Sunday, 28 April 2013

Fuzzhugger Phantom Octave

 I do find these small boards less stressful to draw :) This one is small enough to fit in 1590A without any problems, but if you're feeling adventurous you can shave off one row from the right hand side. I left there a bit space so 100µ caps have more room to sit in nicely... Schematic has the onboard LED as 5mm red, but you could try out different colours to see how those affect the octaves.. I must add that this puppy is sounding pretty cool and it is priced reasonably, so you should consider getting yourself an original...

From Fuzzhugger(fx):
Equal parts mysterious and ghastly, the Phantom Octave is a shape-shifting octave fuzz monster!

No controls? They're not necessary--they're at your fingertips! The Phantom Octave is extremely interactive with your pickup selection, picking intensity, and your guitar's Tone control. Like its namesake, the octave will disappear with picking intensity and by rolling back your guitar's Tone control. Octave effect is strongest with low-output single coil pickups.

With the flip of your pickup selector and your picking technique, you'll find huge octave downs, glitchy ring mod-ish tones, and even be able to bang out some simple chords! Set the intensity of the effect by using your guitar's Tone control as a Blend. Roll your guitar's Tone control all the way back, and you've got a chord-friendly fuzz!

The Phantom Octave is a very strange pedal compared to most octave fuzzes...in some ways, it's more stable...in many ways, glitchier. It'll sound different with each set (and combination) of pickups. Some pickup selections will produce more exciting results than others. On most guitars, the Tone knob allows you to blend out the intensity of the octave and glitch. Easier to master and jam on (which is not to call this beast stable, but)--for example, you'll be able to get away with some bends and power chords! You'll quickly get used to the sensitivity of the pedal and what different playing techniques and settings will
produce.

Controls:
• Output: Controls the output level of the Phantom Octave!
• Interacts strongly with your pickup selection (and playing technique). A guitar with a three-way selector means three settings!
• Your Guitar's Tone knob will blend out effect intensity. When blended out, you get a nice smooth fuzz tone!

• Must be used with passive magnetic pickups (standard guitar and bass pickups), and be placed first/early in your effects chain.





Here's demo of Geiri's build:

Posted by at 13:54
Tags: , , , ,

94 comments:

  1. IvIark28 April 2013 at 13:55

    That looks like something I've seen before

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol28 April 2013 at 14:08

      ? Please do share :)
      +m

      Delete
    2. IvIark28 April 2013 at 14:13

      I'm just checking through old schematics, something about the diodes and LED rings a bell but can't remember what

      Delete
    3. mirosol28 April 2013 at 14:18

      That's pretty common way of creating octaves, so i wouldn't be surprised if it were really close to some older design. I just can't remember seeing those driven by LM386. But granted, it's not that far away from Gus' Oct Up Sick Box either.. I'm still liking his pricing. Might even get myself one if i hadn't Flying V and tons of other stuff on que... :)
      +m

      Delete
    4. IvIark28 April 2013 at 14:24

      Yes! I knew I wasn't going mad. Penny Pedals Fingerprint!

      Delete
    5. mirosol28 April 2013 at 14:28

      Haha! It is pretty close :) Basically a 3 knob version, but the topology is quite similar...
      +m

      Delete
    6. hitokirimnb28 April 2013 at 16:57

      I saw this and immediately thought of the Fingerprint, too. :)

      Delete
  2. dexxyy28 April 2013 at 20:37

    tag this one, sounds exactl like the demo

    ReplyDelete
  3. superferrite28 April 2013 at 23:57

    Aren't the two caps in parallel (100nf and 100uf) the same as a 100.1uf cap? If so, you can ditch the second 100nf, I imagine.
    Thanks for this one. I have everything to build this and it sounds like garbage in the best possible way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol29 April 2013 at 05:26

      Those are for power filtering. So it should work fine without them too..
      +m

      Delete
  4. Jishnu Dasgupta30 April 2013 at 19:35

    Are there any other circuits besides this and the Fingerprint that use the diode-in-feedback-loop in conjunction with a 386?

    ReplyDelete
  5. JaviCAP1 May 2013 at 02:18

    Just built. Yeah, this little shit is great! Will get boxed as soon as I get my new 1590A's lot. Sometimes these little effects are amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. João Moreira12 March 2022 at 16:16

      Build it Last night. Got fuzz but no octave :(

      Delete
  6. JaviCAP1 May 2013 at 14:16

    Ì want to install a diode like the blue one on the demo, that lits as you play. LM386 is a really unknown IC for me, so I'm no sure where could i take this led from.

    Any hint?

    P.S. No, my 5mm red led doesn't lit :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Madferret1 May 2013 at 15:50

      Try this: Instructables Blinking LED tutorial. There could be a more simple way, but I've used this in the past and it definitely works.

      Delete
    2. JaviCAP1 May 2013 at 17:42

      Thanks Rick, interesting gadget :) I think i'll be able to make something similar and fit it together with the effect inside a 1590A :)

      BR

      Delete
    3. Madferret1 May 2013 at 18:36

      For what you need you'd only need half of that circuit, ie. One resistor, one Led and one TIP31 so I'm sure it'd fit.

      Delete
    4. JaviCAP1 May 2013 at 20:27

      Yeah, I supposed so, as this gadget uses two circuits (one for each channel of the stereo).

      Tomorrow is bank holiday in Madrid too, but on friday will pay a visit to my local store to get some Tip31s.

      Thanks again!

      Delete
  7. superferrite1 May 2013 at 21:46

    Built it, gated fuzz and a hint of octave, not as strong as the original video.
    I had a blue LED, and took it out of circuit and it sounds pretty much the same without it...

    ReplyDelete
  8. superferrite1 May 2013 at 21:58

    ...and with the red LED, it is a bit more like the vids.
    Reminds me a LOT of the Shin-ei FY-2 but with tons less soldering!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bradley7 May 2013 at 22:10

    Hello all - I wondered if I could ask for a little help on this one...?
    Built (I think), as per the layout, I get a bassy fuzz, but nothing I'd call an octave down. If I pull the LED out, it makes no difference to the sound. If I reverse the polarity of the LED (anode to ground rail), I get a change in tonality and a glitchier decay, and the LED lights with playing (like the video - looks good!), but still no octave down. I've tried a range of different colours and sizes of LEDs (except for blue, which I don't have to hand). Both the 100nF caps on mine are polyboxes (I see they are shown differently on the diagram) - could that be significant?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. superferrite7 May 2013 at 22:37

      When I get mine back, I'll flip the LED and try it. Someone's recording with it this week.

      Delete
  10. superferrite7 May 2013 at 22:36

    Anyone have a link to the schematic? I found the Penny Pedals Fingerprint schem on La Revolution Deux, and it appears VERY similar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bradley8 May 2013 at 10:37

      Yes, I'd love to see a schematic too. Looking at the Fingerprint you mention, D2 1N4148 and the LED are opposite polarity, back to back as a conventional clipping arrangement (I think - still quite new to this!). On the Phantom Octave Vero layout, they look to be the same way round....?

      Delete
    2. mirosol8 May 2013 at 11:01

      http://www.freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22237&p=220767
      +m

      Delete
    3. Bradley8 May 2013 at 11:17

      Cool - thanks! That definitely shows both diodes in the same polarity...... Hmmmm....

      Delete
    4. JaviCAP8 May 2013 at 12:01

      Welll... If I'm not wrong, the led is a hb blue led, not a difused or hb red.

      I thought that there where inside some kind of gadget that made a blue led lit as you play, but taking a look at the guts, there's only one led: the one on the board.

      Will check this evening with a hb blue. Led is correctly placed accordin to the FSB circuit... but it doesn't assure us that is correct :P

      Delete
    5. JaviCAP8 May 2013 at 21:05

      Well, just done. In my opinion: Blue high bright led, positive to groun: works and sounds exactly the same than the demo.

      No way the led can be lit if not in this position, and this is the only one led that the original has in the FSB post.

      So I believe, after taking a look at the Fingertrip and swappin' the led that the schematics in FSB is mistaken at this point.

      BR

      Delete
    6. Bradley8 May 2013 at 22:48

      Great - many thanks for checking that out. I've put some blue LEDs on order - looking forward to some low octaves!
      Brad

      Delete
    7. mirosol9 May 2013 at 11:13

      Thanks Javi for the input. I updated the layout to match your corrections.
      +m

      Delete
  11. JacobGoodwin15 May 2013 at 05:21

    Hey guys, I'm pretty new to all of this stuff and I have a question about which components I should use.
    I looked at the picture, and I know the difference between resistors and capacitors, but I don't know what watts I should use, or which exact capacitor/resistor I should use. Is there some kind of key somewhere that would help me identify what I should use?
    Thanks for any help!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol15 May 2013 at 06:23

      You should probably read the component introduction and sourcing guide i wrote:
      http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.fi/p/components.html
      +m

      Delete
  12. Unknown17 May 2013 at 03:36

    Where is the output?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. krzabe17 May 2013 at 04:21

      The output is located on lug 2 of Level pot.

      Delete
  13. Unknown21 May 2013 at 12:56

    Hi!
    pedal does not work at all, shows no signs that it might be?

    ReplyDelete
  14. John21 May 2013 at 21:11

    I'm getting a motor boat sound is it the red LED or the 2 1meg resistors tied together in place of a 2.2m?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dave21 May 2013 at 21:39

      Motor boat noise usually means that you haven't grounded something that should be grounded, so check ground connections.
      Thanks
      Dave

      Delete
    2. Unknown22 May 2013 at 12:33

      there is no sound, checked the voltage, all right, but there is no sound

      Delete
  15. John22 May 2013 at 01:11

    It was one leg of the 100n cap in the wrong place. It's all good now. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown22 May 2013 at 12:37

      checked, all right, but does not work.
      what cap exactly?

      Delete
    2. Unknown22 May 2013 at 12:38

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  16. Kinski28 May 2013 at 19:13

    Does the mm size of the LED matter? In other words, can I use a 3mm Blue LED?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. IvIark28 May 2013 at 20:04

      Doesn't matter. The forward voltage drop is the important factor, not dimensions.

      Delete
    2. Kinski28 May 2013 at 20:22

      Just built this. Sounds like a cool splatty fuzz. However, there is no octave of any kind going on. I'll try a red LED and see what happens.

      Delete
    3. JaviCAP28 May 2013 at 20:49

      To get the octave down, you have to play with the guitar and tone volume pots of your guitar.

      On my les paul (with lin tone pots, log volume ones and SD APH-1 pickups)), with tone rolled full CCW and volume at 9-10= nice soft fuzz. Volume at 8 and tone a 4: very present octave down. The upper the tone, the less the octave and the wilder and gated the fuzz.

      BR

      Delete
    4. Kinski28 May 2013 at 21:27

      Yep, got some octave stuff happening with a Les Paul. I was using a Telecaster before.

      Delete
  17. TomD1 June 2013 at 04:10

    I'm not building these any more, but I'd be happy to by special-order if anyone wants one ($75). I guess you could call it a stripped-down Fingerprint...more accurately, a variation on Tim Escobedo's Rambler. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Steve16 June 2013 at 05:45

    This is my first vero build. I've done some kits with PCB and didn't have a problem. I just build this and I'm getting mostly nothing when it's on. Just a little cleanish guitar sound but it's very quite. Below are some images. Any help you guys can give would be awesome! Thanks!

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2200156/fuzzhugger-phantom-octave/Photo%20Jun%2016%2C%2012%2024%2004%20AM.jpg

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2200156/fuzzhugger-phantom-octave/Photo%20Jun%2016%2C%2012%2025%2015%20AM.jpg

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2200156/fuzzhugger-phantom-octave/Photo%20Jun%2016%2C%2012%2024%2027%20AM.jpg

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2200156/fuzzhugger-phantom-octave/Photo%20Jun%2016%2C%2012%2024%2046%20AM.jpg

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2200156/fuzzhugger-phantom-octave/Photo%20Jun%2016%2C%2012%2026%2012%20AM.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  19. Alex16 June 2013 at 15:50

    Hi Steve,
    I can't see properly but I think you've connected the negative leg of the led in the wrong row.
    They should be soldered in the same rows of D2 with the positive leg of the led on the ground row.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Alex16 June 2013 at 15:53

    ...also, I can't see any Ground wire soldered to the last row.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve17 June 2013 at 06:11

      Hey Alex, You were totally right on both errors. I fixed them and rocked the pedal for about an hour. It sounds awesome! Thanks so much for your help!

      Delete
  21. Steve21 July 2013 at 02:21

    Anyone know what it would take to add a gain control to this pedal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mirosol21 July 2013 at 07:46

      Usual way to have gain control on 386 chips is to place 1K (maybe even 2K if you're feeling adventurous) pot between pins 1 and 8. So you would take wires to two top rows on the right hand side. If it does nothing at first, remoce the 100µ cap between those rows.
      That should do it.
      +m

      Delete
  22. Unknown24 July 2013 at 21:12

    Just getting around to building this one. I don't have any blue LEDs. I do however have a waterclear blue LED. Should I expect the same result from the waterclear?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JaviCAP24 July 2013 at 21:22

      The original is a 5mm clear blue led, so, no problem at all :)

      BR

      Delete
    2. Unknown25 July 2013 at 19:29

      Ok, built this pedal last night. I'm having an issue with it however... quick staccato notes sound fine but if I try to sustain a note, it quickly fades in a 'something is wrong' sort of way. The only difference between my build and the schem is that I had to use a standard green mylar for the red 100nf cap and I used a 5% 2.2M resistor. The LED appears to be working fine as it lights up and fades with playing. Any ideas where to start? I socketed the IC so I can try switching that out if need be. Also, if I don't have my guitar output volume dimed, I get very limited results (both a mustang w/ humbuckers and a strat w/ singles).

      Delete
  23. Steve24 August 2013 at 02:30

    Here is a video of the one I build: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp7a_NkZJug

    ReplyDelete
  24. Steve14 September 2013 at 17:28

    I'd like to add a knob to control the amount of octave. Does any know if this is possible and how I might do this.

    ReplyDelete
  25. superferrite21 November 2013 at 22:58

    I built this a couple of times. Since the decay was so rough I bought a few LM386N3s to try in lieu of the cheap N series I had been using. Not only was the decay a LOT smoother, but the octave was way stronger. It makes the pedal!

    Incidentally, the 100n cap in parallel with the 100uf electrolytic is superfluous. Save it for every other effect in the universe that needs one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BetterOffShred19 November 2016 at 16:43

      This same thing happened with my parallel universe build. I bought a ton of 386 chips whenever I'd see them cheap.. the radioshack one of all things worked the best. So I'd recommend everyone try a few. Radioshack sells 386 still, I may go buy a few and try them too

      Delete
  26. Anonymous7 December 2013 at 14:11

    This was the 5th pedal I ever built. When I built it I thought an LED was an LED - only difference being the color. I had no idea what forward voltage drop was (or much else for that matter). I only had red then, so I stuck a red one in it and never thought much about it.

    The sound was awful. Sort of splatty, quick decaying of notes, only worked when my volume pot was at 10 on my guitar. I hated the pedal.

    This morning I resurrected it from the leper colony and swapped the red LED for a blue one as the layout calls for. HOLY CRAP!!! What a peach. I have been playing it for the last hour with a big stupid smile on my face. I love this pedal now.

    ReplyDelete
  27. levis10 April 2014 at 12:52

    I get no octave with blue or red led. What could be wrong?

    ReplyDelete
  28. MadWagner1 July 2014 at 23:37

    Wow! I just built this one and it sounds great! Thanks for all the great projects!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Danny16 October 2014 at 04:50

    Is D3 used as the LED as well (run it to the bezel?) or would this require a separate LED for that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zach16 October 2014 at 06:01

      d3 is part of the clipping in the effect. which means you will need to run a separate LED to a bezel and switch to let you know the effect is on.

      Delete
  30. Danny16 October 2014 at 21:40

    THANKS! I built it, boxed it, and the damned thing actually works! (First pedal build. Put this in a 1590A. It's not so pretty inside.)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Tom Lauten21 January 2015 at 23:56

    "....quick staccato notes sound fine but if I try to sustain a note, it quickly fades in a 'something is wrong' sort of way..." I get the same result. I've also lost a couple of diodes a couple of times...burnt out. It keeps packing up and comes back again. How sensitive is the build to the type of cap is this in terms of % and material they are made from?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Werewolf29 July 2015 at 12:04

    Succesfully built. Sounds awful with my high output p90s and I love it. Exactly what I was hoping for.

    ReplyDelete
  33. FkmBlogs4 October 2015 at 05:24

    By adding a toggle switch to lift D3, would that turn off and on the octave?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BetterOffShred3 December 2016 at 00:01

      See my very recent post. Lift D1 .. I did it by accident and it sounds awesome

      Delete
    2. BetterOffShred3 December 2016 at 06:07

      See my very recent post. Lift D1 .. I did it by accident and it sounds awesome

      Delete
  34. Unknown28 October 2015 at 23:44

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown29 October 2015 at 14:37

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  35. Unknown29 October 2015 at 01:49

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Unknown29 October 2015 at 23:03

    Successfully built this one this afternoon!Fun pedal!Had a blast dialing different tones with the guitar knobs and pickups!

    ReplyDelete
  37. elwhitey8 December 2015 at 15:01

    Hi guys, thanks for sharing your experience and the support.
    This is my first pedal built from scratches, made it work at the second time and successfully put into an enclosure. However, I feel that the octave effect is present only when tone put is fully open, otherwise the sound becomes gated. I'm playing through a japanese jaguar, didn't try with humbuckers. Do you guys have any ideas for that?

    ReplyDelete
  38. neal gardner4 November 2016 at 16:46

    Such a fun pedal! If you dig glitched-out, mono synth-like sound, build this. One of my friends commented that it had an almost Royal Blood sound. In this video demo, I illustrate a few different ways in which to use the pedal: typical lead runs, modulation switching with pickup selector (I'm on a Strat), and drones (w/delay in reverse).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlQlFGAUuhI&index=7&list=PLQe4mkX6q4Yu8-sa39STJz6eaIClo5Lzs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AlexS4 November 2016 at 19:37

      Cool! Nice variety of uses. It's a big sound for such an easy build.

      Delete
  39. BetterOffShred3 December 2016 at 00:00

    So I built this, and accidentally put the positive leg of D1 up one row.. and it's a super smooth warm fuzz with no glitches. So I put in a spdt switch that basically disconnects D1 or has it wired to where it's supposed to be.. so now it'll be a super smooth fuzz or octave glitch at the flip of a switch. The lifted diode does increase the output a little. I tried about 30 of the 386 and found the best is a JRC I got fromy tayda. Try the mod!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BetterOffShred6 December 2016 at 00:23

      Incidentally, I've tried numerous LEDs of various sizes and colors. The 5mm UV is the best by far, and some asymmetrical trio of GE diodes is also amazing. I'm probably going to put 6 different ones on a rotary for fun. Mileage

      Delete
  40. FXS2 June 2017 at 22:01

    Yes! This is an awesome pedal. Works brilliant with my Strat (Vintage style low output single coils). Doesn't like PAFs but is cool but not as drastic with P90s. Humbuckers in parallel works too. Thanks a bunch mirosol!
    Since I only have very little idea about electronics I have a question:
    Does this circuit invert the phase? I'd like to add a blend feature or split it and blend it back at the end of the signal chain. Is it possible with this design and maybe a "Split 'n' Blend"?
    Greetings
    Fabian

    ReplyDelete
  41. Fuzzy Logic30 June 2017 at 14:00

    Hi Guys, LM386 N-1 or N-3 here? Any perceivable difference in sound? Best regards!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous4 September 2017 at 16:25

    I used a N1 and couldnt get much fun out of the pedal. Mine sounds more like an atari punk console for some reason. Might have another crack at it when I have an N3 but if anybody has any ideas on why mine isnt like the video would love to know

    ReplyDelete
  43. GTECH5 October 2017 at 16:04

    tq miro :) https://youtu.be/o1PjAtDfK9A

    ReplyDelete
  44. Unknown21 January 2018 at 20:28

    Just finished this some days ago.
    Used a white LED and works great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown3 February 2018 at 23:02

      Yeah! Finished this some weeks ago. Today I Added an on/off/on switch with an blue LED on one side and an orange one on the other. Recommended mod.

      Delete
  45. Drs1 February 2018 at 00:35

    I only get a very very low output. Any idea hat that could be? The led is blinking as it is supposed to be according to the sound. I checked every connection, checked for shorts, swapped IC's,...

    ReplyDelete
  46. aarononbass3 October 2018 at 20:48

    Made one of these with an ultra bright green 5mm LED, it has come very heavy compression, but it sounds raw and glitchy and amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aarononbass4 October 2018 at 14:39

      Okay, tried it on bass and with single coils, and it sings! Just really squashed with high output pups like actives.

      Delete
  47. Unknown29 October 2018 at 11:44

    Just built one of these. Following the schematic exactly, the feedback loop would get "stuck" and squeal until I turned my guitar volume down. Added a 680r resistor in between d3 and d1 and its fine now.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Unknown21 December 2019 at 19:14

    I have made lots of these - and they are super circuits. Recently I made one and the blue LED stopped flashing as I played. Seems to work again briefly if I let it rest for an hour or so. Any ideas here? The sound seems unaffected. Is a bad LED even a possibility here?

    ReplyDelete
  49. mike_p9 February 2021 at 20:00

    I'm having trouble with this build. I'm getting signal through to the output, but it's not distorted - the gain is a little less than what I'm giving to it on the input. I've got a probe on my breakout box and have checked all the pins on the LM386 - pin 1 is getting the audio from pin 8 through the 100uf cap. I've got audio on the - side of D2/D3 and on both sides of D1, that appears to be making it back to pin 2 on the LM386.

    The audio I get from the probe on pin 5 of the LM386 is essentially the same that's getting to the output.

    Voltage into the pedal seems to be good, I'm feeding it with a battery, 9.4v on the out of that, stays consistent through D4 and the 100n/100u cap array to ground. Shows up as about 9.2v on pin 6.

    I used a 5mm red led, it doesn't light. It did flicker when I was testing voltages on the IC and bridged pin 5/6 for a second.

    Note on the vero cuts: I made an extra cut to the right of pin 5 on the LM386 that wasn't supposed to be there - I just jumpered on the other side to farther down that row. I've got continuity on both sides of the jumper.

    Back photo:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/pav3sgd6k4cvv4u/2021-02-09%2013.38.55.jpg?dl=0
    Front Photo:
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/qdvbkogelcth4b2/2021-02-09%2013.48.50.jpg?dl=0

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/669xcgzaut2yvwm/2021-02-09%2013.56.48-1.jpg?dl=0

    I've swapped LM386's, they were all from the same batch that I got from Tayda though.

    I've reflowed and doublechecked everything and can't figure it out - it's such a simple circuit and I'm stumped.

    ReplyDelete

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