Apiformis Fuzztortion is a pedal that is quite unlike it’s original idol. In it’s heart, it is a dark low medium gain fuzz/distortion that has delusions of grandeur about being an overdrive. And it is doing all that with vintage-like touch, from doomy dark to brightly overdriven, distorted fuzz with vintage, medium sustain.
Apiformis has three controls for tuning the tone to your preferences:
FEED: Controls the load on the input (impedance). From dark, low saturation (0) to medium fuzz (5) and finally full sustained distortion-like fuzz (10). Lower settings can lead to oscillation, which is a feature.
TREBLE: Controls amount of higher frequencies boost on the tone. From dark, nearly muddy (0) to open higher mids (5) and finally to fully boosted top end (10).
LEVEL: Controls the output level of the effect. Level at zeron means that there is no signal passing through. Unity level with bypassed signal comes in with knob on ~11 o’clock. There is plenty of room for overdriving your amp with higher settings of Level control.
Already verified:
Treble 1 goes to 3K9 -> ground and treble 3 to 20K. Swap.
ReplyDelete+m
Doh, thought I'd already done that. Updated
DeleteAnyone have a clip of this thing? I can't seem to find anything. I really just want to see if its worth the parts and time for this. It sounds good on paper but just want to get some thoughts.
ReplyDeleteGuitar and bass demos at soundcloud and on manufacturer's page.
Delete+m
You know that's what I hate about browsing on my iPad. I miss the flash enabled things like the embedded soundcloud files. Sorry for missing it and thanks for the heads up.
Delete:) Well. I just recorded them yesterday, so you weren't completely off..
Delete+m
Fantastic Artwork.
ReplyDeleteI am going to build this one just for the artwork.
If anyone has the schematic, to what family of fuzzes would you relate it to? The Jordan Bosstone?
Loosely based on fuzz side of the Beebaa and there's the schematic as "service manual":
Deletehttp://fyaelectronics.com/creations/apiformis/
+m
Thanks Mirosol,
DeleteGod I love these artworks on their page.
The audio clips are also great.
The schematic has your name signed on it. Did you design it?
Respect man, is the artwork yours too?
Thanks,
Doron
:)
DeleteYup.. Basically i am the FYAElectronics :) Boxes are painted by my missus, Suvi. Glad you liked the demo clips. I hate doing those.. Suddently you're supposed to know how to play :)
+m
I completely agree with you. This is why my FuzzQuest blog (fuzzquest.blogspot.com) still doesn't have audio clips on the pedals I make. Check ot some of the artwork like the Equator (Tone Mender) where it looks kinda like your style.
Deletehttp://fuzzquest.blogspot.co.il/2012/05/from-darkest-night-to-brightest-light.html
Thanks, great work.
Nice blog and super nice boxes! You have some really special ones going on in there.
DeleteI don't paint my "official" boxes myself, as i don't feel like i can do it well enough. Plus my missus is an artist by day, so she'll paint for me :)
+m
Thank you for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteIf you are ever interested. I am always happy to cooperate with someone and doing something together. Music, art, electronics.
D
Miro, that's an awesome sounding fuzz. This will most probably find it's way onto my pedalboard.
DeleteThanks!
DeleteIt's not as versatile as i originally hoped for and while i worried too much about cutting the bass, i ended up killing some of the highs. But that made it pretty cool with bass, so it isn't that bad:)
Currently there are 5 of the originals left. I'm not going to do reruns of my pedals. Ever. If someone wants to buy one, i don't mind :)
If you like it, you all are welcome to build it. Mark's layout is basically "the factory layout" :) Just use radial tantalums (100µF is aluminum elko) and plastic box caps if you want it to be close to the original.
+m
A one (and a half?) trick pony that does it's trick exceptionally well ain't a bad thing Miro. This an example of a fuzz with a monstersound. There's supposedly versatile guitareffects that simply sound weak whichever way you dial them in.
DeleteYa done did good. I'll build one for myself when I get my eBay orders in. Thumbs up for sharing!
O yeah, and the artwork is great. Good job on the versatility there ;)
DeleteMiro, you are awesome I do not understand how any of these are left!!! Is the same artwork going to be on the fancy fuzz and dcd preamp?
ReplyDeleteI meant style. These are obviously hand done. Almost afraid to step on something like this!
DeleteYup those will be hand painted by Suvi too..
DeleteI guess these'll disappear by time :)
+m
What kind of paint does your misses use, if you don't mind me asking? I'm trying to get my missus to paint some of my enclosures.
ReplyDeleteI bought her a lot of unipaint px-21s :)
Delete+m
I liked this effect and I cant wait to try it with a loud amp. Also curious about its sound on bass
ReplyDeleteI think you're going to like it even more when played loud. Not cutting any audible low frequencies makes it pretty well suitable for bass too. The bassist of Acid Elephant uses one...
Delete+m
Tested it with a bass and a les Paul trough a bass amp and it was very very nice!! Great circuit. So it's nice with my tiny terror but awesome with a big amplifier.
ReplyDeleteI would like to experiment with this circuit to add more feedbacking. Which part of this circuit controls feedback?
ReplyDeleteBC109C were used which caused gating. So for nicer sustain/feedback BC109B or BC109s should be used.
DeleteMiro, can you give me the voltages on your transistors? Because if I play chords, or single notes it sounds super good but then if I let them sustain, suddenly the notes gate and stop very abrupt. Also when I play softly the notes can't get through.
ReplyDeleteMy only unit is at the rehearsal studio, so no. Can't measure the voltages.
DeleteThe sustain on this is massive, so you must have something wrong in there...
+m
Yes indeed I placed a cap in the wrong direction, stupid me.. I made two of these but they both went to friends (check out 30,000 Monkies).. Still have to make another one for myself.
Delete