Strictly FUZZ

[andtrea]

Hello fuzz experts, recently I found an old '70 fuzz (blue big box) with a BC103 and BC114 (?!).
It sounds big and aggressive but always musical, best silicon fuzz I evertried, really enjoying it, but there is a thing that is driving me nuts. If I max out the fuzz starts to hiss and whistle.

I know that the '70 fuzz mk11 instruction sheet said "Ours has Two intentionally mismatched(for Harmonic content) Silicon transistors that snarl and spit... not for the meek! If you put the "Fuzz" on 10 you will rip, and you might get all sorts of oscillation and weirdness...but that's Rock."

So this probably already answered to me.. but I didn't find a single demo on youtube with these noises. I include a video to explain it better. Same with batteries/power supply and different guitar/amps.
Any hints? Is it normal or something is broken? Do you think I can fix it with small tweak to my local tech? Any suggestions?

 

[songtalk]

Hello fuzz experts, recently I found an old '70 fuzz (blue big box) with a BC103 and BC114 (?!).
It sounds big and aggressive but always musical, best silicon fuzz I evertried, really enjoying it, but there is a thing that is driving me nuts. If I max out the fuzz starts to hiss and whistle.

I know that the '70 fuzz mk11 instruction sheet said "Ours has Two intentionally mismatched(for Harmonic content) Silicon transistors that snarl and spit... not for the meek! If you put the "Fuzz" on 10 you will rip, and you might get all sorts of oscillation and weirdness...but that's Rock."

So this probably already answered to me.. but I didn't find a single demo on youtube with these noises. I include a video to explain it better. Same with batteries/power supply and different guitar/amps.
Any hints? Is it normal or something is broken? Do you think I can fix it with small tweak to my local tech? Any suggestions?

Is it daisy chained with any digital pedals before it?

 

[johnetone]

Hello fuzz experts, recently I found an old '70 fuzz (blue big box) with a BC103 and BC114 (?!).
It sounds big and aggressive but always musical, best silicon fuzz I evertried, really enjoying it, but there is a thing that is driving me nuts. If I max out the fuzz starts to hiss and whistle.

I know that the '70 fuzz mk11 instruction sheet said "Ours has Two intentionally mismatched(for Harmonic content) Silicon transistors that snarl and spit... not for the meek! If you put the "Fuzz" on 10 you will rip, and you might get all sorts of oscillation and weirdness...but that's Rock."

So this probably already answered to me.. but I didn't find a single demo on youtube with these noises. I include a video to explain it better. Same with batteries/power supply and different guitar/amps.
Any hints? Is it normal or something is broken? Do you think I can fix it with small tweak to my local tech? Any suggestions?

Sounds pretty normal to me. Does it do it when it’s not plugged into an instrument?

Edit: like when there’s still an instrument cable plugged in but not connected to a guitar?

 

[andtrea]

@songtalk: No, and the noise is the same with batteries or power supplies.
The pedal is always the first in the chain, anyway same problem with 70 alone between guitar and amp.

 

[johnetone]

It definitely sounds like a normally operating fuzz that gives the user (you) the maximum amount of operating range without trying to edit the possibility of going too far.

There are newer pedals made like this too. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I don’t know if you caught my edit above, but can you get it up to squealing and then unplug the guitar side of the cable? How does that affect the tone? Does it keep going?

Also, does a change in your volume or tone knob affect the squeal?

If so, congratulations! You’ve got an oscillating fuzz!

 

[andtrea]

Sounds pretty normal to me. Does it do it when it’s not plugged into an instrument?

Edit: like when there’s still an instrument cable plugged in but not connected to a guitar?

I just tried and ... yes

 

[andtrea]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vwmlj60ar1irekz/fulltone70-unplugged.mp3?dl=0

- Guitar unplugged at 0:11
- Tweaking volume pot from 1 o'clock to maximum at 0:23

 

[underdog726]

New to fuzz pretty much myself. I just got a chase tone red velvet fuzz. Not to much time to play around with it yet. I just threw it into a open spot on my board before overdrive but after wah and vibe and I was enjoying it. Would it sound even better if I redid things and it was first? Its an xotic wah and lovepedal vibronaut.

 

[Peps]

@VooDooClown im glad you’re digging the MkI. And you ain’t messing around, you got one to rule them all. Cheers

@andtrea how do you have the internal trimpot? Sometimes all it needs is to go down a smidge bit, so when cranked doesn’t hiss like a cat in heat.

 

[Lauri Vennonen]

New to fuzz pretty much myself. I just got a chase tone red velvet fuzz. Not to much time to play around with it yet. I just threw it into a open spot on my board before overdrive but after wah and vibe and I was enjoying it. Would it sound even better if I redid things and it was first? Its an xotic wah and lovepedal vibronaut.

You just need to try and hear for your self. The wah and phase effects will be different for sure and some people prefer them after fuzz, some before.

 

[andtrea]

@andtrea[/USER] how do you have the internal trimpot? Sometimes all it needs is to go down a smidge bit, so when cranked doesn’t hiss like a cat in heat.

I have the internal trimpot at about 60-70% and I think it is the sweet spot.
Increasing: the hiss get less noticeable but I lose definition, the sound is flabby. Still usable with single coils but too much gated with humbuckers
Diminishing : "cat in a heat" intensifies!

Anyway thank for suggestion.

 

[TAVD]

Hello fuzz experts, recently I found an old '70 fuzz (blue big box) with a BC103 and BC114 (?!).
It sounds big and aggressive but always musical, best silicon fuzz I evertried, really enjoying it, but there is a thing that is driving me nuts. If I max out the fuzz starts to hiss and whistle.

I know that the '70 fuzz mk11 instruction sheet said "Ours has Two intentionally mismatched(for Harmonic content) Silicon transistors that snarl and spit... not for the meek! If you put the "Fuzz" on 10 you will rip, and you might get all sorts of oscillation and weirdness...but that's Rock."

So this probably already answered to me.. but I didn't find a single demo on youtube with these noises. I include a video to explain it better. Same with batteries/power supply and different guitar/amps.
Any hints? Is it normal or something is broken? Do you think I can fix it with small tweak to my local tech? Any suggestions?

There’s a small ceramic capacitor inside, not sure of the value, but increasing it will stop the oscillation. Probably some value of 220-470 pf will do the trick. FWIW, mine didn’t oscillate even at full gain.

 

[andtrea]

@Peps : sorry double post...

Bonus internal pic

 

[andtrea]

There’s a small ceramic capacitor inside, not sure of the value, but increasing it will stop the oscillation. Probably some value of 220-470 pf will do the trick. FWIW, mine didn’t oscillate even at full gain.

Thanks a lot, I'll suggest to my tech!

 

[Vash33]

Borrowing this Castledine Magical Mystery Box from a buddy. Sooooo good. And it stacks so well into other fuzz. Instant early Bowie tones with the fixed filter section.

 

[Jess 1971]

Fellow fuzz enthusiasts who play out regularly with a band:

Is there any one fuzz in particular that has maintained a spot on your pedalboard long term? I have a pretty decent collection of about a dozen fuzzes, but since I do a lot of recording, that's where most of my fuzzes come into play, as I tend to look at them as different sonic textures to apply to different songs. For playing out though, I have historically kept only one fuzz on my board at a time.

For a long while that fuzz was a Skreddy Mayo. In comparison to the two overdrives on my board (an Analogman King of Tone and an ARC Effects Klone), the Mayo was big and ripping and many of the things my amp or other pedals were not. However, I wasn't always happy with how that pedal sounded through an already-cooking amp or with humbucker-equipped guitars. So about a year ago I swapped out the Mayo for an Earthquaker Devices Black Ash, and I'm pretty happy with it. It sounds great with any guitar, but more important, it doesn't matter a whole lot how distorted your amp is. My only (albeit minor) gripe is that I wish it had a bit more volume on tap.

Anyway, what is your One True Fuzz to rule them all on your pedalboard? What makes it great for live performance?

 

[Lauri Vennonen]

Fellow fuzz enthusiasts who play out regularly with a band:

Is there any one fuzz in particular that has maintained a spot on your pedalboard long term? I have a pretty decent collection of about a dozen fuzzes, but since I do a lot of recording, that's where most of my fuzzes come into play, as I tend to look at them as different sonic textures to apply to different songs. For playing out though, I have historically kept only one fuzz on my board at a time.

For a long while that fuzz was a Skreddy Mayo. In comparison to the two overdrives on my board (an Analogman King of Tone and an ARC Effects Klone), the Mayo was big and ripping and many of the things my amp or other pedals were not. However, I wasn't always happy with how that pedal sounded through an already-cooking amp or with humbucker-equipped guitars. So about a year ago I swapped out the Mayo for an Earthquaker Devices Black Ash, and I'm pretty happy with it. It sounds great with any guitar, but more important, it doesn't matter a whole lot how distorted your amp is. My only (albeit minor) gripe is that I wish it had a bit more volume on tap.

Anyway, what is your One True Fuzz to rule them all on your pedalboard? What makes it great for live performance?

I always have a fuzz face-type pedal first in my chain, powered with a battery. If my board fails, I can play the gig with just that. I've been through a bunch of them, now a Sunface with bc183 silicons holds the number one position.

 

[Echoplexi]

Fellow fuzz enthusiasts who play out regularly with a band:

Is there any one fuzz in particular that has maintained a spot on your pedalboard long term? I have a pretty decent collection of about a dozen fuzzes, but since I do a lot of recording, that's where most of my fuzzes come into play, as I tend to look at them as different sonic textures to apply to different songs. For playing out though, I have historically kept only one fuzz on my board at a time.

For a long while that fuzz was a Skreddy Mayo. In comparison to the two overdrives on my board (an Analogman King of Tone and an ARC Effects Klone), the Mayo was big and ripping and many of the things my amp or other pedals were not. However, I wasn't always happy with how that pedal sounded through an already-cooking amp or with humbucker-equipped guitars. So about a year ago I swapped out the Mayo for an Earthquaker Devices Black Ash, and I'm pretty happy with it. It sounds great with any guitar, but more important, it doesn't matter a whole lot how distorted your amp is. My only (albeit minor) gripe is that I wish it had a bit more volume on tap.

Anyway, what is your One True Fuzz to rule them all on your pedalboard? What makes it great for live performance?

I play in a dual guitar band, with both of us using humbucker equipped Gibsons that are downtuned to c#. As much as I love fuzz, it’s not always easy to use live in our band and cut. Despite our downtuning, we go for a tighter sound rather than loose and sludgy.

That being said, a Basic Audio Scarab Deluxe has worked and more recently a Trombetta Rotobone worked superbly the other night at practice through my amp already set fairly overdriven. Tons of volume on tap too. It was super clear and articulate. A Sunbender mkIV has worked fine for me as well.

 

[johnetone]

Borrowing this Castledine Magical Mystery Box from a buddy. Sooooo good. And it stacks so well into other fuzz. Instant early Bowie tones with the fixed filter section.

Man that sounds super tasty! What was the guitar/amp/cab on that track? Just a perfect sound!

 

[Vash33]

Man that sounds super tasty! What was the guitar/amp/cab on that track? Just a perfect sound!

R9 Les Paul. Friedman BE-100 Head into avatar Bluesbreaker style cab with eminence governor and private jack.