Multi-Face from Runoffgroove

Mr. G. · Post by **Mr. G.** » 14 Aug 2008, 14:58

I've been wanting to try my hands at a fuzz pedal, and figured the Multi-Face from Runoffgroove would be a pretty good place to start. I changed the layout a little, just to make it a bit smaller. Here's my version: Multi-Face (excuse the sloppy wiring layout)

I checked and double checked my wiring on my board and components, and everything seems to be ok. I was trying out the May Queen II version, with a 2N5088 in Q1 and a J201 in Q2. I checked the pinouts at http://www.nteinc.com, and I'm pretty sure I put them in right. However, something's pretty wrong. I only get a light farting sound when I pluck a string, and it quickly dies. Adjusting the trim pot does nothing. Could this be from one of the transistors being installed wrong? Is there a way to manually test the pinout with a DMM?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Mr. G. · Post by **Mr. G.** » 14 Aug 2008, 15:59

Apparently, the J201 pinout was opposite of what the NTE site said. It works now, but DAMN.... the thing almost bit my head off with the amount of highs it produced, ha ha. So, I swapped the .01 input cap for a 2.2, and it was darker, but sounded a lot fartier. So, I then tried a .1 cap, and it sounded better, but still a touch too much highs. It also doesn't really sound quite like I was expecting a fuzz to sound. Not really sure how to explain it, but I'm not done experimenting yet. I'll report back once I try some more variations out.

If any of you have built this, I'd love to hear about your experiences with it.

earthtonesaudio · Post by **earthtonesaudio** » 14 Aug 2008, 18:04

I built most if not all the examples in the original Tim Escobedo article (many faces of fuzz). One thing I noticed was that the ones with FETs for Q2 tended to oscillate at high gain settings, but otherwise they all sounded cool.

A tone control on the output is a good idea.

Post by **modman** » 14 Aug 2008, 18:43

The Multiface is a really great introduction to building fuzz boxes and modding them at the same time. But as is often the case, the sea of possibilities in changes to the circuit may leave you wondering about directions.

I would start out with transistors that have the lowest gain among silicons like 2n3904n, 2n2222, BC107/8/9 i.e. <250 Hfe but still select the higher gain for Q2. In my Multiface experiments I would have settled for 2n4401 (medium gain). There are even very low gain silicons (comparable to Ge gain ranges)

That isl, if gain really matters at all in fuzz circuits.

Good luck!

Mr. G. · Post by **Mr. G.** » 14 Aug 2008, 20:13

Thanks for the info!

I've never been a real big fan of fuzz anyway, with the Skreddy Mayo being one of the few fuzzes I've heard that I actually liked. So, I might just need to move on from the Multi-Face.

Any other relatively simple fuzz projects that sound really good?