# Ungula Fuzz for Bass Guitar



## jrhevron (Sep 20, 2021)

I've been on a bit of a muff quest the past few months with bass and have finally figured a few things out. I recently socketed a lot of components and built an "ultimate" muff that works pretty well as a dirty boost, slight overdrive, and fuzz. I call it the Gold Muff. I realized, thought, that I want a dedicated "fuzz" muff on my board. For that purpose, I liked the sound of LEDs in the clipping diode sections on my Gold Muff and thought that perhaps an Ungula would fit that bill. I don't have a lot of time right now, so I just bought one off of Reverb. It "kinda" did the trick,  but I felt like it wasn't letting enough low end through and as a result wasn't thick enough. Also, the clipping was more on the top end and not as full frequency as I think bass needs. So, I applied some of the component values that achieved this on my Gold Muff. 

For those who want to build a more bass friendly version of the Ungula, here's what worked for me: it basically involves replacing the 100n coupling caps with 220n caps and the 100n clipping caps with 47n caps. 

Switch out C3, C4, C7, C12, and C13 with 220n and C5 and C8 with 47n.


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## jrhevron (Sep 21, 2021)

And, of course, while I didn't have time to build an Ungula, by the time I did these mods and fixed the broken traces and pads from component removal... it took just as long as making one from scratch!


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## Mentaltossflycoon (Sep 22, 2021)

I might try a gold muff.  Sounds fun, thanks for sharing. I too enjoy some leds in a muff circuit. The muffin factory is worth the trouble and I've found many bass friendly sounds in there.  I made a hoof with a switch for leds which is the only setting I like there. I'm also digging some of the frantone muff variants.  So far I've made a bassweet, cream puff, and lo-tone.  I'm not sure if the lo-tone is a muff but it's my favorite of the Fran stuff.  Less scooped/ compressed all have lots and lots and lots of lows.  Next up peach fuzz and evidently now an ungula...


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## jrhevron (Sep 22, 2021)

I do like the sound of no diodes too, for more of an open OD sound. But for fuzz, I prefer LEDs.


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## uranium_jones (Sep 23, 2021)

Sweet. I may breadboard this if/when I get a bass again


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## jrhevron (Sep 23, 2021)

Would love to know if anyone else comes up with any other good mods for bass.


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## Feral Feline (Oct 1, 2021)

Instead of two stages of clipping diodes, try only one stage of clipping diodes — see if you can hear a difference between which stage has the clipping:

Stage 1 none / Stage 2 clipping
vs
Stage 1 clipping / Stage 2 none.


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## jrhevron (Oct 1, 2021)

Feral Feline said:


> Instead of two stages of clipping diodes, try only one stage of clipping diodes — see if you can hear a difference between which stage has the clipping:
> 
> Stage 1 none / Stage 2 clipping
> vs
> Stage 1 clipping / Stage 2 none.


The first stage can add some clipping, but is more about how much bass it lets through. I have it on a switch on my other muff. I'm thinking of just taking it out of the Ungula. I love how tight the Ungula is, but it could loosen up a little. The second stage is more about the clipping, but also about how big of a tonal feel the overall sound has. Thinking of removing that as well or at least putting that on a switch. I was trying to make this muff a real one-trick pony rather than a jack of all trades so we'll see.


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 1, 2021)

If you cut out the diodes on the 3rd stage (2nd clipping stage for those who are counting), then you will saturate the last stage because the signal is MUCH LARGER.

For Bass, I would definitely retune the Tone stack.  IMO, most of the range on the SHIFT control is wasted.  Make C10 bigger, like 22nF or more.  If you want the bottom end of the TONE range darker, increase C11.

Making C5 & C8 smaller was smart because doing that acts like a clean bleed for the low freq stuff.


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## jrhevron (Oct 1, 2021)

Thanks! Should I make C10 and C11 both 22nf?


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 1, 2021)

Try it and see.  If you're tired of tearing up the pcb, try breadboarding it.  For sure increase C10; C11 is optional.


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## jrhevron (Oct 1, 2021)

Also, @Chuck D. Bones what do you mean about the wasted range of the mids control? How will it change if C10 is larger?


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## jrhevron (Oct 1, 2021)

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Try it and see.  If you're tired of tearing up the pcb, try breadboarding it.  For sure increase C10; C11 is optional.


And yes, very tired of tearing up the PCB! I need to learn breadboarding just for this kind of thing.


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 1, 2021)

Making C10 larger will move the range of the SHIFT control down into a useful freq range and make it possible to create a mid hump over part of that range.  The stock design creates a mid scoop a mile wide.  How often do you dime SHIFT?


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## BurntFingers (Oct 2, 2021)

I'm late to this but lol @ "muff quest".

We've all been there.


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## jrhevron (Oct 2, 2021)

First of all, keep your mind out of the gutter! 😅

A muff quest is serious business! 

Seriously, though, i changed c10 and 11 to 22n. Switched just 10 at first but felt like the sound was missing something. You are right, the hump has switched. Now, even at 1 o clock I feel like there is sone mid boost or at least flat. Same for the tone, now I can go to Noon/1 and haven’t gone full treble. 

I took out the first set of leds and liked the bass it added. 2nd set I hooked up to a switch I already had lying around. Didn’t like led but liked none and silicon. None felt a little harsher down low but sounded great when you opened it up. The silicon sounded a little warmer lower but clipped too much when you opened things up. As a result, I left out both sets of diodes. 

Really liking this a lot so far but want to sit with it for a little while before giving a real review.


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 2, 2021)

Did I read that right, now you have no clipping diodes installed?


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## fig (Oct 2, 2021)

Yes, he has none today?


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 2, 2021)

With no clipping on the 3rd stage, you're likely to saturate the 4th stage.  In fact, when the 3rd stage is allowed to run wide open, there is no need to make up for the losses in the tone stack with a 4th stage.  You might try listening to the signal on pin 2 of the TONE pot to hear what the signal sounds like with no clipping in the last stage.


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## jrhevron (Oct 2, 2021)

What does the clipping on the last stage? Is it the q1 transistor?


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## jrhevron (Oct 2, 2021)

I like to have a lot of options, switches, etc... but I really listened and liked the no diodes option. Surprised me somewhat as well.


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## Chuck D. Bones (Oct 2, 2021)

jrhevron said:


> What does the clipping on the last stage? Is it the q1 transistor?


Yes.  If the (Hoowf) schematic the BigMuffPage is correct, then EQD numbers the transistors from right to left on the schematic.


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## jrhevron (Oct 2, 2021)

I'm calling this take on the Hoof/Muff... the Woof

And I'm sure that after all of these mods it doesn't sound like a muff is "supposed to,"  but it's a great OD/Fuzz for bass and that's all I care about. I also have a Wren and Cuff Russian on my board to cover more traditional muff sounds.


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## Feral Feline (Oct 2, 2021)

I like muffs that are mutts...


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## jrhevron (Oct 2, 2021)

Feral Feline said:


> I like muffs that are mutts...



The Mutt that might be even better than the Woof.


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## jrhevron (Oct 4, 2021)

Played this with a band tonight and just couldn’t get it to sound right. Too boomy and not a rich enough fuzz. Might need to add clipping back in.


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## jrhevron (Oct 12, 2021)

Just added Green LED's to the 2nd stage and a pair of red LED's to the first. Sounds way better than no LEDs 

I'm going to try yellow LED's in the first stage tonight. I used those on another muff and liked the sound over other colors I had on hand.


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