# Tone Vendor MKI Attack pot not much effect.



## Matopotato (Sep 24, 2021)

Hi,
I just managed to finish MKI and there is a lot of fuzz in it. I modded it by setting a trimpot (20k) for R7. Lowering it gives a sort of dying battery sputter, and 75%+ makes it less fuzzy almost like a boost.
First question/issue is that it has a high noise floor (?), but I was sort of expecting that with fuzzes. But reading other posts it seems to be possible to adjust.
The second issue is that the Attack knob does not do very much. When off or almost off it kills/turns effect off like close to 0 on volume knob. (Which is good and expected) But above 15% it does not do much all the way tTo the top.
I checked the thread by @Coda (MKII issue) but the fix there seems not to be my case at a first glance. Also checked the thread on MKII by @TSReppe .
The transistors from Das Musikding were 1 OC75 and AC125F and AC125U. I tried to compare the hfe on the AC125s but they were very close as I remember.
No idea how to check for leakage and if that would have effect. Musikding are good at sending matched and appropriate transistors imho. 
Thanks in advance.
PS I like the casing (from Tayda, long transport...) and knobs combination, will try some decal printing later on.


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## Big Monk (Sep 24, 2021)

I have not built many MK I Benders but I am more than familiar with the MK II Bender. Let ma take a crack at some specific concerns:



Matopotato said:


> First question/issue is that it has a high noise floor (?), but I was sort of expecting that with fuzzes. But reading other posts it seems to be possible to adjust.



These circuits are terribly hissy and generally noisy. You are dealing with a ton of gain from the added third stage. The MK II is no different. What I usually do is breadboard the circuit into it's final form before loading it up. 

The best way I have found to quiet down the hiss and any other extraneous noise is to use base to collector caps in the pf range on all three transistors. This cuts some of the top-end out of the frequency spectrum depending on the sizes, so you'll have to tweak some of the other caps in the circuits to compensate but I've been able to make nearly whisper quiet MK II units with this as my MO. 



Matopotato said:


> The second issue is that the Attack knob does not do very much. When off or almost off it kills/turns effect off like close to 0 on volume knob. (Which is good and expected) But above 15% it does not do much all the way tTo the top.



This seems to be the name of the game for the MK I. Most people run that all the way up most of the time. Sola Sound fixed this in a major way when they re-designed for the MK II, as that control is much more useful.


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## Matopotato (Sep 24, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> I have not built many MK I Benders but I am more than familiar with the MK II Bender. Let ma take a crack at some specific concerns:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Many thanks, will try not to worry about the Attack so much then, although you'd think it would serve a purpose.
Pre-breadboarding is a great tip, thanks! 
I am working on a Fuzzrite diy from guitarpcb, and they added slots for 220pF caps (or less) on the board already. Now in hindsight it would have been good for MKI as well, although I was not sure where to put them in the schema until you explained.


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## danfrank (Sep 25, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> This seems to be the name of the game for the MK I. Most people run that all the way up most of the time. Sola Sound fixed this in a major way when they re-designed for the MK II, as that control is much more useful.


This has been my experience also. I guess it depends what sound the builder wants. On mine, I finally ended up with a MK1 build where the first half of the "attack" knob offers varying degrees of sputter/gating and the second half of the pot is solid fuzz but the sound doesn't vary much in the second half of that control where the fuzz is solid and full on. Like Big Monk said, this is the nature of the MK1. So ideally, the "attack" knob should be mostly varying degrees of sputter/gating with the last 1/4 turn full on solid fuzz.

Here's a post I did a while back with my observations. Hope it helps you with yours:






						Tone Vendor/Bender MK1... Some Observations
					

Hi everyone. I ordered a Tone Vendor MK1 board a bit ago. I've made most of the fuzz box types in the past except for this one. I was happy to see  that PedalPCB offered a board for the MK1. I've read most everything I could find on the internet about the MK1 and the data and opinions about the...




					forum.pedalpcb.com


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## Matopotato (Sep 25, 2021)

Thanks a bunch. I will check my 2 AC125 one U one F (???) And figure out how to measure leaky. hFe I managed on my breadboard although it seems to ve more of relative values. The OC75N that came with I can check too although I think it is the right for Q1. I have some ACs leftovers from a Rangemaster build. Here variation of transistor did not have much impact.
Right now the Attack makes a difference first 1/4 -ish. And if I can get it to 3/4 I'm happy. Resolder a pot is what ruined another build I made so I will pass that until experience and any left annoyances tip the scales...


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## danfrank (Sep 25, 2021)

Using a log or audio taper pot instead of a linear pot for the "attack" control will help greatly to give you more variance when turning that knob.


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## Matopotato (Sep 25, 2021)

danfrank said:


> Using a log or audio taper pot instead of a linear pot for the "attack" control will help greatly to give you more variance when turning that knob.


Thanks I appreciate the tip, I will consider it.
I was building a Fuzzrite and the predrilled casing made me rotate the pots 180. So when I tried to correct by desoldering (instead of cutting and cross-wiring) it all went south. So that is why I am not super keen on swapping out the B pot for an A. But I'll try some transistor shuffling first and then possibly swap for a log/audio one instead.


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## danfrank (Sep 25, 2021)

I wouldn't swap the pot in your already built PCB, too much trouble. If you end up liking the sound of this pedal after tweaking it, I'm sure you will build another in the future. Lol! Like I said, the audio pot will give you more variance in the gated sputtering sound, once that adjustment gets to full solid fuzz, the sound doesn't change much.


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## Matopotato (Sep 26, 2021)

danfrank said:


> I wouldn't swap the pot in your already built PCB, too much trouble. If you end up liking the sound of this pedal after tweaking it, I'm sure you will build another in the future. Lol! Like I said, the audio pot will give you more variance in the gated sputtering sound, once that adjustment gets to full solid fuzz, the sound doesn't change much.


Thanks. Well, after sleeping on it I think I will go through the transistors I have and see if I can optimize somehow. If it still bothers me, cutting and swapping the pot using wires should be possible without desoldering it. 
But it is good to know what expectations that are realistic to have.


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## Dan0h (Sep 26, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> :The best way I have found to quiet down the hiss and any other extraneous noise is to use base to collector caps in the pf range on all three transistors. This cuts some of the top-end out of the frequency spectrum depending on the sizes, so you'll have to tweak some of the other caps in the circuits to compensate but I've been able to make nearly whisper quiet MK II units with this as my MO.


Big Monk, can you share an example of values you used for this fix? Same Pf on all three trannies? Or literally just pop in and out different caps until the hiss disappears? I will be building the MkII soon and any starting point would be a huge help. I really like the idea of breadboarding first to tweak out changes before putting them in the pcb ( insanely great idea, why didn’t I think about that before!)


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> Big Monk, can you share an example of values you used for this fix? Same Pf on all three trannies? Or literally just pop in and out different caps until the hiss disappears? I will be building the MkII soon and any starting point would be a huge help. I really like the idea of breadboarding first to tweak out changes before putting them in the pcb ( insanely great idea, why didn’t I think about that before!)



For the MK II, I’ll usually start with a rough draft set of 100 pf, 82 pf and 82 pf for Q1, Q2 and Q3, respectively. It’s important to listen and mentally log the difference between this initial set and the sound with no caps installed.

With the Attack pot all the way up and volume at unity, increase the caps until the pedal is pretty quiet. Don’t try to find balance between noise and treble content. Kill the noise completely first.

When the noise has been addressed, compare the tone with the sound without caps installed. Now use a combination of the treble bleed cap (cap to ground on input), the input cap and emitter cap to tweak the circuit for the proper frequency response. “Proper” in this case is driven by personal taste.

I like to start with the bog standard cap set for the MK II at the outset: 0.01 uf, 4.7 uf and 4.7 uf for Treble Bleed, Input and Emitter caps, respectively. I find the treble bleed and Emitter caps most effective here. If the pedal is quiet but a bit muffled or muted after base to collector caps have been installed, tweak the treble bleed between 0.0047-0.0082 uf if need be and the emitter cap between 1 uf-3.3 uf.

Keep in mind, you may hit a point where the tone cuts well but is a little ragged. Also, lowering the treble bleed too much can bring on uncontrolled, high pitched, i.e. non-musical, feedback.

Conversely, you can go the Supafuzz route and ditch the treble bleed cap altogether while raising the input cap.

Many, many options. This is a circuit, much like the Fuzz Face, that IMHO *requires* breadboard tuning. It’s almost criminal to sell someone a cookie cutter kit or anything similar for these pedals.


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## Dan0h (Sep 26, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> For the MK II, I’ll usually start with a rough draft set of 100 pf, 82 pf and 82 pf for Q1, Q2 and Q3, respectively. It’s important to listen and mentally log the difference between this initial set and the sound with no caps installed.
> 
> With the Attack pot all the way up and volume at unity, increase the caps until the pedal is pretty quiet. Don’t try to find balance between noise and treble content. Kill the noise completely first.
> 
> ...


Dude, this is so helpful thank you. Pretty sure this is going to make the difference of a pedal collecting dust on the shelf vs being used. I remember when I built the Powersound pedal I ran into similar issues but my buddy, who I built it for was happy with it as it was. I will report back after the build is complete. Parts should arrive next week.


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

Dan0h said:


> Dude, this is so helpful thank you. Pretty sure this is going to make the difference of a pedal collecting dust on the shelf vs being used. I remember when I built the Powersound pedal I ran into similar issues but my buddy, who I built it for was happy with it as it was. I will report back after the build is complete. Parts should arrive next week.



The powersound should NOT be noisy like a Tonebender MK II. 

The MK II is one of noisiest pedals going. Like rom-com movies that end with the fairy tale wedding, demos for high end fuzzes very rarely show you how much damn noise there is in the background.


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## Matopotato (Sep 26, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> For the MK II, I’ll usually start with a rough draft set of 100 pf, 82 pf and 82 pf for Q1, Q2 and Q3, respectively. It’s important to listen and mentally log the difference between this initial set and the sound with no caps installed.
> 
> With the Attack pot all the way up and volume at unity, increase the caps until the pedal is pretty quiet. Don’t try to find balance between noise and treble content. Kill the noise completely first.
> 
> ...


I understand that the values differ between MKI and MKII, but would the principle be worth applying to MKI or is it so inherent already with MKI build that trying to silence it is a somewhat wasted effort? I mean I have some good tips on how to bring the noise down, bit perhaps I  should not hope on getting it as quiet as with your MKIIs?


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## Big Monk (Sep 26, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> I understand that the values differ between MKI and MKII, but would the principle be worth applying to MKI or is it so inherent already with MKI build that trying to silence it is a somewhat wasted effort? I mean I have some good tips on how to bring the noise down, bit perhaps I  should not hope on getting it as quiet as with your MKIIs?



You could do the same thing. I’m just not as well versed in the circuit architecture of the MK I so I can’t say how changing frequency shaping components will affect the overall tone.

You can absolutely use what I described to clamp down on noise though. That is circuit independent.


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## Matopotato (Sep 27, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> You could do the same thing. I’m just not as well versed in the circuit architecture of the MK I so I can’t say how changing frequency shaping components will affect the overall tone.
> 
> You can absolutely use what I described to clamp down on mouse though. That is circuit independent.


Thanks! (I am guessing "mouse" is autocorrect of "noise"...)


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## andare (Sep 27, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> The powersound should NOT be noisy like a Tonebender MK II.
> 
> The MK II is one of noisiest pedals going. Like rom-com movies that end with the fairy tale wedding, demos for high end fuzzes very rarely show you how much damn noise there is in the background.


When Dunlop issued the JHW1 Fuzz Face (a Si/Ge mini pedal with switchable buffer and Jimi Hendrix licensed art), almost every demo featured the incredible hiss of the Ge side, which makes it unusable on cleanup. I stupidly bought it, thinking it wouldn't bother me. Sold it.

Another one like that is the Pedal Pawn fuzz. It's advertised as having the SRV "glassy cleans" and sure enough, even the official demos have a ton of hiss in the background.
I believe any fuzz face with the volume all the way up accomplishes the same effect.

This thread is gold. Sorry for derailing it but I suppose the base to collector caps can be implemented in a Fuzz Face circuit as well?


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## Matopotato (Sep 27, 2021)

Derailing is fine by me. A lot of good tips tricks and discussion surfacing. Only minor worry is if MKI title will hinder MKII searches from finding this. Feel free to clone if anyone feels the need for it.
For me, the cap analysis with first lowering the noise and the compensating the treble loss, with a different circuit (MKI) already soldered puts me in a sort of "best effort" approach of what I might be able to try. I choose the MKI for it's rawness. And I plan to get a noise
 gate for various other purposes so it might end well in my case. Also some hiss might be part of the vintage "feel" that could add a little bit to authenticity. A completely silent fuzz would be great, but perhaps also a bit if a "contradiction in terms".


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## Big Monk (Sep 27, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> Thanks! (I am guessing "mouse" is autocorrect of "noise"...)



Yup! Fixed!


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## Big Monk (Sep 27, 2021)

andare said:


> This thread is gold. Sorry for derailing it but I suppose the base to collector caps can be implemented in a Fuzz Face circuit as well?



Yup. Same exact methodology but with a few quirks of its own. With a MK II/Supa, you’ll probably start low and end up with higher values for the base to collector caps. That circuit typically requires higher values to really clamp down on the hiss. 

The Fuzz Face is a little different. For starters, the Fuzz Face has the oscillation issues that the MK II/Supa does not. Eliminating this should be the first order of business. 

Let me start a new thread in a bit after I get my kids rocking and rolling for school. Stay tuned.


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## Matopotato (Sep 24, 2021)

Hi,
I just managed to finish MKI and there is a lot of fuzz in it. I modded it by setting a trimpot (20k) for R7. Lowering it gives a sort of dying battery sputter, and 75%+ makes it less fuzzy almost like a boost.
First question/issue is that it has a high noise floor (?), but I was sort of expecting that with fuzzes. But reading other posts it seems to be possible to adjust.
The second issue is that the Attack knob does not do very much. When off or almost off it kills/turns effect off like close to 0 on volume knob. (Which is good and expected) But above 15% it does not do much all the way tTo the top.
I checked the thread by @Coda (MKII issue) but the fix there seems not to be my case at a first glance. Also checked the thread on MKII by @TSReppe .
The transistors from Das Musikding were 1 OC75 and AC125F and AC125U. I tried to compare the hfe on the AC125s but they were very close as I remember.
No idea how to check for leakage and if that would have effect. Musikding are good at sending matched and appropriate transistors imho. 
Thanks in advance.
PS I like the casing (from Tayda, long transport...) and knobs combination, will try some decal printing later on.


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## Big Monk (Sep 27, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> Also some hiss might be part of the vintage "feel" that could add a little bit to authenticity. A completely silent fuzz would be great, but perhaps also a bit if a "contradiction in terms".



In theory, hiss and other noise should not be a sonic characteristic of the pedal. Hiss and noise as an unfortunate add-on to the circuit and the specific fuzz tone should be there independent of it.


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## Matopotato (Sep 27, 2021)

Is the C2, C5, C9 in this schema (American Fuzz Pro ) what you meant by inserting 100pF or 82pF (ish) between base(s) and collector(s), @Big Monk ?
I am not done with my second attempt just yet, but remember when the first attempt actually worked that 220pF kind of dulled the tone a noticeably bit. I am guessing that is why the method is to get rid of hiss, and then brighten back up again with other small caps.


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## Big Monk (Sep 27, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> Is the C2, C5, C9 in this schema (American Fuzz Pro ) what you meant by inserting 100pF or 82pF (ish) between base(s) and collector(s), @Big Monk ?
> I am not done with my second attempt just yet, but remember when the first attempt actually worked that 220pF kind of dulled the tone a noticeably bit. I am guessing that is why the method is to get rid of hiss, and then brighten back up again with other small caps.



Yes to all. 

Yes, those are slots for base to collector caps. 

Yes, base to collector caps will mute some of the high end, depending on the size used, of the pedal.

Yes, if you lose some high end from these caps, you’ll need to “brighten” things up elsewhere in the circuit.


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## Bricksnbeatles (Sep 27, 2021)

As far as the noise issue goes, I’ve found that the MK IIs that I’ve built with “sag” (voltage) knobs get *just* gated enough when I bring it to around 7.2v to complete eliminate any hiss without noticeably changing the actual tone or sustain at all aside from slightly less volume on tap (easily compensated by bumping up the volume knob by 5-10% unless you’re the type of person to goose the volume all the way to completely compress the sound further into an already heavily-overdriven amp for a really flubby sound, but in that case why even bother using a Tonebender?)


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## Big Monk (Sep 27, 2021)

Bricksnbeatles said:


> As far as the noise issue goes, I’ve found that the MK IIs that I’ve built with “sag” (voltage) knobs get *just* gated enough when I bring it to around 7.2v to complete eliminate any hiss without noticeably changing the actual tone or sustain at all aside from slightly less volume on tap (easily compensated by bumping up the volume knob by 5-10% unless you’re the type of person to goose the volume all the way to completely compress the sound further into an already heavily-overdriven amp for a really flubby sound, but in that case why even bother using a Tonebender?)



It's of course transistor dependent.

What I've found using the General Electric 2N169 is that there is zero gating to be had at the voltages I like, so noise and hiss becomes distracting. caps are the only way for me to get rid of that noise in those transistors, but not necessarily the only way for all transistors, as you've pointed out.

In general, gating was always the way the vintage circuits dealt with noise.


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## Matopotato (Sep 27, 2021)

Ok, I found a few Ge transistors that I could try, but the increased noise and were more spluttery without adding to the range of the Attack knob.
Later this week I plan to swap for an audio, log potentiometer for it and that will probably be it.
I owned a Fuzz Face Mini III for a short while and it was very clearly cleaning up if guitar volume went below 8. It also had a bias setting that would cause a very spluttery sound when starved. As if not all tones make out of the pedal.
With the MKI I experienced that same thing with humbuckers, but in the opposite direction. 5 6 7 ish is ok and nice fuzz with chords, but at 8-10 it splutters as if starved, especially chords. Single coils not that effect. Seems that very hot pickups drive the MKI to strange territory.
Just an observation.
EDIT: I think it is called "gated" when it is starved or spluttery.


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## Matopotato (Sep 28, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> Yes to all.
> 
> Yes, those are slots for base to collector caps.
> 
> ...


Ok, I tried with a 220pF cap touching base leg and collector leg. No change what I could tell. Tried on all 3 transistors and noticeable change. Maybe my idea of "hiss" is more of inherent noisefloor. The noise when unplayed is same level as an MT-2 and less that Bogner Red Mini...
Will measure and try to adjust transistors as close to what @danfrank suggested. And swap the pot to log.


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## Matopotato (Oct 1, 2021)

danfrank said:


> Using a log or audio taper pot instead of a linear pot for the "attack" control will help greatly to give you more variance when turning that knob.


@danfrank I finally got around to get an A50k for attack, and it is a big difference. That Attack knob is useful now. 
Plan is to figure out the Q1 2 3 I have in and what is best since the gating is still a bit much for me.


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## danfrank (Oct 1, 2021)

If the gating is too much try with a Q3 transistor with more leakage.


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## Matopotato (Oct 3, 2021)

I have studied as much as I can to figure out how to measure Ge transistors. Most helpful I found R.G. Keens explanation of Fuzz Faces and how to measure as well as DIY Guitar Pedals Youtube clip (



).
Just for fun I put one Ge transistor in the freezer for a little bit and its values changed considerably.
So next step was to put the ToneVendor MKI in there as well. Some 10-30 minutes later and now it gates a lot more. The attack below noon, more or less shuts off the effect. So it had quite a dramatic effect. On the other hand, I wanted to reduce the gating and get more Fuzz...


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## Matopotato (Oct 15, 2021)

I decided to try out the advice from @danfrank :


danfrank said:


> Hi everyone. I ordered a Tone Vendor MK1 board a bit ago. I've made most of the fuzz box types in the past except for this one. I was happy to see  that PedalPCB offered a board for the MK1. I've read most everything I could find on the internet about the MK1 and the data and opinions about the MK1 are all over the place. So, what is good data that works for building the MK1 and what is hogwash??? Lol!
> Well, I built mine and here's a few observations that I've made... Hopefully this will help other builders:
> 
> I found that Q1 works best if it has a gain of around 55-70, it also needs to be "leaky", like around 200ua. This is because the leakage is what biases Q1. A higher leakage might work better but the higher the leakage in a transistor, generally the higher the noise.  Transistor noise is critical with Q1, noisy Q1 = noisy circuit.
> ...



I managed to get hold of:
Q1: ACY30 hfe 82 leak 210uA 
Q2: SFT229 116 and 40uA
Q3: 2N321 82 and 110uA
And it just became a different pedal. Hiss don't bother me at this point so I did not check that out.
The attack knob went from 3/4 useful to about 1/2 + some usefulness.
That was with single coil
Then I tried humbuckers and it got in to some kind of "over fuzz" territory when pedal and volume was close to dimed. Like gating but more of an overall subdued sound. really cool, but (for me) unexpected.
So I have the "original" ones which gated most of the time. Not a bad thing, made it very "fuzzy" and felt vintage.
With the new set it lost a touch of the fuzz and is almost looking over its shoulder towards distortion pedals 
But with that overfuzz mode. Still it is fuzzy but quite cleaner especially with Single Coil.
So some part in my ever GASing brain begins "I want both". And after some control ego saying "It's not gonna happen, you can't solder that" I began to contemplate "what if".
I do have the board socketed, so I can insert wires to anywhere. I could drill some more holes for switches like Q1 Q2 Q3 and flip between each transistor on an individual basis to make it "as complex as you can make one of the simplest pedal designs".
Or one switch for each triple. (Will experiment some to see if it would be useful. Just 9 or so iterations).
Anyway, my question now becomes: How would one go about to set this up?
I am just assuming with some wire and a switch, you ought to be able to direct which transistor to engage.
Is it just to connect emitters and bases to their respective spots on the socket an set the switch to select collector (or some other combo). Now, they are leaking so I assume one have to think this through.
Or is there somewhere a pcb for "Those crazy guys out there who want to transform an MKI into some kind of Fuzz monster"?
Any help or honest "don't go down that road pal" help is appreciated. *@danfrank* or *@Big Monk* ?
Many thanks in advance either way.
And again, a huge thanks for all who contributed to this thread! I really do appreciate it.


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## Big Monk (Oct 15, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> I decided to try out the advice from @danfrank :
> 
> 
> I managed to get hold of:
> ...



Just to be clear: You want to use 3 transistor pairs for each position on a switch? 

The easiest way, if you had the space, would be to put each pair on a 3PDT toggle.

I can't say how switching each device will affect bias voltage, etc. but that's how I would do it.


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## Matopotato (Oct 15, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> Just to be clear: You want to use 3 transistor pairs for each position on a switch?
> 
> The easiest way, if you had the space, would be to put each pair on a 3PDT toggle.
> 
> I can't say how switching each device will affect bias voltage, etc. but that's how I would do it.


Yes, either 3 pairs and one 3PDT or 3x "single" switches that would allow for more (ridiculous and excessive) control, individually. 
3PDTs might be challenging to fit but good point.
If instead I would try to join 2 out of 3 legs and use a 1 switch for the last leg, is that even possible? (Or 3PDT for all 3 flips in one go) And if so which ones can be joined and which should be put to the switch?

I have added a bias trimpot on Q3 and in the second setup of transistors it had little impact so I think/hope biasing is of less impact.


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## Matopotato (Oct 15, 2021)

A 3PDT flip (not stomp) with on-on 2 way per each "opposing" transistor pair is what you proposed, right? (I thought stomp) wite centerpieces to the socket and one transistors on  each row.
Will it pop a lot when switching?


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## Big Monk (Oct 15, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> A 3PDT flip (not stomp) with on-on 2 way per each "opposing" transistor pair is what you proposed, right? (I thought stomp) wite centerpieces to the socket and one transistors on  each row.
> Will it pop a lot when switching?



Yes.

Q1 might pop because it's couple directly to the power rail but I don't think Q2 and Q3 would.

Maybe it would be best to determine which transistor swaps give you the most benefit and just switch those.


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## Matopotato (Oct 15, 2021)

Big Monk said:


> Yes.
> 
> Q1 might pop because it's couple directly to the power rail but I don't think Q2 and Q3 would.
> 
> Maybe it would be best to determine which transistor swaps give you the most benefit and just switch those.


Thanks!
Yes, I can get all the stuff, and socket on the 3pdt so I avoid soldering the transistors. Then I can fliptest and determine if one setup is optimal or if flips are useful. After that, drill and solder accordingly. 
I really appreciate the help.


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## Matopotato (Oct 15, 2021)

Matopotato said:


> ....Or one switch for each triple. (Will experiment some to see if it would be useful. Just 9 or so iterations)...


Actually, with three 3pdt with on-on there are 8 combinations. Just to be clear.. (I once taught math, so I should've known better...)


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## Matopotato (Oct 21, 2021)

I managed to fit 3x 3pdt on-on switches and arranged the original transistors with the new set. And it works!
There is no pop sound when switching Q1, so I am guessing the circuit/board already handle that.
I felt I got many more options out if it now. The Attack knob gets a bigger range in some combinations. The volume on the guitar has higher impact than expected, which is good. Not as dramatic as fuzzface, but more "useful" imho. With humbuckers volume over ~8 it sort of "overgates". A cool sound, but very "soft".
The bias pot got more sensitive and I am glad to have added have it.
The pedal has some hiss and lots of untamed sounds, but I take that as its charm.
Only "negative" is a squealing, whining, sort of high-pitched noise in some settings from Q2 SFT229. Not sure if 80-100pF on base collector would help that, but plan to try it, @Big Monk ?
Again, many thanks for help, tips and support throughout this build!

UPDATE: Tried some 80, 100 and 220 pF and hiss changed, but not the squealing thing. It comes with the Attack know at say 2 or 3 o'clock. but lowering the Level removes it and then I can bring back level and it is not audible. But the Attack knob is now sort of just waiting for a touch to go back to the squealing sound. Playing somewhat loud seems to remove it as well, but hard to tell if it gets lost or just drenched.


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## Matopotato (Feb 1, 2022)

Just for the archeologists: I had used quite long cables because I wanted the 3PDTs to be Q1 Q2 Q3 order when playing. I gave up that and connected each 3PDT to its closest socket, and the whine and squeal was gone.
I also noticed that some transistors legs were thin enough to cause glitches in the 3PTDs, so skipped them and soldered the transistors on to the 3PDTs, with wire only to the sockets on the pcb. Less chance to change them around, but by now I am happy with the ones I got in there. In the end the range of the Attack got quite a bit better as well.


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## Spartansound (May 21, 2022)

Matopotato said:


> Hi,
> I just managed to finish MKI and there is a lot of fuzz in it. I modded it by setting a trimpot (20k) for R7. Lowering it gives a sort of dying battery sputter, and 75%+ makes it less fuzzy almost like a boost.
> First question/issue is that it has a high noise floor (?), but I was sort of expecting that with fuzzes. But reading other posts it seems to be possible to adjust.
> The second issue is that the Attack knob does not do very much. When off or almost off it kills/turns effect off like close to 0 on volume knob. (Which is good and expected) But above 15% it does not do much all the way tTo the top.
> ...


Finish looks great.  What hammered paint did you use?


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## Matopotato (Sep 24, 2021)

Hi,
I just managed to finish MKI and there is a lot of fuzz in it. I modded it by setting a trimpot (20k) for R7. Lowering it gives a sort of dying battery sputter, and 75%+ makes it less fuzzy almost like a boost.
First question/issue is that it has a high noise floor (?), but I was sort of expecting that with fuzzes. But reading other posts it seems to be possible to adjust.
The second issue is that the Attack knob does not do very much. When off or almost off it kills/turns effect off like close to 0 on volume knob. (Which is good and expected) But above 15% it does not do much all the way tTo the top.
I checked the thread by @Coda (MKII issue) but the fix there seems not to be my case at a first glance. Also checked the thread on MKII by @TSReppe .
The transistors from Das Musikding were 1 OC75 and AC125F and AC125U. I tried to compare the hfe on the AC125s but they were very close as I remember.
No idea how to check for leakage and if that would have effect. Musikding are good at sending matched and appropriate transistors imho. 
Thanks in advance.
PS I like the casing (from Tayda, long transport...) and knobs combination, will try some decal printing later on.


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## Matopotato (May 21, 2022)

Thanks!
I did not paint it myself. I ordered this
Tayda hammered copper 125B from Tayda.


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