Do most of the really good fuzz units have an external bias adjustment?

[Smedley]

I'm considering a Fulltone '70 but unlike it's sister pedal the '69, it does not have the external biasing control (but does have an internal trimpot). Is this to it's detriment or is this a very good fuzz unit nonetheless with the Mids knob vs. a bias control? I know it was designed this way, but is a bias adjustment not as crucial for a silicon fuzz as it is for a germanium?

 

[slide13]

Not as crucial for silicon fuzz I don’t think. Germanium is way more temp sensitive and so the bias control is more important. I don’t have external bias on my SunFace BC108 and it’s great.

Personally not a Fulltone fan after the recent events...but I have a friend who has both the ‘69 and ‘70 fuzzes and they both sound great, can’t fault them at all based on how they sound.

 

[vintage66]

Naw, not needed on the ‘70 or the big round Hendrix si fuzzface. It helps dial in ge fuzzfaces a bit. Where a bias knob is really cool is on a Scarab Deluxe where you can get cool gated fuzz. I wouldn’t worry about it on the ‘70. I have a big box one btw and a big box ‘69.

 

[fishleehooker]

It's on some great ones, but some of my very best from Castledine, Macari's, Ivor, Basic Audio and others don't have it. So no. But it is nice

 

[woof*]

Not needed at all as long as there’s an internal trimmer.
Most of the really great fuzzfaces do not have an external bias.

 

[stratpaulguy86]

The Fulltone '70 is one of my all time favorite fuzzes. It can be super aggressive, harmonically complex, yet it cleans up amazingly well. Searing, like pulling velcro apart but fat at the same time, especially with the mid control dialed up a bit. Killer pedal, wish I still had mine.

 

[Flatscan]

Many don't.

 

[zombiwoof]

Naw, not needed on the ‘70 or the big round Hendrix si fuzzface. It helps dial in ge fuzzfaces a bit. Where a bias knob is really cool is on a Scarab Deluxe where you can get cool gated fuzz. I wouldn’t worry about it on the ‘70. I have a big box one btw and a big box ‘69.

Actually, when I got my large roundbox Hendrix silicon FF I immediately dialed in the internal bias pot and it improved the sound quite a bit. Once it's dialed in, I don't find a need to mess with the bias so having the adjustment internal is fine with me.
Al

 

[forgivenman]

Monsterpiece was the first brand I ever saw doing this. Their stuff is amazing

 

[fuzz guy]

I think a fuzz can be really great without external bias, I have an excellent MkII Tonebender copy that has no external bias and TBH I never even change the knobs and it does what it does well. An external bias control can make many fuzz circuits much more versatile though.

 

[windjamma]

It's on some great ones, but some of my very best from Castledine, Macari's, Ivor, Basic Audio and others don't have it. So no. But it is nice

The Ivor's do have a bias pot under the cct board. I broke mine whilst trying to adjust it. my tech replaced with the same tiny pot and biased it @ 5v like analogman suggests and it sounds killer. 5V Is roughly half of the 9v the battery puts out.

 

[fishleehooker]

The Ivor's do have a bias pot under the cct board. I broke mine whilst trying to adjust it. my tech replaced with the same tiny pot and biased it @ 5v like analogman suggests and it sounds killer. 5V Is roughly half of the 9v the battery puts out.

Heck yeah, nice! Yeah a lot of the good ones do in fact have interior bias adjustment.

 

[jvin248]

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You can mod a generic Fuzz Face with bias control.


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[R2-DD2]

i have the fulltone '70 and vote that no, it's not to its detriment.

When you first get it you might want to adjust the internal trimmer (especially if it's used and the person before YOU messed with it) but after that I've been completely fine to set it and forget it. Unlike germanium pedals the silicon is so stable that you're unlikely to need to adjust it again due to temperature or whatever else makes germanium so inconsistent day to day. As for trying to get cool "gated fuzz" effects with it, they're just not there so IMO it's really not something needed.

 

[AXXA]

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You can mod a generic Fuzz Face with bias control.


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The JHF2 Fuzz Face already has two bias trim pots, they’re just really tiny, and on the underside of the circuit board. That mod does make it much more accessible. I find the sounds don’t get particularly wild with bias adjustments on it though.

The Analogman Peppermint Fuzz has an external and an internal bias, and that one has a great range! Basic Audio Scarab Deluxe also has a great range to its external bias control

 

[Vesperado]

I'm considering a Fulltone '70 but unlike it's sister pedal the '69, it does not have the external biasing control (but does have an internal trimpot). Is this to it's detriment or is this a very good fuzz unit nonetheless with the Mids knob vs. a bias control? I know it was designed this way, but is a bias adjustment not as crucial for a silicon fuzz as it is for a germanium?

I don't think having the bias accessable externally is necessary if you run it off a power supply. If you use batteries, then it is CONVENIENT to have one externally, but still not necessary.