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Friday 1 March 2013

Analogman Sunface BC108

Info from Analog Mike about his silicon original:

We have some BC108 and BC183 silicon transistors, and have been making silicon Sunfaces for several years now. The BC108 are in small metal cans while the BC183 are plastic. Silicon fuzzfaces came out in about 1969. Dallas Arbiter used both of these types in their Fuzz Face pedals. The silicons are fuzzier than the germaniums, and brighter. The silicon transistors have much higher gain. They don't get totally clean by turning the guitar down like the NKTs but they do clean up quite a bit and are sensitive to your dynamics. Check out the sound sample below to hear this.

 We can make a SUNFACE with no extra charge for silicon. There is a small extra charge for modifying and converting an existing germanium fuzz pedal to silicon. The sundial is not really needed, as the silicon transistors are not temperature sensitive. But you can use the sundial knob to dial in different sounds if desired. We do put the BIAS trimpot on the inside of the two-knob sunfaces so you can still tweak it if desired. The Sundial knob may cause more noise on a silicon (high gain) sunface, due to the extra wires, so it may be best to not order the sundial if you want to keep the noise down.

 Silicon fuzzfaces are negative ground, so you can use almost any power supply without fear of melting it down. But it still may sound better with an old style battery. The FUZZ knob on the silicon version usually sounds and works best if you turn it down a bit (on the germanium I usually like it up full).

 The BC183 transistors we got in 2011 are my favorite for a silicon fuzzface. They are a little warmer than the BC108 and still have plenty of fuzz. We got a large box of these, each individually hermetically sealed in a foil pack, with the same paint stripes on the back that they used in the original 1969 Fuzz face pedals. I think Eric Johnson has BC183 in the red fuzzface that he used for years, and the new 2012 Dunlop Eric Johnson signature Fuzz Face seems to use these too.

 Jon Carin (Floyd, The Who, Roger Waters, etc) contacted me in 2012, looking for a fuzz that sounds like the giant lap steel on One Of These Days by the Floyd. I recommended the BC183 Sun Face for him and I think he likes it!

I'd probably suggest using a 10K for the Sundial.  5K + 2K2 doesn't even equal the usual resistor in that position in a Fuzz Face (8K2) and so I think you want to give yourself a bit extra.






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124 comments:

  1. Unknown1 March 2013 at 23:52

    My main shop doesn't carry 250k pots. Is it better to use 500k or 200k?

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    Replies
    1. IvIark2 March 2013 at 02:02

      200K may cut some more low end, 500K would let more low end through, so make a decision based on what would be preferable to you.

      Delete
    2. Doron Barness29 March 2013 at 15:01

      I used 100kA as the output pot and it still sounded great. I used a slightly larger output cap (12nF instead of 10nF).

      Delete
  2. atomicwombat2 March 2013 at 04:51

    Mark- should the output on the board be volume 3? also, is there any "factory" setting for the trimpot, or just set it by ear? i built this with a 10k for the sundial and some BC183's and it sounds real good so far, so you can tag it. its getting late here so i'll play around with it some more tomorrow when i can actually turn it up and see what it can do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Madferret2 March 2013 at 10:14

      The default setting for the trimpot would be all the way clockwise, basically it's just acting in the same way your guitar's volume pot would. Since Fuzz Faces are known for their ability to clean up nicely with the volume knob Analogue Mike obviously thought it'd be a good idea to set a trimmer on the board to mimic this so you could get the same effect without having to use the pot on your guitar. Personally I prefer these circuits with it rolled back a little to give something that's a little more like an overdrive than an all out fuzz, plus it cuts a little bass so gives the impression of more mids and highs which is good if you play with a band. Hope this helps.

      Delete
    2. Madferret2 March 2013 at 10:16

      Oh and yeah you're spot on with the output to Vol 3 :D

      Delete
    3. kalyncurt@gmail.com3 December 2020 at 02:33

      Then Vol. 2 goes...?

      Delete
    4. Bbr67044 November 2021 at 16:12

      Vol 2 goes to to the output lug of your DPDT or 3PDT.

      Delete
  3. Alltrax742 March 2013 at 11:31

    Wow, requested yesterday, layout today, awesome !
    Thanks a lot Mark

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    Replies
    1. Otalgia FX2 March 2013 at 14:54

      What sort of HFE should the q1 and Q2 108c's be? The datasheet shows 108C to be in the 100 to 170 range which seems a little on the high side for a FF circuit. Cheers

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3 March 2013 at 13:48

      Reading the description, I think they're meant to be high gain..

      ''The silicon transistors have much higher gain. They don't get totally clean by turning the guitar down like the NKTs but they do clean up quite a bit and are sensitive to your dynamics. Check out the sound sample below to hear this.''

      Delete
    3. aaronmcoleman6 March 2013 at 17:28

      108s and 109s can be great in FF even with a high hfe. What I've found is that the relative gains are important...so Q2 in a silicon FF should be about 50 higher than Q1. So 120 and 170 will be great. As long as Q2 biases around 4.5 and Q1 around 1.6 you should be fine. 109s are even higher gain and can sound wonderful too.

      Delete
  4. Otalgia FX3 March 2013 at 19:59

    Thanks Vince, will breadboard it first and try a few 108's.

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  5. Alltrax747 March 2013 at 08:42

    I did this one this morning before going to work. I used 2N5088 si transistors as I don't have BC108s yet. They seem to have similar specs (hfe 300-900).
    Also I socketed the trim and used a 10k resistor instead (I really need to source trimmers asap...)
    And I used a 5k pot for the sundial
    So, the effect works, but I would not tag it yet for the following :
    - The sundial pot does nothing at all (will try with a 10k pot)
    - With the fuzz control below 3/4, very nice low gain and soft fuzz, then suddenly in the last 1/4 it becomes high gain and very trebly/harsh
    Might be the 2N5088, I'll try the BC108C as soon as I get them (about 10 days from now). And maybe a log pot would do the job better ? I'll try and let you know
    Denis

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    1. Alltrax747 March 2013 at 19:13

      I replaced the sundial pot with a 10k, now I can definitely ear a difference, i really like how this control smoothes the sound
      OTOH, I put a 50k lin pot for the trimmer, can't ear any difference on all it's range
      I tried MPS18 trannies which sounded pretty good

      Delete
    2. IvIark7 March 2013 at 19:38

      That trimmer may well not make too much if any audible difference with the fuzz turned up high. It's used to create a setting in conjunction with the volume pot of your guitar to try to fine tune the low gain clean up when you roll back the guitar volume to the level you want. Roll back your volume and then mess with the trim pot to see if the sound gets dirtier in one direction and cleaner in the other.

      Delete
    3. Alltrax748 March 2013 at 11:45

      I'll try that thanks Marc

      Delete
  6. Unknown7 March 2013 at 12:21

    This thing rocks big time! Following on from the sunface germanium build I put this on the other half of the board. I did mess with it to get the bias spot on ;in my opinion). I used a 10k sundial as suggested, and swapped out the 2.2k resistor for a 4.7k to make the sundial more usable. I also swapped out the 470 ohm resistor for a 220 ohm to help with biasing.
    The trannies I used are an odd bunch but the work brilliantly, I was shocked at how good it sound...seriously. I used a 2n2102 in q1: 89 hfe, and a bc109c in q2: 470 hfe. Odd mix but sweet. Thanks for all your help guys! I'm over the moon, maybe to the dark side even.... Cheers

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  7. Anonymous7 March 2013 at 13:02

    I found this far too much of a pain in the arse to be worth it. Sounds just like a standard silicon fuzz face but a hell of a lot more messing about. Biasing is ridiculous and if not right it's noisy as hell.

    I would run a mile from this and make a standard silicon. Just seems like another pointless re-hash.

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  8. Unknown7 March 2013 at 21:26

    It does require a bit of fine tuning but I love it. Mine was noisy as hell until I got the biasing down, it stared me in the face and screamed at me at full fuzz settings, but now she's super quiet. I quite suprised at the difference actually. I think its well worth it. I learnt a heap about fuzz circuits and biasing which is half the point to me :)
    TONE BENDERS NEXT........

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    1. Alltrax748 March 2013 at 06:50

      So Jeff, can you explain how you biased this one ? (Quiet is not exactly how I would define mine :-)

      Delete
  9. Unknown8 March 2013 at 12:42

    The way it originally was set up I couldn't get the voltage I was after on the collector of q1 ( Approx. 1.4v if I remember correctly. I may have to get back to you with that voltage). I was using two bc109c with around 470 hfe each. Sounded super bad. I then stumbled across this fuzz face calculator and thought, what the hell... http://www.diystompboxes.com/analogalchemy/emh/emh.html
    I punched in what I had and found according to the program, my q1 hfe was too high with the 33k resistor on its collector. I plugged in some lower hfe figures for q1 and found that I was probably better off using a q1 hfe around 90. To make it work I also replaced the 470r with a 220r.
    Powered her up and bingo, q1 voltages now spot on. Measured q2 voltages and adjusted sundial for around 5.4v and marked the pot so I had a reference. Sounded great after that. Very quiet. The 2n2102 could be helping too, not too sure. Hope this helps mate.

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  10. Unknown8 March 2013 at 21:00

    No worries mate.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Doron Barness29 March 2013 at 15:09

    adding my view to that of Jeff Lauder:
    I also had a bad experience with 2 BC108C so I swapped the first one for a 2N2369 and the magic happened.
    So...
    1. 2N2369 (hfe=80) and BC108C (hfe=450).
    2. 10kB sundial trimmer
    3. `00kA Volume pot
    4. 12nF output cap.

    You get instant Dark Side of The Moon guitar Solos and Jimi Hendrix Band Of Gypsys |(Gypsies).

    http://fuzzquest.blogspot.co.il/2012/11/the-pink-face.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. JaviCAP29 March 2013 at 19:13

    Yeah, tone is great with BC108Cs but at maximum fuzz, the artifacts are unbearable.

    Will get some BC183s on monday, and try with 2N3904 in Q1 as well

    BR

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    Replies
    1. JaviCAP1 April 2013 at 19:59

      Just a comment. Purchased a bunch of BC183C. HFE goes from 500 to 800, as with BC108C.

      When people talks abou HFE 120 for Q1 and 170 for Q2.... which trannies are they talking about????

      Delete
    2. JaviCAP3 April 2013 at 20:13

      Well,

      Finally BC183s: Q1: 490hfe Q2: 525, tow "low" gain (if we talk about C rated trannies) and Q2 collector set at 4,6v.

      Not by far one of my favourite silicon fuzzes. Too harsh and very noisy when fuzz knob set full CW.

      I know that with a lower hfe Q1, would sound quieter and surely better, but then would be not an Analogman Sunface, just an "X" silicon fuzz face.

      Actually, to my ears and taste, when talking about silicon fuzzes, you can't find anything that gets near to a DAM Meathead Deluxe.

      I don't think this one will get boxed :(

      BR

      Delete
  13. Alltrax748 April 2013 at 16:30

    My take on this one :
    At first I didn't like the sound : way too harsh and very noisy.
    I wanted to stick with BC108 as it was a request from a friend.
    So following Jeff's post, I took a look at the calculator on diystompboxes and here is what I came with :
    33k --> 6k8 (to match Q2's gain, ie 506)
    470r --> 220r (to stick to the calculator)
    Sundial 5k --> 10k as suggested
    1µf input cap --> 2,2µf
    Output cap 10nf --> 100nf
    Q1 is hfe 470 and Q2 506
    Sounds much much better now, less thin (thanks to the cap swaps) but still bright, as this is to expect from this circuit.
    I also added a 47µ filteing cap between the +9V and the ground. Now the circuit is very quiet, it did the trick
    I might swap the fuzz pot for a log one (all the fuzz amount arrives at the end of the pot course) and the vol one for a lin

    Now I need to learn how to play time's solo :p

    http://nsa34.casimages.com/img/2013/04/06/130406073406563326.jpg

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    Replies
    1. IvIark8 April 2013 at 16:39

      Very nice looking build, thanks for the info

      Delete
    2. Alltrax748 April 2013 at 20:34

      Thanks Mark
      Finally I'll stick with the 1k lin and 250k log pots

      Delete
    3. Rob30 April 2014 at 21:32

      Damn this looks good! I'me going to do the same applications you did.
      Will this work with germanium transistors however? I used AC128 and liked their sound better than those bc108's

      Delete
    4. dbat6930 April 2014 at 21:41

      The Sunface NKT275 is the germanium version and can be found here:
      http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/analogman-sunface-nkt275.html

      Delete
    5. Rob2 May 2014 at 15:07

      I know. I meant to ask if the same modifications would work well for the germanium version too.

      Delete
  14. marcuspl15 April 2013 at 21:16

    Very faint volume. When I hook the circuit up, it all actually works - but it's the tiniest, weakest output you've ever heard. It's as if something in there is doing just the opposite of amplifying. I have tried different sets of BC108s, swapped transistors, double and triple checked each resistor, cap, pot and wire placement. It is all there. In fact, all the knobs work appropriately as well. I even tried BC184s. Very, very odd - i even took the trimpot out and tried some regular fixed-value resistors in there

    This has been a strange build. I purposefully built a few smaller projects before I took this one on and my soldering and other basic techniques are down. I've checked all the points for shorts, checked direction of the electrolytic, all solder joints check out, all wires are securely soldered to the vero board. I'm stumped. Given that the circuit "seems" to be behaving as it should - albeit with a huge volume cut, are there any common places to check that would have that effect?

    Thanks a bunch,

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    Replies
    1. IvIark15 April 2013 at 21:23

      Assuming you don't have a part failure, the vast majority of times this happens, it's down to a cold joint somewhere. Check them all, reflow if necessary, including all offboard including pots, switch and sockets.

      Delete
    2. marcuspl15 April 2013 at 21:30

      i'll reflow everything. it's a small build :) I'm using a test board i made up where I just run the wires into busses on a breadboard that are already connected to jacks, led and stompswitch - those offboard things are all verified. It's got to be something on the board somewhere. Thanks for the tip.

      Delete
    3. mirosol15 April 2013 at 23:25

      Just this weekend i debugged a friend's build of lunar module that was working ok, but extremely quiet. Probed it to find out that one of the resistors was 3.3R where it should have been 2.7K. I'm thinking he was trying to sub 2.7K with 3.3K, which would have worked.. But most of the signal just died in the voltage. So i would say that another common error could be a wrong component value in some place...
      +m

      Delete
    4. Alltrax7416 April 2013 at 11:00

      I had the same on the crunchbox
      My pulldown resistor was 220R instead of 1M...

      Delete
    5. marcuspl16 April 2013 at 13:33

      i will double check all the resistor values. I did find that I had a 1u cap where I was supposed to have a .01u :D but oddly enough, even fixing that it all sounds the same. no output. I didn't see any pulldown resistor in this circuit - unless i just don't know where to look. The elec. cap is 22u right? It's kind of fuzzy.

      I reflowed everything, double checked the pinouts of the transistors, Even had the pot lugs all reversed at one point, so i've tried them both ways haha. It may just be something I wind up having to rebuild. It's a small circuit at least. I socketed the transistors so they wouldn't get any heat damage. Very strange indeed.. Appreciate all the tips.

      oh - i guess I should check voltages at the transistors? I did trace the voltage around the circuit - i was getting around 4.5 on the base of the right-most transistor.. can't remember what I was getting at the base of the other. I assume one transistor is responsible for the clipping and the other is part of the output amplifier, so i was wondering if something was wrong there. You have to twist the legs on the first trans - so i've made sure they aren't touching or shorting out..

      Delete
    6. marcuspl30 April 2013 at 05:23

      well, after much procrastination - i just rebuilt the thing, checking the first build while i made the second. Strange, because it is absolutely identical. reflowed everything, even used the BC108s from the first build in the new build as well as all the original pots and offboard assy and it works like a champ. Who knows. Very nice sounding fuzz so far, although it's late and I can't really crank anything up :)

      Delete
  15. Geoff Vane26 April 2013 at 13:35

    Video is gone.

    ReplyDelete
  16. chumbox 14 May 2013 at 06:38

    From what I can see ditching the internal trimmer will have no impact on the circuit except I might need to toggle my guitar volume a bit more? It's only trimming the input signal right? In which case consider it ditched haha

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wild Turkey18 May 2013 at 21:55

    Any suggestions on what would be a good pedal to box with this
    was thinking a Les Lius ??

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dimitri Georgaras11 June 2013 at 21:45

    If I wanted to use a trim pot instead of the sundial for biasing, how would I go about doing that

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    Replies
    1. Unknown11 June 2013 at 22:16

      Just get a 5k trimpot and wire it the same way. One less hole to drill. :)

      Delete
    2. Dimitri Georgaras11 June 2013 at 22:53

      Should it be on the vero board

      Delete
    3. Dimitri Georgaras11 June 2013 at 22:55

      Sorry stupid question, I'll just raise the amount of rows by three and use links

      Delete
    4. Unknown12 June 2013 at 07:38

      That's certainly a decent option, if you have enough space in your enclosure.
      If not, just use short wires and leave it hanging offboard and use plenty of electrical tape to isolate it. Worked for me on more than one build. :)

      Delete
  19. Yoel Kreisler12 June 2013 at 18:37

    Ok so if I don't want the sundial knob at all how shoupd I change the build? Speak to me like an ape because I'm really new at this stuff.

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    1. IvIark12 June 2013 at 18:46

      Swap the 2K2 for something between 8K2 and 10K (you'll have to experiment for the best value, socket the connections so you can quickly swap and change it if you like), then put a wire link between the Sundial 1 and Sundial 2 & 3 connection points.

      Delete
    2. Unknown12 June 2013 at 21:34

      And when you're done, have a banana. Those are yummy. :D

      Mmmm... now I want one... lol

      Delete
  20. Unknown7 July 2013 at 00:42

    Just finished this circuit
    Thanks for the layout
    Getting some oscillation with the fuzz cranked up
    Used the 10 k sun dial
    Anything I can do to clean up the oscillation
    Thanks
    Ed

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  21. Unknown7 July 2013 at 16:09

    Tried a few different size caps between base and collector on Q 1, 100 pf did the trick
    Also used shielded cable for input and output for extra measure. No more oscillation , I still get a bit of minor noise and his when fuzz is cranked at the highest volume levels, I can live with this as the sweetest fuzz tones are not at full full.

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    1. Unknown3 October 2013 at 06:34

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  22. Unknown5 October 2013 at 20:05

    I have a sunface and would like to add an push/pull on/off volume pot. Is this a simple mod?

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  23. Ian G8 December 2013 at 00:48

    My try on that one ended with too little gain/fuzz... and high sounds that can cut heads. I'm sure I did something wrong as what I ended up with sounded nothing like the demo.

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  24. Jay guitarist12 April 2014 at 13:36

    I may be asking on the wrong thread but if I had npn germaniums could I use them in this circuit or do I need to tweek the nkt275 circuit to make it non instead of pop; sorry if this is really obvious I'm new to all this!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Jay guitarist12 April 2014 at 13:37

    That should read npn instead of pnp -I could murder predictive text on smartphones!

    ReplyDelete
  26. IvIark12 April 2014 at 13:41

    Well I suppose it makes more sense to use the silicon NPN layout so all the connections with polarity are correct. But I'd use the trimmer shown in the germanium version rather than this one which is multi turn. In fact I'm going to edit this layout to change the trimmer.

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  27. Jay guitarist12 April 2014 at 15:38

    Cheers thanks for that, it'll have to be my next project (blue delay on the go at the mo), will let you know the result of how it sounds.

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  28. Unknown25 July 2014 at 22:25

    What's about to put in this circuite the BC108 not Bc108C?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark25 July 2014 at 23:26

      Yes it will work fine although the current gain in each won't be as high. Some people prefer lower gain transistors in the Fuzz Face anyway, so give it a go and see what you think.

      Delete
  29. Doron Barness26 September 2014 at 17:35

    Did anybody here experience any RF pickup or a whistle when the trimmer is set to 0k?
    It's funny but only after adding 5k in series did I get the whistle to stop.
    Why is that?

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  30. Anonymous4 April 2015 at 20:12

    tried 3 times and got nothing

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  31. Juiffi25 May 2015 at 10:09

    One transistor is aligned as it should C-B-E, with base in the middle. But the other one has E-C-B, Base at the bottom? Is that correct?

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  32. Juiffi25 May 2015 at 10:10

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    Replies
    1. Zach25 May 2015 at 18:02

      the transistors in the layout are in the correct orientation. you may need to twist the pins of your transistors to put the correct legs into the correct places.

      Delete
  33. Manuel1 July 2015 at 20:48

    Hi, thank you very much for the layout! I built this, used AC126 transistors and get no sound at all. I looked at the NKT275 version and it is with a volt converter and the switched polarity for the capacitor. So do I have to do this one with a volt converter too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zach2 July 2015 at 01:55

      NKT275 transistors are PNP Germanium, as are the AC126. If you plug AC126's into the BC108 layout it will not work, as the polarity is reversed, BC108 transistors are NPN Silicon transistors. you will need to reverse the electrolytic capacitor, and reverse your power and grounds.

      Delete
    2. Manuel2 July 2015 at 10:48

      Ah great! I was thinking about that but since it is my first fuzz I didn't know about the difference between the two transistor types.
      Thank you very much!

      Delete
    3. Zach2 July 2015 at 18:37

      any time man. for future reference there are two types of power, positive ground which use PNP transistors, and negative ground which use NPN transistors.

      Delete
  34. Unknown31 July 2015 at 02:11

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. Unknown14 August 2015 at 16:14

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  35. Unknown22 September 2016 at 14:44

    I cannot obtain the unity gain with this layout, both NKT and BC version.

    Even though the volume is in the max position, the effect volume is much less than unity gain.

    Any advice?

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  36. dickramone15 October 2016 at 01:54

    New builder here. It says to solder Volume 2 to Output, but I don't see output listed on the board. Where do I solder it??

    ReplyDelete
  37. dickramone15 October 2016 at 01:56

    New builder here. It says to solder Volume 2 to Output, but I don't see output listed on the board. Where do I solder it??

    ReplyDelete
  38. Travis15 October 2016 at 04:10

    You solder a wire from volume 2 to the output connection on the stomp switch. Check the offboard wiring tab at the top of the page here to see the switch wiring

    ReplyDelete
  39. Unknown22 November 2016 at 14:48

    Hi , how would I make the SUNFACE BC108 using Axial Components what changes do I need to make on the Vero board.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Unknown27 November 2016 at 09:58

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  41. Noobienoobie5 February 2017 at 11:59

    Prepare for a silly question - but the diagram calls for a 1u cap but avert schematic I've seen has a 0.01u cap. Am I missing something here?!?!

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  42. Travis5 February 2017 at 15:18

    The .01 is the output cap. The Fuzz Face input cap is normally 2u2, analogman changed it to 1u for these pedals

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    Replies
    1. Unknown9 July 2017 at 20:38

      Not for many of the silicon models. They're still 2.2uf with a 100n (larger) output cap as well.

      Delete
  43. Tchelo2 March 2017 at 20:38

    Someone Got Schematic?

    ReplyDelete
  44. John7 July 2017 at 23:23

    Best fuzz I ever "DIY". Very simple to do. Sound very well. thanks

    ReplyDelete
  45. Unknown9 July 2017 at 20:39

    This needs to be updated. Fuzz taper is reverse log. Input cap is 2.2uf. And output resistor is 390r. Output cap is 100n.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Unknown13 August 2017 at 17:12

    Hi, I soldered this one up and it worked great EXCEPT when I turn the fuzz pot to 10 (full clockwise). At that setting the tone is harsh, fizzy and very un-musical. If I back it down to 9, it cleans up and sounds good. The trimmer changes the tone at that level but does not clean the noisy harshness. In a somewhat blind effort to fix, I scrapped the sundial, changed the 2k2 to 10k, bumped the 22u to 47u to no avail. I like this effect(at least at 9) and hate to have to start over. Just wondering if anyone can suggest a fix for this. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. mirosol13 August 2017 at 17:15

      Solder a 100r resistor in series with fuzz 3 wire.
      +m

      Delete
    2. Unknown13 August 2017 at 18:53

      Thanks! That did it!

      Delete
  47. Teddeeh22 September 2017 at 15:49

    Hi with the nkt being positive ground, is this one too? Do i need a voltage inverter?

    ReplyDelete
  48. Teddeeh22 September 2017 at 15:52

    And also are the pinouts correct? Do i need to bend some legs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OcularDawn22 September 2017 at 20:26

      Hi Joseph, negative ground so no charge pump necessary and yes Q2 will need some bending if you use E-B-C configuration transistors a la BC108.

      Delete
  49. Jorge4 January 2018 at 22:08

    Built this into a dual-effect box, together with a classic TS9.
    The fuzz-into-overdrive combo returns one of the sweetest tones I've ever heard. The OD rounds up the sharpness of the fuzz and an hypnotic flute-ish sound appears, no matter single coil or humbucker.
    Wonderful fuzz.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Igo Suv12 February 2018 at 16:18

    i tried bc108c (q2) with bc108a (q1) -> best ff i ever heard

    ReplyDelete
  51. Francesco13 February 2018 at 07:13

    Hi I'm a newbie. Can I use an electrolytic cap for the 1uf near trimmer? I have both polarized and non polarized caps. ForFpolarized cap can someone suggest me orientation? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. akplm6 March 2018 at 07:45

      Hi, did you resolve the question? I have the same problem

      Delete
    2. OcularDawn6 March 2018 at 08:44

      Hi mate, the input cap on the original NPN fuzz face schematic is a polarised 2.2uf with negative at the input and plus going to Q1 base.

      Delete
  52. Unknown8 April 2018 at 20:47

    Little question — the vol pot does nothing. It’s above unity gain, but has no function.
    Hope someone can help. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  53. endlessteeth20 July 2018 at 04:41

    Is this a positive ground circuit? I.e. Would I have a problem using this schematic and adding a boost and or tonestack that is negative ground?
    Thanks for the great site!

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    Replies
    1. helveticat4 September 2018 at 20:25

      It's negative ground, no problem with daisy-chaining or adding a boost / tone stack. I was just now running the Colorsound Wah into it on the same power lines on the breadboard.

      Delete
  54. 0friendsrecordings19 August 2018 at 02:38

    I built this one the other day. Used a BC107 and a BC184. Sounds great - a really flexible si-ff. I get a lot of mileage out of the sundial on this one too; it's subtle but definitely useful. Good circuit.

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  55. iamok24 October 2018 at 14:28

    I tried this and its such a great sounding circuit. Very subtle when it comes to being able to control the fuzz via the guitar volume. I used BC108B transistors but I decided to put a lower gain (<80hfe) transistor for Q1 (2n3440) as it reduces the peak fuzz and gives you the ability to dial in cleaner sounds too with the guitar volume. its more about personal taste. I faced a lot of issues due to a simple mistake of not checking the battery - it was old and my emitter voltage on Q2 was very low and that caused gated sounds. It took me a while to figure it was the battery that was causing that. Facepalm.

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    Replies
    1. iamok24 October 2018 at 14:29

      I meant low collector voltage and not emitter on Q2.

      Delete
  56. Steve20 February 2019 at 17:09

    Can someone please help I have tried building this twice now, both having the same result I get a clean tone but no fuzz.
    The sundial gives the scratchy sound when turning the volume seems to work but the fuzz does nothing.

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    Replies
    1. Steve21 February 2019 at 08:57

      Sorted it it turns out my power supply was inverted I was using a 9v socket that I don't normally use and I had the terminals back to front

      Delete
  57. Marrios1 April 2019 at 05:32

    Excelente circuito, me funcionó a la primera, gracias

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  58. Steve18 April 2019 at 15:22

    Hello I built this and it sounds great but I dont seem to get much volume out of it, I almost have to have the volume full up to get it to unity, so I rebuilt it but the new circuit seems the same any suggestions would be appreciated

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  59. John8 May 2019 at 12:59

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  60. John13 May 2019 at 18:16

    Hello, best clone ever made !
    After a zvex fuzz Factory, a voodoo lab superfuzz, an Iron Bell mojo hand this one do the job with my orange rocker 30 in Drive Channel already crunched.
    Dont ever checked hfe of Q1 and Q2 because i don't really know how to do with my multimeter but it sounds pretty good to my ears.
    Guitar's volume pot is very useful to get the sound cleaner and bright as well.
    I rolled back the trim pot a little.
    Thank you for this layout that i've set aside thought....

    ReplyDelete
  61. Markus Reeves11 July 2019 at 12:39

    ive bread boarded this and have a few issues that i would be grateful of any suggestions
    1, i have quite a 'split tone' one is fizzy and gates as the note decays, the bias pot has an effect of reducing the decay time but not the gating. the other part of the tone is the keeper =]
    2, input trimmer / very low gain - when i replaced the trimmer and cap with the more traditional 2.2uf el cap the tone and gain increased to where i would expect it to be, the trimmer was 50k and cap was 1uf
    3, no volume roll off... it just gates (audio taper cts pots on my telecaster)

    any help would be greatly appreciated =]

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    Replies
    1. Markus Reeves11 July 2019 at 16:21

      right so ive replaced the Q1 bc108 with a 2n3904 and its much much better... 10pf cap across q1 C and E and its getting close now .... might put it on a board tonight... thanks for sharing so much awesome knowlage folks =]

      Delete
  62. Skatuaba31 March 2021 at 03:49

    Created this with 109c on both and did change de 33k for 11.2k based on the calculator. Great sound, this build looks easy but thanks you around to get things in place right.

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  63. Skatuaba1 April 2021 at 00:06

    Was very happy yesterday with my build but today when I did tried on high volume I could hear some noise on the background. anyone been with this problem? I did change the 33k to 11k20 to go with my 250 q1 and 350q2 109c on both. I did add the 100R on the fuzz to get it to be usable on full )before with 33k was not possible) and did change the 10n to 100n to see if that would help (I am new to this stuff. but every build I do think to myself why didnt i pay attation to the class in high school). anyway, any tips wellcome. will build another one with 2222 on q1 to see how it goes.

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  64. Eric26 May 2021 at 06:16

    Well this was a frustrating build. I think I dealt with just about every problem listed here in the comments. Gating, noise at full fuzz, etc. The 100R mod to the fuzz pot works great. The gating... well... use a boost upstream. Seriously, that is the only way I could tame it.

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    Replies
    1. Pete8 December 2021 at 23:05

      Try a lower value sun dial pot. I found the higher value made mine gate

      Delete
  65. Pete18 November 2021 at 08:24

    I have gating on my build. Will reflow and check all components. However could someone check my board if I upload a photo to see if it looks right

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  66. Pete14 December 2021 at 00:29

    Have to say this is my favorite fuzz. I've built the germanium and the silicon now. I think I might put two in the same box. So I can switch between them.

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  67. ricardo18 July 2022 at 00:40

    Hello.
    My original Sunface BC183 has just 3 resistors... I can see a 33k, a 390R and another one I cannot tell which value it has (brown, black, yellow, silver, yellow)
    Why this clone has 4 resistors instead?
    Thanks!

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  68. Lightcatcher4 November 2022 at 05:08

    Don't know if anyone is still following this, but I could use a bit of assistance. First, I'm surprise no one else had the same issue as me with the Transistor installation. That one where you need to get fancy with the legs to get them in ECB order rather than the standard EBC... took me a whole evening to track that one down.

    Now, every thing is working-ish, but the volume is really wonky. No matter how low it is turned it never gets any where near silent. the trim pot seems to have some interaction there, but that isn't the issue. I've been over it a whole lot of times and checked every single thing...

    Any thoughts?

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  69. Lightcatcher5 November 2022 at 04:02

    Um figured it out... Face-palm on missing the "Vo1 1 to ground note" duh...

    ReplyDelete