Here's a collection of vero (stripboard) and tagboard guitar and bass effect layouts that we have put together covering many classic and popular effects in growing numbers. Many of these have been posted on freestompboxes.org, so check that site out for great discussions on building your own effect pedals. Enjoy the builds and please also visit us on Facebook and Twitter
Well. It was either the unused row or two resistors with 7.5mm pitch. Still pretty compact. The clipping diodes are placed so that you can pretty easily take them to a switch and play around with schottkys, LEDs....
Thanks for sorting it mate...I was marking the cuts with a sharpie and noticed it didnt work out lol...good trick to use a green sharpie...twist the pen in the hole on the component side....turn it over and the mark shows thru the solder side..and yep..green shows the best
smart thing! im usually turning the design around, and stick it with a tape at the desktop worklight like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/bv4cthpg7120edg/vero_flip.jpg
I cant really see what it is your doing there rudeez..are we talking about the same thing ?...I mean I mark the vero on the component side with a sharpie where the cuts should be...a little of the ink seeps thru to the solder side...depending where the light catches ..it should be an easy task to spot the marks..dab with the pen to be able to see it clearly..maybe everyone does this..but it used to take me a while counting the hole position then sticking something thru..trying to mark it etc etc
I just print the layout reversed (I flip it in Paint on my pc), then mark the solder side with the tip of the sharpie according to the reversed image. Makes doing cuts super quick and easy.
Yep..made it... sounds great..very much in the big muff for bass category ...This is a keeper for me..well I am a bass player !!..thanks for the layout
I built this one last night and it's a nice sounding (heavy) fuzz for bass. I also brought the clipping diodes out to a DPDT on off on switch so I could have the 4148's, none and a pair of red leds for more clipping options. thanks for posting it!
Just noticed that it's been a month since my last finished build... http://mirosol.kapsi.fi/varasto/boxes/bassfuzz.JPG
I like this one a lot. Like John said, it's heavy. But somehow still less compressing than bass muff. Fuzz and Volume are pretty interactive and tone control is very wide. Which is a huge plus.
There was a little quirk though. I checked my build through many times and all the values matched. Check it through with the schematic one more time. Mine is just about 3-5db over unity when fuzz and volume are maxed. which is not bad, but it's not driving anything. I used 3 BC549Cs without measuring them (note to self - always measure). So that could be the main reason - they all could be under 300 hFE...
So to fix things, i sticked an LBP with trimmer (and 220n caps for in/out) after it and trimmed it about 3-5db over the original max volume. Sad thing that my bass "testing rig" is what it is - a Squier precision from around '00 with bad wiring and the worst pickups i've ever heard. And for amp.. Harley benton 30W piece of crap that i traded for my ZW44 build. That was the pedal that i disliked the most of all my builds - still i feel like the dude trading those got the upper hand :)
Just finished this one. I was going to build the Haunting Mids, but I didn't have any 150n caps, so I built this one instead. It's not as gigantic as a Russian Big Muff, yet it's really really nice on bass, super clear and punchy (for a Muff). A refreshing alternative to the traditional BMP, and with a slightly lower parts count to boot. I used 12V zeners for the diodes, and as a result, it doesn't gate at all! Transistors were MPSA18 for Q1 and Q3, and a BC550B for Q2. 3 MPSA18s are usually too much, 3 BC550Bs are usually not enough. I believe this combination is unbeatable in a Muff.
Can I use BC549B as replacement? BC549B has 240-500 hfe and BC549C has 450-900 hfe. Which has better results? I also have two MPSA18 with 562 hfe, can I combine it in some way?
I'd go with the higher gain MPSA18s for this circuit, especially because this one doesn't have the second gain stage like most Muffs. Mind the pinout though.
Just built this as I have a CS Bass Fuzz and love it, but the box it just so large.
My build sounds nothing like my original unit though, very little fuzz and low output volume.
Checked over my build for continuity and correct part values and it all adds up to the above layout, just finished breadboarding the layout too with similar results. Can anyone offer any advice?
Built this a few months ago, and it worked like it should. But now I have very low volume in low fuzz settings, and occationally get a few seconds of dropout (the tone is almost gone). I have changed the volume pot, without any effect. It also needs a new battery way to often. Any pointers?
I built it and it works like a charm with guitar amps. It gives a gigantic sound with loads of volume. Anyway, with the bass plugged to the bass amp or directly to the PA I can't make it sound louder than the clean signal. Is that normal?
I made one of these a while ago and it's my 'go to' fuzz pedal for bass, I used BC549Cs but I've just acquired some 2n130x Ge Transistors, any ideas how these would sound in a pedal like this?
Hate to state the obvious, but there is only one way to find out - build another and see! You could also try it with Ge diodes for an all-Germanium version. Expect it to be quieter though - it will almost certainly need a LPB-1 or similar to get it up to unity level.
Yup, that was my plan! I'm already using OA47s as clippers in my first, so the second will be an all germanium affair. Funnily enough I had to put an LPB-1 in there with the first build, as it was really quiet (but really good).
I really like this, but find it a bit too dark to cut through in a mix. The 1nf capacitors in the feedback loop of the transistors cut lots of high frequencies, so reduce them to 680pf, or even 470pf to retune it for some gritty top end.
17 x 15...but theres only 17x14 on the diagram..you mention something abt an unused row ...but ???..im unsure here ????
ReplyDeleteÄh. I compacted it a bit after i first finished it. It's 17x14. I'll fix it right away.
Delete+m
Looks nice, I'll give it a try! Preferred hFE on Q1-Q3?
DeleteThanks for sorting it mate...I was marking the cuts with a sharpie and noticed it didnt work out lol...good trick to use a green sharpie...twist the pen in the hole on the component side....turn it over and the mark shows thru the solder side..and yep..green shows the best
ReplyDeletesmart thing!
Deleteim usually turning the design around, and stick it with a tape at the desktop worklight like this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bv4cthpg7120edg/vero_flip.jpg
I cant really see what it is your doing there rudeez..are we talking about the same thing ?...I mean I mark the vero on the component side with a sharpie where the cuts should be...a little of the ink seeps thru to the solder side...depending where the light catches ..it should be an easy task to spot the marks..dab with the pen to be able to see it clearly..maybe everyone does this..but it used to take me a while counting the hole position then sticking something thru..trying to mark it etc etc
Deletedarn, now i HAVE to do a video of my process of this :D
DeleteSend a link when you do...Im open to any ideas to make things easier
DeleteI just print the layout reversed (I flip it in Paint on my pc), then mark the solder side with the tip of the sharpie according to the reversed image. Makes doing cuts super quick and easy.
ReplyDeleteYep..that sounds easier than my method..thanks hitokirimnb
ReplyDeleteYep..made it... sounds great..very much in the big muff for bass category ...This is a keeper for me..well I am a bass player !!..thanks for the layout
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll tag it right away.
Delete+m
I built this one last night and it's a nice sounding (heavy) fuzz for bass. I also brought the clipping diodes out to a DPDT on off on switch so I could have the 4148's, none and a pair of red leds for more clipping options. thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteJust noticed that it's been a month since my last finished build...
ReplyDeletehttp://mirosol.kapsi.fi/varasto/boxes/bassfuzz.JPG
I like this one a lot. Like John said, it's heavy. But somehow still less compressing than bass muff. Fuzz and Volume are pretty interactive and tone control is very wide. Which is a huge plus.
There was a little quirk though. I checked my build through many times and all the values matched. Check it through with the schematic one more time. Mine is just about 3-5db over unity when fuzz and volume are maxed. which is not bad, but it's not driving anything. I used 3 BC549Cs without measuring them (note to self - always measure). So that could be the main reason - they all could be under 300 hFE...
So to fix things, i sticked an LBP with trimmer (and 220n caps for in/out) after it and trimmed it about 3-5db over the original max volume. Sad thing that my bass "testing rig" is what it is - a Squier precision from around '00 with bad wiring and the worst pickups i've ever heard. And for amp.. Harley benton 30W piece of crap that i traded for my ZW44 build. That was the pedal that i disliked the most of all my builds - still i feel like the dude trading those got the upper hand :)
Nice. I'm quite happy with it.
+m
Just finished this one. I was going to build the Haunting Mids, but I didn't have any 150n caps, so I built this one instead. It's not as gigantic as a Russian Big Muff, yet it's really really nice on bass, super clear and punchy (for a Muff). A refreshing alternative to the traditional BMP, and with a slightly lower parts count to boot. I used 12V zeners for the diodes, and as a result, it doesn't gate at all! Transistors were MPSA18 for Q1 and Q3, and a BC550B for Q2. 3 MPSA18s are usually too much, 3 BC550Bs are usually not enough. I believe this combination is unbeatable in a Muff.
ReplyDeleteOh, and if you want to build the Colorsound Jumbo Tonebender, you just halve the value of most of the coupling caps (220n->100n, 1n->470p)
DeleteCan I use BC549B as replacement? BC549B has 240-500 hfe and BC549C has 450-900 hfe. Which has better results? I also have two MPSA18 with 562 hfe, can I combine it in some way?
ReplyDeleteI'd go with the higher gain MPSA18s for this circuit, especially because this one doesn't have the second gain stage like most Muffs. Mind the pinout though.
DeleteJust built this as I have a CS Bass Fuzz and love it, but the box it just so large.
ReplyDeleteMy build sounds nothing like my original unit though, very little fuzz and low output volume.
Checked over my build for continuity and correct part values and it all adds up to the above layout, just finished breadboarding the layout too with similar results. Can anyone offer any advice?
Just found that I have wired one of the 8k2 resistors wrongly, fixed it and it sounds spot on.
DeleteThanks for the layout, brilliant site. Keep em coming!
Built this a few months ago, and it worked like it should. But now I have very low volume in low fuzz settings, and occationally get a few seconds of dropout (the tone is almost gone). I have changed the volume pot, without any effect. It also needs a new battery way to often. Any pointers?
ReplyDeleteI built it and it works like a charm with guitar amps. It gives a gigantic sound with loads of volume. Anyway, with the bass plugged to the bass amp or directly to the PA I can't make it sound louder than the clean signal. Is that normal?
ReplyDeleteI made one of these a while ago and it's my 'go to' fuzz pedal for bass, I used BC549Cs but I've just acquired some 2n130x Ge Transistors, any ideas how these would sound in a pedal like this?
ReplyDeleteHate to state the obvious, but there is only one way to find out - build another and see!
DeleteYou could also try it with Ge diodes for an all-Germanium version.
Expect it to be quieter though - it will almost certainly need a LPB-1 or similar to get it up to unity level.
Yup, that was my plan! I'm already using OA47s as clippers in my first, so the second will be an all germanium affair. Funnily enough I had to put an LPB-1 in there with the first build, as it was really quiet (but really good).
DeleteThat's normal. Loads of these old school fuzzes failed to even reach unity gain, so an added booster is a common addition.
DeleteHi guys, I have the same problem and i wondered, is there a way to up the volume by tweaking a resistor???
ReplyDeleteI really like this, but find it a bit too dark to cut through in a mix. The 1nf capacitors in the feedback loop of the transistors cut lots of high frequencies, so reduce them to 680pf, or even 470pf to retune it for some gritty top end.
ReplyDelete