You guys have breathed new life into my musical world. I’ve since joined a band, built a couple of boards, and have even made a couple of pedals I’m very proud of. I know others have benefited at least as much as I have. Cheers boys!
Jeorge Tripps has been sooooo kind with you guys !!!! I really like the way he improved the fuzz faces at dunlop. Peace and Love to You !!!! (and thanks Jeorge & Markus !)
We’ll do more during the year Chris. Can’t do it every week of course, and the hard bit is finding gems like Markus and Jonny who can spare the time…. Instead of sending the marketing team who just want to sing from the company hymn sheet. We’ll do our best!
Just lost an hour playing with my £20 "Fuzz Face" pedal that a built last year, I hadn't realised how much I could control the Fuzz with Volume and Tone controls on my guitar, a true revelation! Great Vid, thanks guys!
When soldering heat sensitive components, it's best not to solder every lead in order.. solder 1 lead, go to another component to solder, come back to the second lead, etc. I learned that from a technician who was trained in soldering from a NASA solder training class..
@@reeveselectro you obviously have done this for a long time and know what you're doing; just sharing because it does help to be less stressed when dealing with heat sensitive components. We used to have to do this when components lifted during wave soldering, and 80% of the time we were able to save the component.
All valid points, sorry if my reply seemed sarcastic it wasn't meant that way ... I was thinking more about Jimi 'to your right you will see Mars' .... anyway, the heat thing: having the luxury of room in the enclosure let me leave an inch or so of component lead, so the heat thing wasn't a concern. It was mentioned more as advise that commentary. Now if it was a rack module board with tight clearance and the transistors had to be upright and down to the board it would be a different issue. Leaving the legs long on the reverse side and clipping alligator clips as heat sinks, being slower would be the order of the day. 👍👍
I actually learned this lesson the hard way with 3PDT switches. On my first ever kit build, I soldered all 9 terminals in short sequence. The material that keeps the terminals in places actually melted a bit, then hardened again. I didn't think much of it until the switch failed about 6 months later. Lesson learned!!
I'm so happy to see Marcus on the show. Between the acid etched enclosures and the point to point wiring, his pedals are somewhere between fine art and dark magic.
Always a delight to see an expert in their field, to listen to what they have to say - even the bits said in passing are really good to hear. And to see how they avoid and (with respect) correct errors.
TPS is knocking it out of the park at the minute. The build of Dan's guitar was the most sublime documentary and this episode was fabulous too (but has left me infuriated that my kit Fuzz Face - with very similar components - sounds way inferior!). Thanks both and all the best for 2022!
Pure serendipitous coincidence, I put on my Reeves Electro t-shirt when I got up this morning. I just have to say I absolutely love my Black Hat Sound #57 and it's a joy to see you three together for a couple episodes!
Hey guys. I have watched for years (since the beginning), but never commented. So, you can see how this has been very impactful. I have played for decades, and have many amps including several Marshalls, black face Fender, and others. I have never had a fuzz, because I didn't like the sound, but recently after seeing several posts (mainly by you guys), bought a germanium fuzz face. I own dozens of pedals (mostly OD and distortions), seeking the holy grail of the perfect distortion, but never found the perfect combination of amp, tubes, speakers, pedals and guitar for what I was looking for- the perfect tone! After including the fuzz face now, I am a believer! Using the volume, I can have any level of, not just distortion but tone I am looking for, and used with other pedals, I can vary so many... levels of guitar I have never had before. Thank you so much for what you do and what you obviously love through your videos. Keep up the fight. There are so many more viewers who are out there, but never comment who are supporters of the show. Thank you and keep it up.
This pedal has ‘mojo’ and mythology right off the bat. The mystery bag from George Tripps, the fabled transistors that Analogman ran out of and the ‘assembled by Markus Reeves’ cred. You’ve done it again boys!
Markus Reeves seems like the nicest, most discerning bloke, and I'd love to see him just show up every so often and comment on whatever you guys are doing. Fascinating about the upper range of the silicon transistor - when I ordered a Sun Face with the BC 183, the first thing Mike Piera told me was that "most people like these with the fuzz a little below maximum. You'll see why."
HEAR YE, HEAR YE! I do be declaring (with no authority whatsoever) the first week of January as *“TPS Masters’ week”* during which master craftsmen at the absolute pinnacle of their art will share their wisdom and experience with us lowly mortals. A sacred tradition to be continued throughout the ages (or at least hopefully as long as D&M want to do it). This week has been absolutely fabulous, we witnessed true greatness every day! Thanks to Jonny and Markus for being so generous with their knowledge, to Jeorge for providing the impetus for this episode so long ago, and to Dan and Mick for keeping raising the bar on what TPS can become. Here’s to many more outstanding Januaries of excellence!
What a blast. Obviously I don’t know any of you personally, but the energy that manages to seep through RUclips makes me smile. You just seem like generally good people who enjoy being with each other and enjoy guitars. Thanks.
Thanks gents and Marcus!!! Been waiting for this episode since you got the kit...brilliant! And man, you guys have two new spectacular sounding fuzz pedals. Looking forward to your visit to Reeves Electro!! Happy new year and thanks for all you do to inspire!
Watching this makes a perfect Sunday morning laying by the beach in the shade on the Seychelles to overcome guitar withdrawal. Cheers guys, off to a great new year!
Brilliant episode. All the production nuances (fading in and out, warm lighting, clear angles) are tip top. Markus. What a great guy. So knowledgeable and yet subtle and gracious. Makes me want to pull out my various fuzzes and attempt again. I've been at the other end of the spectrum lately. Well done, guys. -G
One of the things that I would recommend pointing out is component selection. Those nkt275’s were most definitely binned for being within a specific range of gain, and the other components were also probably selected based on their quality and tolerance standards. I’ve been doing some DIY pedal work and circuit design for the last few years, and have found that finding quality components is not always as simple as going on digitech and finding the first option that comes up for the spec you’re looking for. Just something to think about, loved the video guys!!
That's what I found too. I bought a number of "vintage" transistors a while back, including "sought after" Mullards OC44s etc. I measured the hfe and how leaky they were. I found that only 1 or 2 in every 10 had the correct gain and were not too leaky. Disappointing (and costly) experience!
This was a brilliant watch. I got into pedal building via kits over the last year or so. Done five so far, the latest being a Univibe clone. Lots of fun putting them together and painting the case.
I smiled when Dan talked about the mid range in the BC108. I was trying to pinpoint why I liked that over the NKT275 and as soon as he said that it made sense. I've always liked a more mid focused guitar sound. That being said they both sound brilliant.
Fantastic Episode. I fully expected this to be similar to the Rift Amps episode where Dan proficiently builds a working Fuzz Face, Mick burns himself while piecing together a functioning yet terrible looking Fuzz Face and Markus, in the same time frame, teaches and explains the process while soldering up one of his pedal works of art! Cheers guys and happy new year.
@@ThatPedalShow HAHAHA, that's pretty funny. My apologies for singling you out Mick. I always wondered why we never saw a follow up show with those amps.
I created my first pedal last year, a treble booster pedal. It’s now on my board and sounds fantastic. It was a great learning project as well. I plan to make more in the future.
Great episode! The first pedal I built was an 808 tube screamer. It was great fun, and I have found that I am much more willing to mod things I’ve built than pedals I’ve bought. Several years after that, I built and modified a tweed Deluxe, and this year I’ll be trying my hand at Les Paul Jr Double Cut. Start small, and you could be building yourself some amazing gear! Love the show! Cheers!
juicy one, never expected silicon transistor can do better than germanium for the classic fuzz tone, now I'm think about to build a silicon sun face for myself, thanks for the great job as always, really enjoy it.
Loved this episode guys. Thanks, as ever, for all your hard work. Btw, just been through the podcast back catalogue. Downloaded a bunch to listen to whilst doing housework. The first ever live VCQ is just over an hour long 😂 What was last week 2h45min! Leg ends indeed 🙂🙏
remarkable timing, gentlemen. I have just received a BYOC Silicon FF clone in the mail, which I plan to undertake this weekend. First time! If I electrocute or solder myself, know I went down with a heart full of pride.
Now you’re spoiling us! My first effects unit was a home made fuzz unit made from a circuit in a book as a teenager in the late 70s / early 80s followed by a treble booster and tremolo which I built into a single enclosure. The fuzz if hit hard cut out then came back in fizzing like a can of bees, the treble booster was piercing through my dad’s stereo which I played my home made guitar electric through (well duh) and the tremolo sounded like the helicopters in Apocalypse Now. I learnt a lot! Everyone should build something sometime. If only to appreciate the stuff available now.
Very interesting. My takeaway: silicon and germanium fuzz faces (even with mythical NKT transistors) can be set to sound so similar one wonders what this craze about germanium fuzzes is about. Yes, the germanium cleans up a bit better and retains more bottom end. However the silicon has more fidelity in the top end and on max guitar volume sounds a bit better, if anything. Considering the mega difference in price, a good silicon ff seems a no brainer to me.
I kinda concur. Mick here…. But it’s a little bit more complex than that once you start messing about with biasing and all that. There are some sounds that //only// a nicely tweaked Ge will do; conversely that nicely tweaked Ge will never do what an aggressive silicon one will do. As always…. Just entirely down to personal preference. I’ve always preferred the silicon ones for what it’s worth. Cheers!
@@ThatPedalShow I hear you Mick. And since you are mainly a strat player, I can see now why you lean towards SI fuzzes. This is why TPS is such a great show: it helps modest amateur players like myself to put things in context (and avoid dealing in absolutes).
That adesive tape is what I needed in the last three years! Thank you, Markus, for giving us this tip, I was organizing a board an hour ago and very angry with the resistor's legs. I was expecting Marks to build one of his dead bug circuits.
I use perf board . Used it for 50 odd years for prototyping and finished product and what is now called the dead bug method of direct connection of components . As a kid I used copper pins on wood and use the system of 'bus bar' connection like this chap . Used to make Face Faces using old Ford hub caps in the day when wheels had metal hubcaps . I doubt if any of these survive . After collecting and breaking parts for 50 odd years I have all the rare Mullards etc that are supposed to make a difference . Old NARCO LOC LOR or radios would yield lots of parts and here in the UK were useless when past airworthiness . You could get lots of them from old aircraft instrument's, Hammond solid state organs that were given away to get rid of them etc . come complete with Acctronics tank and real Leslie sound . For 4558 etc., old milspec stuff would yield gold and sliver topped TI etc., quality that most people don't know exist . I had so many gold top 4558s I sold a tube on e Bay a few years ago and still have tubes of them and being milspec are all identical . The JRC doesn't come close . I like the RAY VIN 4558 too . Russian flying saucer Germaniums v Western Germaniums who will win ? Sadly not tested . You can piggyback cheap Russian germanium on new silicon transistors , but that is something for another show . Hfe means 'Hybrid parametric forward current gain , current emitter' for the answer no one gave . Its measurable on good multimeter's and useful to see if your transistor is close to spec ( UK Trivial Pursuit Champion 1987) . Think of the MM as a tube tester that says bad OK good and gives the figures you need for matching . Test a couple of BC108s , 212s , 549s whatever etc and they can be hugely different. If you go through your book of low power transistors ( LP types are the common type in pedals) it will have HFE in a column of ranges usually from say 50 to 500 and you have NPN and PNP complementary types whether made of silicon , Germanium , Gallium Arsenide or Chinesium . If you pick one that has similar frequencies , useable voltage , hFe etc., from any of the materials then your ear will confuse you a second after switching over . As its in the ear and brain , its up to you . The purpose is to select what you're voltage is most are over 9 volt so no problem , their gain etc and the hFe for matching ,as 2 same type unmatched will give an almost imperceptible difference in a circuit like this which you might think is down to material rather than how one transistor is driving the other . When you shove your transistor legs into a good tester 2 of the same type may read say 125 the other 175 . You have the same range in Germanium . The main difference (which is obvious in a glass Germanium diode) is a tiny internal connection . A transistor has just and extra leg in the mix . You can use these old germanium things as diodes for clipping circuits , just connect 2 legs , but I like the pink LEDs ! On something difficult like an ECU that controls gear shifting or fuel and ignition control which has a zillion components IGBTs etc., a PCB design is a must . Also make sure you don't feed in too much solder as a build up on the other side makes it a nightmare to remove if the component is duff or in the wrong place . Clean the flux off afterwards using IPA ( not India Pale Ale - drink that ! ) or other PCB cleaner as flux corrodes very quickly , especially in an atmosphere where beer , sweat and other bodily fluids end up on or close to your pedal board. Buy good wire strippers . The red Chinese ones are OK for teaching children. As the guy said its what you like personally that counts and if you like it , you will play better and your audience will like it .
Well 2022 is off to a flying start, 5 episode's with Johnny Kinkade and then Marcus Reeves, 300, 000 subscribers 👍👍 whatever next. Marcus and Johnny are very much alike, calm, understated and absolute perfectionists, bravo gets
Great video....Dan briefly mentioned using a trimpot in place of the 8k2 resistor to bias Q2. IMHO, the point was somewhat understated. A bias trimpot is essential to dialing in the best sound of the fuzz face. Standard advice is to set the voltage on the collector of Q2 to 4.5VDC. However, adjusting the bias by ear is a completely valid way to tune the circuit. The FF has a sweet spot where the volume knob clean up and the full on fuzz sounds can be dialed in to their optimal setting by using a 10k or 20k trimpot. This also gives the user the option to dial in more "gated", "velcro" or "crushed note" settings......or whatever trendy word you want to use...
FYI, do note that this schematic was derived from the Tonebender 1.5 version. Some of the Germanium transistor FF used a 47K in both the feedback and in place of the 33K resistor. The willy nilly use of parts was one of the things that meant you had a good, bad or great FF. The Tonebender of course had a 5uF cap instead of the 2.2uF. The Q1 is biased pretty much at cutoff and it is what really creates the Fuzz sound. The Fuzz Face is really simple but the big problem is getting correctly matched transistors. For my Glass Packs I use Q1 hfe =~ 80 and Q2 hfe =~120. Sometimes kits will have pots to bias these to the exact amount of gain and bias. Markus, I use dual glasses as well :) hfe is the current gain of a transistors. I use the NPN Mullard Germanium OC140/950. I do this so I can use standard 9V+ supplies as PNP like the NKT275 require a positive ground, negative 9V. So most current germanium PNP pedals either use battery only or a voltage inverter IC. NKT275 on eBay are matched sets between $35 - $199 and again who knows what you are getting. When I went down this rabbit hole after the Macari episode I probably bought 60 before I found enough to build a couple FF/Tonebender v1.5s. Funny fixing a Focal powered monitor for a friend today... and yes had to take pics to remember where the wires went :) Great show guys!
OC140 are superb. Sadly any available NKT275 on ebay have not been genuine for years. Also sadly the ones featured in this part kit are also not genuine. Newmarket never printed horizontally with NKT and the part number 275 on the same line.
Gentlemen, thanks very much for this episode, and the phenomenal series with Jonny Kinkaed. I would love to see some more on DIY effects, which is something I've got into during the last year or so. Having built several clones of expensive pedals, would like to hear you opinions on the ethics of copying circuits. Some builders have apparently sent Cease and Desist orders to DIYers, whereas Guillame Fairfield comments on DIY blogs with suggested modifications. Keep up the good work and Happy New Year!
Ethics and law are pretty distinct. If the design is covered by copyright, or you’re using a trademark, then that’s a matter for the law and anyone who wants to build a case. Ethics are a purely personal matter in every respect. Cheers!
Hey guys, been watching since the beginning and love you guys. For some reason this episode gave me an idea. Can you please do a video tour of your grounds there? It would be great to maybe see the outside of your building and other rooms you use for stuff. Just an idea.
Markus is such great builder. Been RUclips stalking his stuff for a while. I missed a couple of pre-order windows on his site, but I will get some of his stuff! Really looking forward to hearing his new Zo pedal?
Just want to say how glad I am to have stumbled on your channel. This has rapidly become my all time favorite channel, and I have learned so much form the both of you. Thank you for all of your great content! Do you have a patreon or some other way for me to support your show?
I've finally worked it out. I've been watching your videos for years and always thought Dan looked familiar. Finally I have figured out why! He looks like a miniature Brian Posehn!!!!
I’ve always thought Markus looked like Dan, funny to see them together in the same room!? (Great show, been waiting for this for ages! I built Dan’s fuzz project years ago in a guitar mag) Thanks, have a great weekend!
Regarding a price point with the NKTs, I recently bought a FF style pedal with them and the pedal itself cost 550 pounds compared to the 185 that his other, non NKTs cost. Don't know if that tells anything about the cost of the actual transistors, but it sure tells something. It was a one off special edition thing so that might have bumped up the price as well. And for anyone who is curious, the brand is Fuzz Phonics
As was mentioned in the video, I'd always thought of Fuzz Face type pedals as being for Fender style single coil guitars. The Gibsons sounded great here though as well! Obviously, you aren't going to get the same kind of clean up from humbuckers, but there were tones aplenty there to be had! Great job, fellas!
Man when they are both cranked they sound nearly identical, but when they are slightly back off on the fuzz that darkness of the BC108 sounds fantastic! For my moneys worth BC108 over an NKT275 overhyped transistor any day of the week!
Building pedals is really cool. I have already done several (kits), not all of them turned out equally well but I had a great time and you learn a lot.
Thanks for making videos that take my mind off the lunacy of the world. I always come away from these videos feeling positive and happy. It very welcome. It seems the only thing that isn’t lies is analog gear. Cheers fellas.
Ha! Something I’ve been saying more and more over the last year or so is ‘Analogue is human and digital is not’. Mick here. If I could offer you some advice, forgive me, just stop watching the news and delete your social media. It’s 98 per cent ideological bullshit. On every side. I’m trying to focus on actual humans and my life is getting better! Cheers, and of course thanks for watching!
@@ThatPedalShow Wise words Mick. One step ahead of you though. The only thing I keep around is RUclips. Been off everything else for years now. I’m on the cusp of gen x and the millennials so I was raised “free range” with out digital babysitters. The real struggle is keeping my teenage son away from it. Fortunately he plays the drums and likes reading about WW2 in actual books. Maybe he’ll for a Sabaton style band lol.
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You guys have breathed new life into my musical world. I’ve since joined a band, built a couple of boards, and have even made a couple of pedals I’m very proud of. I know others have benefited at least as much as I have. Cheers boys!
That’s wonderful to hear Ryan. Thank you for being here!
Proper!
First Johnny building a guitar, now Markus building a Fuzz - what a way to start the year.
Next comes the amp build?:)
@@smarkalet9078 did a video with Rift a while back
Dang, forgot it was Friday!!! These “hands on” episodes are f’in awesome!!!!!
Mick: "Joe Bonamasa gave me this"
Markus: "honk"
I loved that part 😄😄
Wonderful episode, gentlemen. It'd be great to see Markus build one of his point-to-point fuzzes!
We may do that on the next visit…. :0)
Jeorge Tripps has been sooooo kind with you guys !!!! I really like the way he improved the fuzz faces at dunlop. Peace and Love to You !!!! (and thanks Jeorge & Markus !)
Amen to that!
Please bring Markus back sometime. What a quality guest, and an incredibly fun show.
I’m loving this maker bent you guys are on. I really love to technical aspects of the instrument and effects. Would love to see more of it!
We’ll do more during the year Chris. Can’t do it every week of course, and the hard bit is finding gems like Markus and Jonny who can spare the time…. Instead of sending the marketing team who just want to sing from the company hymn sheet. We’ll do our best!
@@ThatPedalShow You always do! And we love you for it!!! 😃
I Used to gig with that awesome dude!
So happy to see Markus on one of my favourite RUclips channels 😁❤
His pedals are gorgeous too!
Just lost an hour playing with my £20 "Fuzz Face" pedal that a built last year, I hadn't realised how much I could control the Fuzz with Volume and Tone controls on my guitar, a true revelation! Great Vid, thanks guys!
When soldering heat sensitive components, it's best not to solder every lead in order.. solder 1 lead, go to another component to solder, come back to the second lead, etc. I learned that from a technician who was trained in soldering from a NASA solder training class..
from fuzz face to space race
Good point 👍 I'll not pilot mine for Jupiter then 🤩🤩
@@reeveselectro you obviously have done this for a long time and know what you're doing; just sharing because it does help to be less stressed when dealing with heat sensitive components. We used to have to do this when components lifted during wave soldering, and 80% of the time we were able to save the component.
All valid points, sorry if my reply seemed sarcastic it wasn't meant that way ... I was thinking more about Jimi 'to your right you will see Mars' .... anyway, the heat thing: having the luxury of room in the enclosure let me leave an inch or so of component lead, so the heat thing wasn't a concern. It was mentioned more as advise that commentary. Now if it was a rack module board with tight clearance and the transistors had to be upright and down to the board it would be a different issue. Leaving the legs long on the reverse side and clipping alligator clips as heat sinks, being slower would be the order of the day. 👍👍
I actually learned this lesson the hard way with 3PDT switches. On my first ever kit build, I soldered all 9 terminals in short sequence. The material that keeps the terminals in places actually melted a bit, then hardened again. I didn't think much of it until the switch failed about 6 months later. Lesson learned!!
Absolutely love it when Markus makes it on to TPS! This episode is pure gold!
Hi, I'm from Spain, and you don't know how much I needed this video, thank you very much. I've been so lost and didn't really know where to start.
I'm so happy to see Marcus on the show. Between the acid etched enclosures and the point to point wiring, his pedals are somewhere between fine art and dark magic.
Both episodes with Markus are great. Thanks for having him on. Btw, it appears TPS is now at 300K subscribers, or near enough. Congrats, D&M.
Always a delight to see an expert in their field, to listen to what they have to say - even the bits said in passing are really good to hear. And to see how they avoid and (with respect) correct errors.
TPS is knocking it out of the park at the minute. The build of Dan's guitar was the most sublime documentary and this episode was fabulous too (but has left me infuriated that my kit Fuzz Face - with very similar components - sounds way inferior!). Thanks both and all the best for 2022!
Pure serendipitous coincidence, I put on my Reeves Electro t-shirt when I got up this morning. I just have to say I absolutely love my Black Hat Sound #57 and it's a joy to see you three together for a couple episodes!
As an amateur diy pedal builder and a TPS aficionado, this video was a double whammy of fun and pleasure for me! Thanks guys!
One of the best episodes ever!! A huge delight to watch the whole process! Cheers, guys!!
Hey guys. I have watched for years (since the beginning), but never commented. So, you can see how this has been very impactful. I have played for decades, and have many amps including several Marshalls, black face Fender, and others. I have never had a fuzz, because I didn't like the sound, but recently after seeing several posts (mainly by you guys), bought a germanium fuzz face. I own dozens of pedals (mostly OD and distortions), seeking the holy grail of the perfect distortion, but never found the perfect combination of amp, tubes, speakers, pedals and guitar for what I was looking for- the perfect tone! After including the fuzz face now, I am a believer! Using the volume, I can have any level of, not just distortion but tone I am looking for, and used with other pedals, I can vary so many... levels of guitar I have never had before. Thank you so much for what you do and what you obviously love through your videos. Keep up the fight. There are so many more viewers who are out there, but never comment who are supporters of the show. Thank you and keep it up.
That’s awesome Dan, nice one! Thanks for being here.
This pedal has ‘mojo’ and mythology right off the bat. The mystery bag from George Tripps, the fabled transistors that Analogman ran out of and the ‘assembled by Markus Reeves’ cred. You’ve done it again boys!
It's nice to hear someone who knows what they are talking about. Love your work! Cheers from Stacks FX!
Watching "the master" building one of this, why shouldn't I!? Thanks for the inspiration of today!
Greetings from 🇧🇷
I love how all the music is from a few weeks ago. Good Stuff Gents!!!
Thanks Ian! Yeah, we now have our own incidental and background music. Ha!
Markus Reeves seems like the nicest, most discerning bloke, and I'd love to see him just show up every so often and comment on whatever you guys are doing. Fascinating about the upper range of the silicon transistor - when I ordered a Sun Face with the BC 183, the first thing Mike Piera told me was that "most people like these with the fuzz a little below maximum. You'll see why."
Thanks for your appearance bro.!cool
Fantastic play-throughs! The difference even between the two telecasters through them was amazing.
HEAR YE, HEAR YE!
I do be declaring (with no authority whatsoever) the first week of January as *“TPS Masters’ week”* during which master craftsmen at the absolute pinnacle of their art will share their wisdom and experience with us lowly mortals.
A sacred tradition to be continued throughout the ages (or at least hopefully as long as D&M want to do it).
This week has been absolutely fabulous, we witnessed true greatness every day!
Thanks to Jonny and Markus for being so generous with their knowledge, to Jeorge for providing the impetus for this episode so long ago, and to Dan and Mick for keeping raising the bar on what TPS can become.
Here’s to many more outstanding Januaries of excellence!
Ah, nice. We like it!
huge joy and inspiration to watch this episode.
Kudos to Markus !!
..and you guys !!
What a blast. Obviously I don’t know any of you personally, but the energy that manages to seep through RUclips makes me smile. You just seem like generally good people who enjoy being with each other and enjoy guitars. Thanks.
Thank you Seth!
Thanks gents and Marcus!!! Been waiting for this episode since you got the kit...brilliant! And man, you guys have two new spectacular sounding fuzz pedals. Looking forward to your visit to Reeves Electro!! Happy new year and thanks for all you do to inspire!
What a gracious and insightful guest this episode! 👏
Congratulations on 300k subscribers! I'm glad to be one of them.
Thank you kindly!
Great episode; thanks to Mr. Reeves and TPS.
Watching this makes a perfect Sunday morning laying by the beach in the shade on the Seychelles to overcome guitar withdrawal. Cheers guys, off to a great new year!
Oooof! Nice work!
Brilliant episode. All the production nuances (fading in and out, warm lighting, clear angles) are tip top. Markus. What a great guy. So knowledgeable and yet subtle and gracious. Makes me want to pull out my various fuzzes and attempt again. I've been at the other end of the spectrum lately. Well done, guys. -G
Thank you G! And for noticing the edit bits. :0)
@@ThatPedalShow And the music! I forgot to mention the soldering music! It was perfect!
One of the things that I would recommend pointing out is component selection. Those nkt275’s were most definitely binned for being within a specific range of gain, and the other components were also probably selected based on their quality and tolerance standards. I’ve been doing some DIY pedal work and circuit design for the last few years, and have found that finding quality components is not always as simple as going on digitech and finding the first option that comes up for the spec you’re looking for. Just something to think about, loved the video guys!!
They aren't vintage. They are the reproduction ones that Dunlop use.
That's what I found too. I bought a number of "vintage" transistors a while back, including "sought after" Mullards OC44s etc. I measured the hfe and how leaky they were. I found that only 1 or 2 in every 10 had the correct gain and were not too leaky. Disappointing (and costly) experience!
Thanks gentlemen. Messing around with pedal circuits is good fun. Breadboards are great for that.
This was a brilliant watch. I got into pedal building via kits over the last year or so. Done five so far, the latest being a Univibe clone. Lots of fun putting them together and painting the case.
The inside of that Reeves Electro pedal gave me the fuzz.
The soundtrack during the ready-made fuzz face is killer! That clarinet player is awesome!
Isn’t he/she/they!? Free Apple Loops.
I smiled when Dan talked about the mid range in the BC108. I was trying to pinpoint why I liked that over the NKT275 and as soon as he said that it made sense. I've always liked a more mid focused guitar sound. That being said they both sound brilliant.
Fantastic Episode. I fully expected this to be similar to the Rift Amps episode where Dan proficiently builds a working Fuzz Face, Mick burns himself while piecing together a functioning yet terrible looking Fuzz Face and Markus, in the same time frame, teaches and explains the process while soldering up one of his pedal works of art!
Cheers guys and happy new year.
Just for the record, neither of the Rift amps worked within two days. We were both awful! Hahahhaha
@@ThatPedalShow HAHAHA, that's pretty funny. My apologies for singling you out Mick. I always wondered why we never saw a follow up show with those amps.
Fascinating and instructive, as always !!
That sg junior with the BC108... phenomenal... Best sound in this show!
Blissful sounds to compliment my Saturday morning coffee. Informative, inspiring and intense :) Thanks chaps!
Love the selection of wall art noted at 19:00 in!
I created my first pedal last year, a treble booster pedal. It’s now on my board and sounds fantastic. It was a great learning project as well. I plan to make more in the future.
Warning. It will lead to building your own amp! :D
@@Les537 I’ll first try another pedal I guess 😃
Great episode! The first pedal I built was an 808 tube screamer. It was great fun, and I have found that I am much more willing to mod things I’ve built than pedals I’ve bought. Several years after that, I built and modified a tweed Deluxe, and this year I’ll be trying my hand at Les Paul Jr Double Cut. Start small, and you could be building yourself some amazing gear! Love the show! Cheers!
Nice!
05:30. I always put the in and out puts the wrong way round, because I'm left handed. 😁
juicy one, never expected silicon transistor can do better than germanium for the classic fuzz tone, now I'm think about to build a silicon sun face for myself, thanks for the great job as always, really enjoy it.
Loving the use of the band videos as soundtrack. They sound absolutely superb. Well done Mickalous.
Thanks Tony!
Loved this episode guys. Thanks, as ever, for all your hard work. Btw, just been through the podcast back catalogue. Downloaded a bunch to listen to whilst doing housework. The first ever live VCQ is just over an hour long 😂 What was last week 2h45min! Leg ends indeed 🙂🙏
What a great video. I wish I had something like this when I started getting into building amps n Pedals. Great stuff guys
remarkable timing, gentlemen. I have just received a BYOC Silicon FF clone in the mail, which I plan to undertake this weekend. First time! If I electrocute or solder myself, know I went down with a heart full of pride.
The vertical flush cut wire cutters that Markus was using at 18.20 are Knipex 7823125 Super snips if you want to buy them!
Nice, thank you!
Markus was great!
Now you’re spoiling us! My first effects unit was a home made fuzz unit made from a circuit in a book as a teenager in the late 70s / early 80s followed by a treble booster and tremolo which I built into a single enclosure. The fuzz if hit hard cut out then came back in fizzing like a can of bees, the treble booster was piercing through my dad’s stereo which I played my home made guitar electric through (well duh) and the tremolo sounded like the helicopters in Apocalypse Now. I learnt a lot!
Everyone should build something sometime. If only to appreciate the stuff available now.
Jonny! Hope you’re well sir. Happy new year to you!
@@ThatPedalShow Happy New Year Gentlemen. Loving the recent content. Here’s to good things ahead.
Instant TPS Classic episode. Gonna be one of those ones you watch again and again, this is a true Fuzz Face essential
Great fun! Markus seems like a cool dude. 👍
Man, this channel is simply awesome.
Thank you Eric!
Micks noodling really made those fuzz box's shine molto bene ☺
Thank you! I think.
🎸 This episode made me feel all fuzzy inside. Thanks guys! 🍒
Very interesting. My takeaway: silicon and germanium fuzz faces (even with mythical NKT transistors) can be set to sound so similar one wonders what this craze about germanium fuzzes is about. Yes, the germanium cleans up a bit better and retains more bottom end. However the silicon has more fidelity in the top end and on max guitar volume sounds a bit better, if anything. Considering the mega difference in price, a good silicon ff seems a no brainer to me.
I kinda concur. Mick here…. But it’s a little bit more complex than that once you start messing about with biasing and all that. There are some sounds that //only// a nicely tweaked Ge will do; conversely that nicely tweaked Ge will never do what an aggressive silicon one will do. As always…. Just entirely down to personal preference. I’ve always preferred the silicon ones for what it’s worth. Cheers!
@@ThatPedalShow I hear you Mick. And since you are mainly a strat player, I can see now why you lean towards SI fuzzes. This is why TPS is such a great show: it helps modest amateur players like myself to put things in context (and avoid dealing in absolutes).
Been waiting since the Jeorge Tripps' show for this one!
For me it would be the blue one but I would like to try it with a lower bias resistor.
Yes best episode this year so far. As an electrician i found really informative. Would like to more about other circuits.
That adesive tape is what I needed in the last three years! Thank you, Markus, for giving us this tip, I was organizing a board an hour ago and very angry with the resistor's legs. I was expecting Marks to build one of his dead bug circuits.
I use perf board . Used it for 50 odd years for prototyping and finished product and what is now called the dead bug method of direct connection of components . As a kid I used copper pins on wood and use the system of 'bus bar' connection like this chap . Used to make Face Faces using old Ford hub caps in the day when wheels had metal hubcaps . I doubt if any of these survive . After collecting and breaking parts for 50 odd years I have all the rare Mullards etc that are supposed to make a difference . Old NARCO LOC LOR or radios would yield lots of parts and here in the UK were useless when past airworthiness . You could get lots of them from old aircraft instrument's, Hammond solid state organs that were given away to get rid of them etc . come complete with Acctronics tank and real Leslie sound . For 4558 etc., old milspec stuff would yield gold and sliver topped TI etc., quality that most people don't know exist . I had so many gold top 4558s I sold a tube on e Bay a few years ago and still have tubes of them and being milspec are all identical . The JRC doesn't come close . I like the RAY VIN 4558 too .
Russian flying saucer Germaniums v Western Germaniums who will win ? Sadly not tested . You can piggyback cheap Russian germanium on new silicon transistors , but that is something for another show .
Hfe means 'Hybrid parametric forward current gain , current emitter' for the answer no one gave . Its measurable on good multimeter's and useful to see if your transistor is close to spec ( UK Trivial Pursuit Champion 1987) . Think of the MM as a tube tester that says bad OK good and gives the figures you need for matching . Test a couple of BC108s , 212s , 549s whatever etc and they can be hugely different. If you go through your book of low power transistors ( LP types are the common type in pedals) it will have HFE in a column of ranges usually from say 50 to 500 and you have NPN and PNP complementary types whether made of silicon , Germanium , Gallium Arsenide or Chinesium . If you pick one that has similar frequencies , useable voltage , hFe etc., from any of the materials then your ear will confuse you a second after switching over . As its in the ear and brain , its up to you . The purpose is to select what you're voltage is most are over 9 volt so no problem , their gain etc and the hFe for matching ,as 2 same type unmatched will give an almost imperceptible difference in a circuit like this which you might think is down to material rather than how one transistor is driving the other . When you shove your transistor legs into a good tester 2 of the same type may read say 125 the other 175 . You have the same range in Germanium . The main difference (which is obvious in a glass Germanium diode) is a tiny internal connection . A transistor has just and extra leg in the mix . You can use these old germanium things as diodes for clipping circuits , just connect 2 legs , but I like the pink LEDs !
On something difficult like an ECU that controls gear shifting or fuel and ignition control which has a zillion components IGBTs etc., a PCB design is a must . Also make sure you don't feed in too much solder as a build up on the other side makes it a nightmare to remove if the component is duff or in the wrong place . Clean the flux off afterwards using IPA ( not India Pale Ale - drink that ! ) or other PCB cleaner as flux corrodes very quickly , especially in an atmosphere where beer , sweat and other bodily fluids end up on or close to your pedal board. Buy good wire strippers . The red Chinese ones are OK for teaching children. As the guy said its what you like personally that counts and if you like it , you will play better and your audience will like it .
Well 2022 is off to a flying start, 5 episode's with Johnny Kinkade and then Marcus Reeves, 300, 000 subscribers 👍👍 whatever next.
Marcus and Johnny are very much alike, calm, understated and absolute perfectionists, bravo gets
Great show!, and hearing that Strat through a Fuzz Face into that Marshall, well it can't get much better that that.
Great video....Dan briefly mentioned using a trimpot in place of the 8k2 resistor to bias Q2. IMHO, the point was somewhat understated. A bias trimpot is essential to dialing in the best sound of the fuzz face. Standard advice is to set the voltage on the collector of Q2 to 4.5VDC. However, adjusting the bias by ear is a completely valid way to tune the circuit. The FF has a sweet spot where the volume knob clean up and the full on fuzz sounds can be dialed in to their optimal setting by using a 10k or 20k trimpot. This also gives the user the option to dial in more "gated", "velcro" or "crushed note" settings......or whatever trendy word you want to use...
It’s one reason why so many people love the Analogman Sunface range…
You guys are making great content thus far in 2022. A guitar build and now this. What’s next, and amp build? I sure hope so.
Ha! It’ll subside to boring old me and Dan for a while. But we do hope to do more of this stuff going forwards. Cheers!
Having built a few pedals, but still sucking solid at it, very fun to see and get these details. Fuzz Rules. Very cool. Cheers.
I'm warm & fuzzy now ... thanks for this fantastic episode.
FYI, do note that this schematic was derived from the Tonebender 1.5 version. Some of the Germanium transistor FF used a 47K in both the feedback and in place of the 33K resistor. The willy nilly use of parts was one of the things that meant you had a good, bad or great FF. The Tonebender of course had a 5uF cap instead of the 2.2uF.
The Q1 is biased pretty much at cutoff and it is what really creates the Fuzz sound.
The Fuzz Face is really simple but the big problem is getting correctly matched transistors. For my Glass Packs I use Q1 hfe =~ 80 and Q2 hfe =~120. Sometimes kits will have pots to bias these to the exact amount of gain and bias.
Markus, I use dual glasses as well :)
hfe is the current gain of a transistors. I use the NPN Mullard Germanium OC140/950. I do this so I can use standard 9V+ supplies as PNP like the NKT275 require a positive ground, negative 9V. So most current germanium PNP pedals either use battery only or a voltage inverter IC.
NKT275 on eBay are matched sets between $35 - $199 and again who knows what you are getting. When I went down this rabbit hole after the Macari episode I probably bought 60 before I found enough to build a couple FF/Tonebender v1.5s.
Funny fixing a Focal powered monitor for a friend today... and yes had to take pics to remember where the wires went :)
Great show guys!
OC140 are superb. Sadly any available NKT275 on ebay have not been genuine for years. Also sadly the ones featured in this part kit are also not genuine. Newmarket never printed horizontally with NKT and the part number 275 on the same line.
Great show. I cant believe someone else does the geeky two pairs of glasses thing that I do when soldering.
Hells yes
27:20 Time to solder in transistors. The music. The sound is amazing, i have to 'rewind' a few times.
Hello Lawrence. If you want to hear the full jam, it's in this video... Scroll to 18:40 ruclips.net/video/hHQsrG_wwmE/видео.html
Gentlemen, thanks very much for this episode, and the phenomenal series with Jonny Kinkaed. I would love to see some more on DIY effects, which is something I've got into during the last year or so. Having built several clones of expensive pedals, would like to hear you opinions on the ethics of copying circuits. Some builders have apparently sent Cease and Desist orders to DIYers, whereas Guillame Fairfield comments on DIY blogs with suggested modifications.
Keep up the good work and Happy New Year!
Ethics and law are pretty distinct. If the design is covered by copyright, or you’re using a trademark, then that’s a matter for the law and anyone who wants to build a case. Ethics are a purely personal matter in every respect. Cheers!
While I am not a pedal guy, I do enjoy hearing the demo at the end. Thanks!
Hey guys, been watching since the beginning and love you guys. For some reason this episode gave me an idea. Can you please do a video tour of your grounds there? It would be great to maybe see the outside of your building and other rooms you use for stuff. Just an idea.
We might not do the complete tour with the outside and everything Ryan… but inside sure!
Markus is such great builder. Been RUclips stalking his stuff for a while. I missed a couple of pre-order windows on his site, but I will get some of his stuff!
Really looking forward to hearing his new Zo pedal?
So am I 😬😬 it's nearly finished 🔥🔥🔥
Just want to say how glad I am to have stumbled on your channel. This has rapidly become my all time favorite channel, and I have learned so much form the both of you. Thank you for all of your great content! Do you have a patreon or some other way for me to support your show?
Hello Scott. Thank you kindly! You can indeed find us on Patreon.com, or we have a wide range of merch at thatpedalshowstore.com
Cheers!
Its my meditation zone watching other people build cool stuff. Also that SG junior!
Fantastic episode, I preferred the Copper Fuzz overall, Markus was a terrific guest 😄
I've finally worked it out. I've been watching your videos for years and always thought Dan looked familiar. Finally I have figured out why! He looks like a miniature Brian Posehn!!!!
Great job on that video boys !!
I’ve always thought Markus looked like Dan, funny to see them together in the same room!?
(Great show, been waiting for this for ages! I built Dan’s fuzz project years ago in a guitar mag)
Thanks, have a great weekend!
Ah, that’s awesome, hope that fuzz worked great for you Chris 🤓🙏
Hi Dan, the fuzz worked great, you very kindly answered my email about the transistors in the fuzz project, I’ve sung your praises ever since!
@@chrisstorey605 ah, awesome! Thanks Chris 🤓🙏
Regarding a price point with the NKTs, I recently bought a FF style pedal with them and the pedal itself cost 550 pounds compared to the 185 that his other, non NKTs cost. Don't know if that tells anything about the cost of the actual transistors, but it sure tells something. It was a one off special edition thing so that might have bumped up the price as well. And for anyone who is curious, the brand is Fuzz Phonics
What a great guy have him on loads!!! very cool
As was mentioned in the video, I'd always thought of Fuzz Face type pedals as being for Fender style single coil guitars. The Gibsons sounded great here though as well! Obviously, you aren't going to get the same kind of clean up from humbuckers, but there were tones aplenty there to be had! Great job, fellas!
Man when they are both cranked they sound nearly identical, but when they are slightly back off on the fuzz that darkness of the BC108 sounds fantastic! For my moneys worth BC108 over an NKT275 overhyped transistor any day of the week!
Same!
Nice video! I have been longing to see some pedal building action on your channel.
You had me at NKT. Happy 2022 tonerds! 🤓
Building pedals is really cool. I have already done several (kits), not all of them turned out equally well but I had a great time and you learn a lot.
Fuzz tones before the solder was cold. Love it!
Thanks for making videos that take my mind off the lunacy of the world. I always come away from these videos feeling positive and happy. It very welcome. It seems the only thing that isn’t lies is analog gear. Cheers fellas.
Ha! Something I’ve been saying more and more over the last year or so is ‘Analogue is human and digital is not’. Mick here. If I could offer you some advice, forgive me, just stop watching the news and delete your social media. It’s 98 per cent ideological bullshit. On every side. I’m trying to focus on actual humans and my life is getting better! Cheers, and of course thanks for watching!
@@ThatPedalShow Wise words Mick. One step ahead of you though. The only thing I keep around is RUclips. Been off everything else for years now. I’m on the cusp of gen x and the millennials so I was raised “free range” with out digital babysitters. The real struggle is keeping my teenage son away from it. Fortunately he plays the drums and likes reading about WW2 in actual books. Maybe he’ll for a Sabaton style band lol.
i've never seen a point to point wired pedal with no board before! that's insane. such a great video to nerd out to
Awesome shirt Marcus