The Bumble Buzz Pedal, HAND MADE by Chris Young of Union Tube & Transistor (who built the pedal used for Jack White's guitar sounds on "Sixteen Saltines" and the vocals on "I'm Shakin'" off of 2012's Blunderbuss), is ready for buzzing around and stinging sounds. Designed by Third Man Creative Hive.
Input impedance: Zin @ 1KHz 30K / Output impedance: Zout @ 1KHz: 33K.
Essentially it's just a modified Kay F1 Fuzztone, which itself was just a simplified Univox Super Fuzz.
Nice one ! It was on my to-build list for a while now. I guess I have no reason not to try it now !! Thanks !
ReplyDeleteI made one a while back using the layout link below. It’s a one trick pony, but It’s damn fine at that. https://vero-p2p.blogspot.com/2020/07/union-valve-transistor-bumble-buzz.html?m=1
ReplyDeleteAre you sure about the 330K on the Output. It looks that it has to go to ground.
ReplyDeletegood catch. i forgot to resave the layout after moving stuff around. should be correct one now.
DeleteNow the Output is on the wrong side of the 1nf Cap?!
Delete...and the 330k is on the wrong side too.
Deletecheck it again. it shows up right for me
DeleteLooks good to me. Thx Zach.
DeleteShouldn't the negative end of the 10u input cap go toward the Base of Q1 rather than the 22k resistor? Or is it just acting as a regular cap and the polarity doesn't matter?
DeleteI build it like this and it works.
DeleteHey, Zach. Doesnt this have any knobs at all? Like the EQD Tentacle?
ReplyDeleteno knobs, just a on-off octave fuzz
DeleteIt might be cool to combine them into a pedal with two footswitches and no knobs haha. I would do it but I've already built myself a Tentacle clone
ReplyDeletesorry I meant to reply to Edweirdo's comment oops
DeleteI built a version of this a few months ago. It works so well as an on/off octave fuzz that I pulled the tentacle from my Hoof Reaper and replaced it with this.
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ReplyDeleteWhat common diodes could be substituted on this? I dont seem to have 4007s.
ReplyDeleteI have most of the usuals.
any 1n400x will do.
Deletethey only differ in peak inverse voltage. when it comes to clipping they should sound identical
Awesome. Thanks
DeleteYou can call this one verified! Sound great with PN2222s. I may add a volume pot but its n absolute fuzz monster.
ReplyDeleteI build it today. What kind of Pickups do you you use? I use 8k to 16k Humbuckers straight in the pedals and get fuzzy sounds only when playing chords - singlenote lines came out almost clean. The octave is there but not heavy(like on a superfuzz). I checked my build multiple times but the gain is to low for some reason( i use metalcan 2n2222as).
DeleteI build it too, no fuzz at all. Checked it a million times, all parts are there, all soldering is o.k. Do I need a groundwire from my jack in/output to row N ? What other problems can I look at? I use 2n2222a . Tried both metalcan/pnp. Nothing happens.
DeleteI play a J Mascis Squire Jazzmaster. I believe the pick ups are a p90 variant. Jacks and foot switch should both have ground connections. What I ended up with sounded exactly like the demos.
DeleteOne step further, now I only hear motorboating. I think I will change all the capacitors. perhaps that might help?
DeleteMine works now. I had a connection between two rows which doesnt belong there.
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DeleteIf I end up with a faulty build (on a verified layout) I will usually try to trouble shoot a bit. I will proof read the cuts, links, component placement and look for solder bridges. I may try measuring values of what is on the board but I have to start swapping components without knowing they are the culprit, I generally start over. I figure if the mistake is that hard to find Chances of replicating it are slim. I also stock my parts well beyond my immediate needs so it’s no trouble to toss a failed build in the can. I usually end up good after that, especially because I’m slowing down and being much more meticulous. This logic isn’t always sound. I recently built a Sweet Honey for a friend and volume didn’t work. Tried a new pot, didn’t work stared at it, measured both non working pots and everything looked great. It just didn’t affect the sound. I rebuilt the entire thing and had the same issue. Turns out I forgot to attach the ground to one of the lugs. Similar situation with a Megalith for the same friend. Bad boost pot. Just wasn’t acting right and I’ve built a few of these. Everything seemed fine but as I got ready to rebuild I finally realized the value of the pot was 5times what it should have been. I am prone to doing dumb stuff.
DeleteAlso, I used 1N4001s in place of the the 1N4007s. It does sound exactly like the demo. Another plus is that when not playing it is dead quiet.
ReplyDeletewhat is the use of the cut under the 100k resistor next to D2 (right) ?
ReplyDeletenothing it's left over from moving parts around
DeleteBuild this one and it fired right up with no issues. I used pn2222’s, and on my transistors the pinout was opposite of the layout, So be sure to double check the pin out if you’re having issues and everything else seems okay.
ReplyDeleteBuilt this and compared it to my housemates real one that arrived yesterday, sounds pretty much identical. I added a 250k Vol knob at the output because it's pretty unusable without it. Used 2n2222, 1N4002 diodes and put a switch to add a 2.2n in parallel with the other 2.2n to double the LPF cap to 4.4n as it is severely shrill. Definitely more of a play with the band than a play by yourself pedal. Much more versatile now. I had been toying with buying one until I saw the price $325-660 used. Excellent timing for the post.
ReplyDeleteFinished building this today (kinda). First I tried to solder one together last night (and it didn't work), so I put it together on two small breadboards. It took a bit of troubleshooting, but I finally got it to work today. ---Question: Is it supposed to have both the LOWER and the UPPER octaves as well as the guitar? (I only hear the upper octave and the guitar) Perhaps I wired one of the electrolytic caps wrong (polarity) - I only have electrolytic caps for the "uF" caps. FYI: Transistors I used are 2n2222 NPN
ReplyDeleteInteresting - definitely no sub octave on the one I built.
Deletehttps://vero-p2p.blogspot.com
Oops - wrong link. https://vero-p2p.blogspot.com/2020/07/union-valve-transistor-bumble-buzz.html?m=1
DeleteI was about to build that one next to see if it had the lower sub octave. So.... it doesn't? How can we add that? (I'm a n00b) - BTW, I appreciate all of these vero builds! (Andy & Zack, and anyone else who posts these builds)
DeleteI'd love to know how to add a sub octave to this AC - that would be a monster fuzz - what did you do??? I can't hear any sub-octave or see it on the scope. Maybe the prominence of the octave up made it sound like there's a sub octave???? This is my build on the scope - no visible sub-octave. Very prominent octave up. https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oQq6LxO5H6o/XxI2m_hkFVI/AAAAAAAAFfY/Y-KdN8UzvBsMwX-E3EPdn5RsEVLA8mP2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1413/Bumblee%2Bbuzz.png
Deleteoh and i should have mentioned that the source signal is 440hz. The octave is so prominent my scope listed the second harmonic as the fundamental.
Deletehttps://www.instagram.com/p/CEKrFIVhmFn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
ReplyDeleteThank you. I've been saving this for a low/zero pot build.
Is there a reason why I wouldnt be getting the octave up? I’ve triple checked all cuts and tracks. It’s sounds good but no octave just fuzz. I’m using 2n2222. Two metal two plastic. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDid you doublecheck your transistor pinouts? My plastic ATP2222A's that I got from small bear were reverse of what's shown on the layout.
Deletesounds awesome! I removed the 330k resistor and did a volume pot (tried a500k and a250k and both seemed the same) because this thing is REALLY loud.
ReplyDeleteAdding volume as well as sag to mine because I can't stand pedals with no knobs.
ReplyDeleteWhen adding a volume pot, are you removing the 330k Resistor on column 15 and putting lugs 1 and 3 on C19 and F19, with Lug 2 going to output?
DeleteI built this one and its passing signal but only if I boost it prior to hitting the input. It's almost like the gating effect it produces has the threshold set too high. I tried putting a FET boost in front of it, and it helps some, but the effect still isn't quite the same as the demo video.
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions to check or change something? Would this be a biasing issue on the transistors? I tried it with PN2222A's and 2N2222's.
I don't know enough about electronics to be able to substitute one piece for another - The 42K resistor is NOT common and not in any of the multipacks on Ebay or Amazon and I don't have one. I have tons of 39K and 47K. When I searched EBay and Amazon - there are VERY few options for 42K resistors so I had to order 200 just to get 1 - was there another option?
ReplyDeleteHere’s a link to using resistors in series:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.khanacademy.org/science/electrical-engineering/ee-circuit-analysis-topic
Also look up resistors in parallel. Using one of those 2 methods will allow you to get to non-standard resistance values.
You could also use sockets so you could try your closest resistance values.
OK - I was confused by a couple of things in the layout - the CUT at J-16 does NOTHING and the graphics for the transistors are actually upside down so I almost put the collectors to the bottom rather than the top - GOOD thing I actually looked and the C-B-E labels AND googled the pinouts just to make sure
ReplyDeleteThe cut at J-16 is left over from moving things around, it happens. As for the image of the transistors, you should always check the pinout and not go by the image. This isn’t paint by numbers, and the same number transistors come in varying packages. For instance, this uses 2N2222A which also come in a metal can package which I would be using.
DeleteWhen adding a volume pot, can you remove the 330k Resistor on column 15 and putting lugs 1 and 3 on C19 and F19, with Lug 2 going to output?
ReplyDeleteThat’s how I did it and it worked. I used a 500k A. I also added an input cap switch, the stock 10u input cap was too much low end for me. It doesn’t really change the amount of fuzz, I still get a great neck pickup/12th fret octave effect.
DeleteThis pedal didn’t like my lower output guitars, it was really gated and just wasn’t good so I added a voltage sag to the whole circuit. 5kB was too much, it was only usable over 25% of the throw of the pot. I put a 15k resistor across lugs 1 & 3 to get it around 3k or so from minimum to max. It behaves great with humbuckers and single coils now.
Also - I tried this without the 1N4007’s, I had 4001 & 4005’s. It worked but the fuzz effect was weak. More like an overdrive. I put in the 4007’s and it came to life. I know it shouldn’t effect it - I think their forward voltages are the same - but that was my experience.
It’s a great pedal, but it’s nice to have a little flexibility, so I’ve got a mod for a tone pot I’m going to try, but it might get it too far away from what it’s supposed to do.
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DeleteSorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm planning on building this and want to include the volume and sag mods you've mentioned. Where does the sag pot get wired to? I'm assuming lug 2 goes somewhere, but am unsure where.
DeleteHi all,
ReplyDeletewhat resistor could I use instead of the 42k one? I can't find it anywhere, really. I found 43k and 40.2k. I'm new to pedal building from scratch, so I just ask now before I mess up the whole thing. Thanks all!
A 43K is within 2%(ish) of 42K so that is close enough that you would never need to worry about it. When you bear in mind that some metal film and pretty much all carbon film and carbon comp resistors have at least a 10% tolerance of values, then 43K would be close enough to be sold as a 42k.
DeleteI've used 39k on a couple of them. I think it's just shifting the low pass filter from 1.7k to 1.8k.
DeleteIs there a important difference between a 50V and a 100V capacitor? Is there something to look out for?
ReplyDeleteIs there a difference between a 50V and a 100V capacitor? Is there something to look out for?
ReplyDelete