@@TheCleaner6969you can see the URL for the calculator in the video! You're using the diystompboxes calculator. Personally I like the FF calculator on Jack Orman's site as it calculates all the b,c,e currents and voltages which is helpful if you are using Gus or Mac's method for biasing silicon FFs
One of the many problems with the fuzz face is it's incorrectly biased in the first place and it's by design. Because it does not have a proper voltage divider network, it needs the missing D.C. bias from the half cycle if the input A.C. source. It consumes some of that voltage, turns on and is constantly switching on and off with each cycle of the input signal Q1 sees. If you look at a sinewave and the 360 degrees of signal voltage swing, a portion of the wave is consumed to correct the bias needs, the circuit switches on, and you have effectively sacrificed part of your input signal. It's a very non-linear circuit. This is that crumbly sound you hear as notes are towards the end of their decay, and you are hearing that loss as well as the circuit switching on and off. This is coupled with the distortion we actually do desire that is generated from operating the transistors at the top of their specs, and causing the signal to compress and clip naturally. It operates in less than 360 degrees of conductivity, so it's in a sort of crude "Class-A/B" way it operates. This makes it very non-linear. It has some usefulness with the right genres of music, but by also being a very low input impedance, they're prone to having problems when chaining them together with other pedals. *It's such an easy circuit to build, but one of the worst to try to learn some of the authentic science and math off of.* Unfortunately, the DIY community is dominated by people who sound like they know what they are talking about and can showcase some math skills, but ultimately, you're getting pseudoscience and mysticism. *This is one of the reasons I abandon the DIY community permanently and enrolled in college 13 years ago.* There's no shortage of success stories running boutique pedal companies that are frequently contributing in them, but they genuinely know very little correctly about what they're doing. *A much better entry level circuit is the Big Muff Pi that properly biases the transistors into their quiescent state and operates with linearity.* You're also more likely to find at least reasonably accurate information when trying to understand the quantum mechanics of how the materials work, and what the electrical signals themselves are actually doing, but even that's a crap shoot lol. *Learning about using a proper voltage divider to bias the BJT correctly will also help you understand HFE, and other factors.* HFE regards forward current gain, not A.C. Until you couple the signal to a different device using a capacitor, the forward current becomes pulsating D.C. meaning, it's fundamentally moving in 1 direction while rising and falling within it's peak D.C. voltage gain. This is to say if the D.C. output is 10 vdc, the A.C. component will see the 10 volts like it's 0 in respect to how you see it on a scope, and then you will see it rise and fall in frequency from the 10 vdc line on a graph. It's said that the A.C. rides the D.C. in an amplifier circuit. The coupling capacitor blocks the D.C., so by this providing a path of least resistance, the majority power gain of the signal leaves the circuit as A.C.
I know what you are saying & I don't quite understand it myself. What I do understand circuits were changed in many FF & other things like the Big Muff due the fact they changed a component in the circuit. So they would change resistors ect. or you can add a trim pot to get the correct bias. There are tolerances on electrical components so some will measure higher & lower. With that said you would have to go through a bunch of transistors to match them. This isn't something that they did back in the day & artist would cherry pick the best ones & it's why you hear that this fuzz face sounded better. I like to go by ear & not get hung up on the number side. If it sounds good to you that's all that matters. Here's a video I did showing a germanium transistor that is rated 90 hfe but measures 140. ruclips.net/video/V-yELgJL0Ys/видео.html Don't let these guys get in your head. Build it & if you don't like it adjust the bias & try different transistors. Too many gear snobs out there.
@@TheCleaner6969 thanks well i have a bag of these transistors. Supposedly the goal is Q1 to be lower hFe than Q2 so not sure what is considered matched. they say Q1 should be 90 and Q2 110. I dont know where these numbers come from i have all kinds of transistors and they all measure much much higher using a multimeter, both PNP and NPN
@@geezberry8889 I have no idea where they come up with those numbers but out of a hundred or so that I tested all fell in the 5 or 10% tolerance range. I matched mine as close together as I could & I set my bias at 1/2 or 1 volt lower then recommended @ Q1 & Q2 as I like mine fuzz on the nastier side.
![We Build A Fuzz Face With Markus Reeves [Germanium & Silicon]](/img/1.gif)
What is the website you are using to calculate the bias resistors?
After I had to go to Windows 10 I lost the site I was using.
@@TheCleaner6969 I found it. Thanks!
@@joelvanginkel You're welcome. That's great! Can you give me it?
@@TheCleaner6969you can see the URL for the calculator in the video! You're using the diystompboxes calculator. Personally I like the FF calculator on Jack Orman's site as it calculates all the b,c,e currents and voltages which is helpful if you are using Gus or Mac's method for biasing silicon FFs
@@Taipan66 Thanks I didn't notice that.
One of the many problems with the fuzz face is it's incorrectly biased in the first place and it's by design. Because it does not have a proper voltage divider network, it needs the missing D.C. bias from the half cycle if the input A.C. source. It consumes some of that voltage, turns on and is constantly switching on and off with each cycle of the input signal Q1 sees. If you look at a sinewave and the 360 degrees of signal voltage swing, a portion of the wave is consumed to correct the bias needs, the circuit switches on, and you have effectively sacrificed part of your input signal. It's a very non-linear circuit.
This is that crumbly sound you hear as notes are towards the end of their decay, and you are hearing that loss as well as the circuit switching on and off. This is coupled with the distortion we actually do desire that is generated from operating the transistors at the top of their specs, and causing the signal to compress and clip naturally. It operates in less than 360 degrees of conductivity, so it's in a sort of crude "Class-A/B" way it operates. This makes it very non-linear.
It has some usefulness with the right genres of music, but by also being a very low input impedance, they're prone to having problems when chaining them together with other pedals.
*It's such an easy circuit to build, but one of the worst to try to learn some of the authentic science and math off of.* Unfortunately, the DIY community is dominated by people who sound like they know what they are talking about and can showcase some math skills, but ultimately, you're getting pseudoscience and mysticism. *This is one of the reasons I abandon the DIY community permanently and enrolled in college 13 years ago.* There's no shortage of success stories running boutique pedal companies that are frequently contributing in them, but they genuinely know very little correctly about what they're doing.
*A much better entry level circuit is the Big Muff Pi that properly biases the transistors into their quiescent state and operates with linearity.* You're also more likely to find at least reasonably accurate information when trying to understand the quantum mechanics of how the materials work, and what the electrical signals themselves are actually doing, but even that's a crap shoot lol.
*Learning about using a proper voltage divider to bias the BJT correctly will also help you understand HFE, and other factors.* HFE regards forward current gain, not A.C. Until you couple the signal to a different device using a capacitor, the forward current becomes pulsating D.C. meaning, it's fundamentally moving in 1 direction while rising and falling within it's peak D.C. voltage gain.
This is to say if the D.C. output is 10 vdc, the A.C. component will see the 10 volts like it's 0 in respect to how you see it on a scope, and then you will see it rise and fall in frequency from the 10 vdc line on a graph. It's said that the A.C. rides the D.C. in an amplifier circuit. The coupling capacitor blocks the D.C., so by this providing a path of least resistance, the majority power gain of the signal leaves the circuit as A.C.
my multimeter is measuring 375 hFe on my BC183's. People are saying the hFe should be under 100 for a proper fuzzface. How's that possible?
I know what you are saying & I don't quite understand it myself. What I do understand circuits were changed in many FF & other things like the Big Muff due the fact they changed a component in the circuit. So they would change resistors ect. or you can add a trim pot to get the correct bias. There are tolerances on electrical components so some will measure higher & lower. With that said you would have to go through a bunch of transistors to match them. This isn't something that they did back in the day & artist would cherry pick the best ones & it's why you hear that this fuzz face sounded better. I like to go by ear & not get hung up on the number side. If it sounds good to you that's all that matters. Here's a video I did showing a germanium transistor that is rated 90 hfe but measures 140. ruclips.net/video/V-yELgJL0Ys/видео.html Don't let these guys get in your head. Build it & if you don't like it adjust the bias & try different transistors. Too many gear snobs out there.
@@TheCleaner6969 thanks well i have a bag of these transistors. Supposedly the goal is Q1 to be lower hFe than Q2 so not sure what is considered matched. they say Q1 should be 90 and Q2 110. I dont know where these numbers come from i have all kinds of transistors and they all measure much much higher using a multimeter, both PNP and NPN
@@geezberry8889 I have no idea where they come up with those numbers but out of a hundred or so that I tested all fell in the 5 or 10% tolerance range. I matched mine as close together as I could & I set my bias at 1/2 or 1 volt lower then recommended @ Q1 & Q2 as I like mine fuzz on the nastier side.