Every Fuzz Pedal is the Same | DIY Guitar Pedals

Have you ever looked at the schematic for the Fuzz pedal you are buying? There is a good chance it is based on this simple shunt-series negative feedback transistor amplifier. It makes you think what you are paying for...
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#diyguitarpedals #pougnetpedals #fuzz

[@pjbirch5732]

Great walkthrough...it’s amazing to me how many companies can continue to put out the same pedal with just new racing stripes, but then again most people don’t understand all the magic inside the box...let alone try to make one.

[@pougnetpedals]

Couldn't agree more!

[@LeviBulger]

Once you build a fuzz or two, you realize how insanely easy and basic of a circuit they are. It's why I always put companies like Boss above others because there actually is quite a bit of actual electro-engineering going on inside their boxes that other companies would never even get close to coming up with. A great example is the OD3 overdrive. It's stupidly complex for an overdrive and it shows when you play one. It's like, holy crap that really does sound like an overdriven amplifier with all the little weird nuances and characteristics in the tone that only amps ever seem to have.

[@KasperKillsTX]

Great video! Thanks for breaking all that down. 🤘

[@pougnetpedals]

You bet!

[@topwanker]

Thanks, this is just the information I was looking for.

[@pougnetpedals]

Glad it was helpful!

[@fredhystair5789]

Very interesting and comprehensive. Thanks !

[@pougnetpedals]

Thanks!

[@asdf9890]

Nice video, I like your style and delivery. Glad to be one of the first 1000 subscribers! I hope you go places here on YT.

[@pougnetpedals]

Thanks! Welcome aboard!

[@nakamurasupermario64miyamo61]

Just found your channel. Your videos are fantastic and I'll definitely check them all out. You deserve at least ten times as many views as you've been getting on these.

[@pougnetpedals]

Thanks!

[@PatrickLewis88]

Watched this video about 10 times already. Trying to understand the universal schematic of a fuzz. I plan to do this on a breadboard soon. Your video was super helpful. Also building my first clone tomorrow!

[@pougnetpedals]

Good luck. Hope it turned out!

[@effectsdatabase-com]

Good explanation! :-)

[@pougnetpedals]

Thanks. Probably not the best, but hopefully you get the picture

[@theolang3566]

the big muff pi you show in the beginning is vastly different from the muff fuzz tho. edit: the satisfaction fuzz is also not remotely related to the fuzz face, its a jordan bosstone clone, which uses a bootstrap method, making it one gainstage, not 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the fuzzface uses a feedback loop, to lower the gain. edit2: what about all the vastly different maestro fuzz tones, despite sharing the same name, they are nothing alike to each other, let alone the fuzz face/bigmuff. or the ampeg scrambler, super fuzz, contro fuzz, mosrite fuzz, chin-ei companion, green ringer. and in the popular DIY scene, what about the bronx cheer or the bazz fuss, or all the weird wave folder fuzzes out there...

[@pougnetpedals]

Thanks for the comments, it's a controversial stance on my part.

[@nickygee2466]

Thanks for a comprehensive explanation, this is really helpful.

[@pougnetpedals]

Glad it was helpful!

[@wvo2m]

Great video. Always felt that a lot of the fuzz pedal market was just racing stripes and wings. I'm curious about a lot of the cheap Chinese fuzz boxes that crop up on Amazon. It would be interesting to look inside and see how some of those compare to the so called boutique pedals.

[@pougnetpedals]

great idea. I have thought of that before as well

[@lapuestanegraofficial5044]

So what is a perculator fuzz???

[@jasonc3a]

All crack is basically the same, but I know people who SWEAR by a certain dealer. For real though, the more I learn about how similar so many fuzzes are, the more it amazes me how many tones can be dialed in. Would you do a video like this for stuff like non-inverting op-amp distortions and whatnot? I have to imagine that those are basic circuits as well that are just loaded with tweakability like the humble fuzz is.

[@elliotmorley9075]

you know a lotta crackheads bro gg

[@pougnetpedals]

Sounds like an easy test on the dev board, I will put it on the list.

[@reecejohnson7581]

You’ve earned a subscribe. Love this proper scientific break down. Exactly what I was looking for. Nice work. I guess I’d better start building a fuzz pedal!

[@pougnetpedals]

Awesome. Thanks!

[@markocvejic6416]

Hey how is your pedal company doing? You didnt posted in a long time

[@pougnetpedals]

Busy with the summer. Will post again soon!

[@jts3339]

University of Waterloo, Ontario?

[@pougnetpedals]

Nope. My wife went there though

[@mattshasteen2316]

Every electric guitar is the same: a couple pieces of wood, 6 strings, and some electrotransducers (pickups). Every human being is the same: a skeleton covered in skin and full of guts, muscles, and nerves. Every living thing on earth is the same: made up of largely carbon-based cells. /sarcasm

[@pougnetpedals]

To each their own, but I think you are missing the point. By that logic, you could say every guitar pedal is the same. Just an enclosure with audio jacks, a supply, a switch, some wires and circuit board. I was trying to highlight that so many fuzz circuits are based on the same layout/design.

[@mattshasteen2316]

@@pougnetpedals But they're not. The Fuzz Face, the Big Muff variants, the Fuzzrite/Orpheum/Shin Ei style fuzzes, the Tycobrahe Octavia, the Super-Fuzz/Ibanez Standard Fuzz/Foxx Tone Machine family are all quite different from each other in terms of topology. But when it comes to the concept of "fuzz" as an effect, it is generally considered a hard clipped saturated transistor sound, and there are electronically only so many ways to construct a bipolar junction transistor to behave as an audio signal amplifier. So, yes, the majority of fuzzes are based on the same general "building blocks" just as the majority of automobiles contain a combustion engine, a transmission, and four wheels, but nobody is trying to argue that a Shelby Cobra and a Ford F150 might as well be the same thing.

[@christianjimbomb8204]

I'm curious how many years have you been building fuzz pedals and how many years have you been playing guitar, how many different styles, how many amplifiers have you owned and played and worked on? One thing about components made 50 years ago, they can't and dont make them like they used to. When you get more experience you might see that the right kind of experience is very useful.

[@pougnetpedals]

Hey Christian, Thanks for the comment. I have a background in electronics, but have only been building pedals for about 5 years. Not sure how many fuzz pedals, maybe 6-10. I try to change them up with each build. Some are straight up fuzz face transistor clones, some are opamp clones. I have built 2, 3, and 4 transistor fuzzes, ones with additional hard clipping, external bias controls, both npn and pnp transistors, etc. I don't think I have ever built the same one twice though...haha. I do it more of a hobby so never looking to have 2 of the same pedal. As for guitars and amps, I don't know. I have been playing off and on for about 25 years. I have had lots of different guitars, but mainly stick with single coil fenders now. Same thing with amplifiers lots of different ones, but mainly fenders now. I haven't done a lot of tech work, as again, just a hobby, but have helped my friends out gratis when I thought I could. In the last year or so I have built my 5f11, fixed an old point-to-point traynor guitar mate, and a 90s deluxe reverb. As for components, it all depends on what you use. My Yamaha G50 112 is about 40 years old, uses PCB and has held up pretty well. That guitar mate was closer to 45 years old and had leaky and blown caps, fried resistors and a bum switch. I'm sure you could buy both good components and crap components in any era.

[@j_morco]

They’re not the same. Many are just variations of original fuzz designs, but fuzz pedals are used in an entirely different way these days, and the builders are glad for it...it gives them a chance to get creative with their craft.

[@pougnetpedals]

yes, that what i was trying to say as well.

[@GuitarBob6]

You said every time you “look at a fuzz pedal”. Dude, listen to the pedal. Put away the schematics and listen. You are really missing out.

[@pougnetpedals]

I think you're missing the point. My comment is that most fuzz pedals are based on the same circuit. Yes, they will sound different when swapping a few component values or adding some clipping diodes, but most are just that. Also, I wouldn't discount schematics. If a pedal sounds good with your rig then knowing the circuit, and what other pedals may use the same one will only benefit you. In most cases, pedals are priced based on the name on the enclosure, or the aura of a pedal. I would much rather pay 25% or 50% for the same circuit in a different enclosure.