WEM Project V Fuzz - Verified

[anders]

*Updated 180204*

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gEuevYYEfGg/T14SnFF7OyI/AAAAAAAABFU/sH3jau7ICkQ/s1600/WEM+Project+V+Fuzz+schematic+revision4+w+calculated+voltages+-small.bmp

[KT]

Thanks for project V and pep boxes, they're on my list for some time now!

[anders]

I decided to revisit this fashinating circuit and draw a new layout since the old one was unnecessarly big. The new layout is verified and sounds great. capable of thick wooly and bassy fuzz to aggressive mid scoop mayhem to splatty trebly garage fuzz. Those switches basically gives you several fuzz modes to choose from. Played araound with transistors and while the stock BC108b sounded good it lacked something. Tried MPSA18 which made heavier and boomier.
2N5089 sounded great with a more aggressive snarl just like the BC109C's I ended up with. For the PNP where is a BC186 in original units which is a low gainer. Again I prefered a higher gain transistor and ended up with a BC179C. A high gain PNP germanium also sounded fine in this spot, a bit less aggressive sound and more throaty.
I also upped the 10K resistor before the output to increase the volume.
Oh, and that crazy big 1000uF cap can be reduced to 100uF since it's just for power filtering.

Edit.
I found out that it can be quite fizzy with higher gain transistors so I added the optional C1 to the layout. I ended up with a 330pF here.

[traktop]

Hey this got me interested.
Found some youtube videos but the quality was awful. Is it similar to a superfuzz or something recognizable?
Cheers

[anders]

Hard to say cause this is it's own beast but the closest desription I would use that it is a heavily filtered aggressive Big Muff with four fuzz modes.

A side note - I have a PCB of Ghost Effects take on this circuit, Warmjet V. In those, the two switches is replaced with an "edge" pot and have few less bits according to the BOM. Got to find the time to a layout of that one too.

[PMowdes]

We have pcb's for the project 5 over on the store if anyone is interested

[anders]

WOW! I had no idea about DeadendFX. Some really cool stuff you have there, PMowdes

[Sphere80]

I've seen some clones with the trimpots placed as  full pots.  Do you find that usable in dialing in the sound, or are they mostly " set and forget" for you?

[anders]

For me, they are 'set and forgets'.