>>> Sparkle Face Research Project <<<

[cajone5]

I'd definitely DIY one if you made the circuit available. A PCB would be great but the circuit is pretty simple (typically, not sure here...) so I could probably make it on perf board or vero if necessary.

As far as what makes a fuzz face good... well, I don't typically like them, so I'm not sure. I can say why I don't generally bond with germanium FF's, though. I typically prefer silicon for stability and it's tighter character. I've found that GE FF's can be tough to tune and a bass control can help tame the loose bottom end. In addition, biasing can be difficult and temperature stability has been a factor with certain transistors. The input loading control seems like a good idea. I like how the Cherry Buster DIY pedal had this ability as well (is it the same idea, an input impedance control?). Anyway, I'm looking forward to your interpretation as I have yet to find one I really like.

[Crusty]

My preference is to keep my Lil' King clean as a base tone; my Honey Bee is my go-to for first-gear filth ... so any fuzz is always pushed into the Bee.

To my old ears and soul, the quirks and frustrations of a good germanium Fuzz Face are still worth putting up with for the end result: warmth, body, and a tone that pays strict attention to my Esquire's volume knob. My all-time fave is a big box MJM London. I can't even tell you what's in it for trannies, as they've been scraped ... but that's okay: Michael at MJM never sells based on something being fueled by "amazing xxxs" or "legendary yyyys" or "rare zzzs" - he sells tone and delivers tone. To me, that's all that's important.

Marc Ford described the unruliness of germanium as well as anyone ever has during I did an interview with him for GuitarWorld.com last year - and the rewards to be had: http://www.guitarworld.com/marc-ford-faith-formation-flying-and-fuzz

Marc, the way you approach effects pedals, it’s still an extension of your heart, soul and fingers … you play them, as well.

Absolutely. I mean, even the same pedal is going to be different every time you plug it in. Especially the germaniums, as they're so susceptible to weather and whatnot. That’s part of the fun for me, really: “This is what you’ve got. Work with it.”

I look at those germanium fuzzes as a living, breathing thing: “Hi, how’re you doing today?” “Well, I didn't get much sleep much last night. How’re you doing?” [laughs]

I can be feeling great, but my fuzz isn't so feeling so good today, so we work together, you know? [laughter]

Man, that would make a great T-shirt, wouldn't it?

Yeah! [laughter] Really, it's not a science. You gotta listen and you gotta adjust. It’s just like being in a band.

[musica23]

Signed up to watch it all unfold!

[BJF]

Hi there,


Yes indeed Fuzz Faces and especially ones with GE transistors can be tricky to tune and not really be that stable and they can even feel sick if you will but at any rate be temperamental and in that may lie some charm.
Oh yes I really liked an old Gibson FZ1A when I got it working and that also has a control to set various shades and that had some old GE-s in it.
Fuzz faces though I just got the interest when I found that old pcb from 1982 and restored it.

Right Sparkle Face is a fuzz and it’s about a fuzz sound not about transistors per see. I’d say that through the years I have rarely talked about parts I use other than when it has been an education thing.

Sounds and behaviour are what I always start with and work backwards and eventually use what parts can be used to meet the criteria.

Anyway the sound comes first while this came about backwards to me as I had restrictions set to circuit and transistors.

Right so the transistors Sparkle Face is using were once created for switching functions in computors- by no stretch would that promise a great sound
but since this is also to be a diy project some dwelling on parts would seem appropriate.


Indeed there will be a schematic posted- I have no means to do so and for the moment the whole circuit exists in one unit and in my head and a thread with schematic and notes can come in good time and by all means it can be wired on a piece of vektorboard ( perfboard), but first I am very curious to the sounds.

Mainly because I don’t think I am a really Fuzz Face guy while I really and deeply like fuzz guitar. There are things I find important in playability but I am curious also to what others think and that may spur ideas..

Yes this will be done differently or I could just have posted that the Sparkle —— is a fuzz pedal and it sounds like bla and behaves like bla when you bla it.

Yes I can relate to a fuzz pedal being a best friend.


Anyway have fun and stay tuned

BJ

” I believe the sound of fuzz guitar has had greater impact on mankind than man walking on the Moon"

[zhivago]

I've had a couple of FF clones in the past...the one thing I have missed is a tone control...it is really why I never kept them in the end.

It is really a shame when I have my whole board dialled in, and then adding a pedal with no tone control that requires re-dialing everything else...sometimes to the extend that the new pedal makes the rest of the board sound not as good.

I realise it is not really a part of the "FF thing", but I think that the right pedal for me would have to have a tone control.

[BJF]

Hi there,

yes Zhivago, I certainly know what you mean and usually put some sort of tone controls on all my dirt pedals. Indeed the fuzz I used the most ever was one I used in the mid 80’s and it had a tone control that could cut bass but that wouldn’t really help at all but I could get a great sound with the fuzz and a tape echo.
Of course the amp was dialed in to work with the fuzz and most sounds I got from the volume control on guitar.

With the Sparkle Face I have tried to set a sound that is in the middle and not extreme in any register- actually then making it a fuzz face type that can be employed with other pedals without resetting amp tone controls.
This is something I have always wanted because when building pedalboards for shows I’d glance at my shelves and yes I have some inspiring fuzzes………but they require certain settings on amplifiers and usually not the same as I’d use with all other kinds of dirt pedals I have so the only fuzz that made a board like that has been Snow White Fuzz and with the tone control on that I could set it so that I could use the same settings on amp as I would with all other pedals.
However I think I ended up with one setting that just softened the treble a bit and it was just fine. Keeping this in mind I have made some mild filtering and I used for testing the same settings on amp and all the test guitars to make sure that the sound of Sparkle Face would stay in the boundaries of my amp settings so it would become more another flavour, perhaps more in the way it feels to play and how certain chords and notes sound than more or less of any certain frequency.

Having said that I truely hear you and would in general agree.

Have fun
BJ

[ak47]

This:

” I believe the sound of fuzz guitar has had greater impact on mankind than man walking on the Moon"

...and this:

I look at those germanium fuzzes as a living, breathing thing: “Hi, how’re you doing today?” “Well, I didn't get much sleep much last night. How’re you doing?” [laughs]

Haha! Oki, I'm totally in on some DIY as well.. I have always found the Ge fuzzes intriguing.. as BJ points out they have always proved challenging in so many ways. Quite amazing for what is essentially a fairly straightforward circuit design.

'Sound and behaviour first' yep.. this is an absolute truth in good tone design. Even more with fuzzes I think.

I'm really digging the roots approach here.. the high end roll off of old coily cables is something I grew up with as I had one with my '73 Marshall when I started playing. Thinking back, I loved the tone I got with a drive or fuzz and then pushing up the treble & presence to compensate.. would it be correct to say that the saturation control as described shows a modern/vintage feel?

[ak47]

Tonebender circuits are quite similar aren't they? Like fuzz faces that have a boosting stage if I remember right..

Zhivago, I love the mkIV sola sound tonebenders for the treble/bass control in regards to your comment.. this was always more my bag than a fuzz face for that same reason..

BJ, is it possible to put a switchable boosting stage in so as to cover FF & TB ground in one box or would it be difficult to dial in?

[zhivago]

Hi there,

yes Zhivago, I certainly know what you mean and usually put some sort of tone controls on all my dirt pedals. Indeed the fuzz I used the most ever was one I used in the mid 80’s and it had a tone control that could cut bass but that wouldn’t really help at all but I could get a great sound with the fuzz and a tape echo.
Of course the amp was dialed in to work with the fuzz and most sounds I got from the volume control on guitar.

With the Sparkle Face I have tried to set a sound that is in the middle and not extreme in any register- actually then making it a fuzz face type that can be employed with other pedals without resetting amp tone controls.
This is something I have always wanted because when building pedalboards for shows I’d glance at my shelves and yes I have some inspiring fuzzes………but they require certain settings on amplifiers and usually not the same as I’d use with all other kinds of dirt pedals I have so the only fuzz that made a board like that has been Snow White Fuzz and with the tone control on that I could set it so that I could use the same settings on amp as I would with all other pedals.
However I think I ended up with one setting that just softened the treble a bit and it was just fine. Keeping this in mind I have made some mild filtering and I used for testing the same settings on amp and all the test guitars to make sure that the sound of Sparkle Face would stay in the boundaries of my amp settings so it would become more another flavour, perhaps more in the way it feels to play and how certain chords and notes sound than more or less of any certain frequency.

Having said that I truely hear you and would in general agree.

Have fun
BJ

Thanks for the input Bjorn, I think you are on the right track with this one...I cannot wait to hear it!

[zhivago]

Tonebender circuits are quite similar aren't they? Like fuzz faces that have a boosting stage if I remember right..

Zhivago, I love the mkIV sola sound tonebenders for the treble/bass control in regards to your comment.. this was always more my bag than a fuzz face for that same reason..

BJ, is it possible to put a switchable boosting stage in so as to cover FF & TB ground in one box or would it be difficult to dial in?

This is a great call actually...I play a P90 Les Paul most of the time and I think a TB circuit could work well