the Pudgii by Madbean for a more traditional layout of the Fat Fuzz Factory.
Dang.
One thing I like about this project is the on-board 9mm pots. My previous build used wired pots and the resulting guts were a hell of a lot messier than this.
