# Parentheses Fuzz (Party Edition)



## jeffwhitfield (Mar 16, 2022)

My previous builds of the Parentheses Fuzz sold pretty well on Reverb. So much so that it warranted a new batch. For this batch, I wanted to improve on the design and build a bit.

The previous design had what I think of as a play school quality about it. While it's cute and fun, I wanted to update the design with something a little more refined. I kept the typography simple and went with a typeset that had a more rounded quality about it...something that is easily readable yet still has a fun-ness to it. With the background, I wanted a colorful pattern that made the whole thing look like a party explosion. The pattern I chose worked but was a bit too bold and bright. I wanted to draw more attention to the knobs and make those the most colorful part. Making the background more opaque did the trick and brought the whole design together. Pretty happy with the result. 

In terms of the build, some modest improvements were made, mainly in the component quality. 

I used an OP07 op-amp instead of the LM308. Given that ProCo also uses the OP07 I didn't think it made any sense to use the LM308. In terms of sound, the difference is so subtle that it doesn't warrant the use of a NOS component. Technically, the OP07 is a better op-amp so there's that.

For this build, I was pretty picky about the capacitors. All the film capacitors are Wima. MLCC caps are from Stomp Box Parts. Out of the electrolytic, only one of them is electrolytic with the rest replaced with tantalum caps. 

I also socketed all the diodes and transistors. From the previous build, it seemed like those are the ones that were most likely to fail so socketing them would make it easier to debut should any of them not work.

Lastly, I used higher quality soft-touch switches and better 1/4" jacks. One of my clients wanted soft-touch switches, which I gladly switched out for him. That influenced me to put better switches in all my builds. Cost really isn't much more yet offers a better experience overall.


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## Phil hodson (Mar 17, 2022)

Love this one. The enclosure looks fantastic and the inside makes me very jealous. So clean and tidy! Great work.


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## jeffwhitfield (Mar 17, 2022)

Phil hodson said:


> Love this one. The enclosure looks fantastic and the inside makes me very jealous. So clean and tidy! Great work.


Wow! Thanks man! Appreciate the compliment. 

Yeah, kind of anal when it comes to keeping the builds clean. However, you should see some of my personal stuff. Not as bad as the early builds when I first started out...but can still be super messy at times.


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## JamieJ (Mar 17, 2022)

Love the design Jeff. I love that the octave footswitch wires match the enclosure design too. Also well done for building TWO parentheses with out venturing into the troubleshooting section 🤣


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## jeffwhitfield (Mar 17, 2022)

JamieJ said:


> Love the design Jeff. I love that the octave footswitch wires match the enclosure design too. Also well done for building TWO parentheses with out venturing into the troubleshooting section 🤣


Oh, dude, last batch I had three that required debugging. Two of them were relatively easy fixes. One of them was completely borked. Still never found out why. Weird issue too. 

That’s why I socketed all the transistors this time. In this circuit if there’s gonna be a problem that the most likely culprit. 

I’m 3-for-3 with 7 more to go. Fingers crossed.


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## fig (Mar 18, 2022)

I simply _must _build one of these. It's like the Riddle of the Sphinx.

Very nice Jeff! I like the colors!


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## Barry (Mar 18, 2022)

Looks great!


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## jeffwhitfield (Mar 18, 2022)

fig said:


> I simply _must _build one of these. It's like the Riddle of the Sphinx.
> 
> Very nice Jeff! I like the colors!


Thanks man! 

And, yeah, it's a great pedal. However, if I'm being honest, my personal version is in the closet right now. The reason is that I personally get more out of a stand-alone Rat and octave pedal than I do with the Parentheses. But that's just me.


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## fig (Mar 18, 2022)

jeffwhitfield said:


> Thanks man!
> 
> And, yeah, it's a great pedal. However, if I'm being honest, my personal version is in the closet right now. The reason is that I personally get more out of a stand-alone Rat and octave pedal than I do with the Parentheses. But that's just me.


Is it _just _you? You think you're an island? Coconuts I say! Do you like your atoms made for you, or do you like to arrange them the way _you_ like them? Oh wait....that's probably just me.


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## jeffwhitfield (Mar 18, 2022)

fig said:


> Is it _just _you? You think you're an island? Coconuts I say! Do you like your atoms made for you, or do you like to arrange them the way _you_ like them? Oh wait....that's probably just me.


I'm also a rock cause, let's face it, a rock feels no pain and an island never cries. Then again, Simon and Garfunkel were probably high as shit when they wrote that.


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## cdwillis (Mar 19, 2022)

I love the print. It reminds me of the bumper/title card from Rugrats.


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## giovanni (Mar 20, 2022)

Is that a decal or UV print? Looks awesome!


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## jeffwhitfield (Mar 20, 2022)

giovanni said:


> Is that a decal or UV print? Looks awesome!


Uv print from Tayda. Future prints will be done at AmplifyFun though. Costs a bit more but quicker and likely better quality


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