Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: TIMBO on January 21, 2023, 07:09:43 pm

Title: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on January 21, 2023, 07:09:43 pm

Hey guys, What is it??
It's probably nothing new in terms of circuit, but I'm going to give it a crack.
I found it on this site http://www.solorb.com/elect/musiccirc/howlermonkey1/
This amp was a great success, so a tube pedal to go with it sounds like a good idea
The link is at the bottom of the page
(https://i.imgur.com/Za3yM6V.jpg?1)
A closer look reveals there is a low watt amp as the main circuit.
I have added a speaker out, but I think I need to investigate this a little further as the 10 ohm/100ka pot would still be in the circuit if a speaker is connected
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: sluckey on January 21, 2023, 09:16:32 pm
It's a fuzz box. The small amplifier is not meant to drive a speaker. The output is supposed to connect to the input of another amp. This will produce a huge fuzz sound. Randy Bachman used a "herzog" which was basically a Fender Champ plugged into his main amp to get that wild overdrive fuzz on songs like American Woman.

Here's his schematic

     https://el34world.com/charts/Schematics/files/Garnet/Garnet_g12h_h_zog.pdf

and here's what it sounds like. If you are impatient jump over to 6:00 for the more traditional American Woman...


Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: kagliostro on January 22, 2023, 05:01:38 pm
Cool Steve

I like that sound

Franco
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: dude on January 22, 2023, 08:27:24 pm
and here's what it sounds like. If you are impatient jump over to 6:00 for the more traditional American Woman...


Man that is some great guitar playing and that tone is classic, Canada sure has some great guitar players
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: sluckey on January 22, 2023, 09:50:03 pm
If you like Randy's sound you should also check out Bachman Turner Overdrive. Meanwhile, here's one more from the '60s featuring Randy's Herzog...

&index=15&ab_channel=PeutEtreDejaVu
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: Tirol29 on January 23, 2023, 04:41:51 am
Randy Bachman not only has a collection of guitars, but also has amplifiers and recording gear that he has used throughout the years.

When he was much younger he helped to develop an amplifier with his friend “Gar” Garnet Gillies. Randy states that when he was growing up he started by playing violin and he loved the sustaining sound of the instrument. When he switched over to guitar he found that by plugging a small amplifier into a bigger amplifier he could get a sustaining sound.

Bachman experimented with taking the “power out” wires that went to the speaker and plugging them into the input of the larger amp, however found out that continued use of this technique resulted in damage to the larger amplifier. He took his amps to his friend Gar, who owned a radio/TV repair shop and was a musician.
Gar told him what he was doing and was told he was crazy and this could be dangerous. So Gar helped to help him accomplish this in a safer and less destructive way. What resulted was a tube pre-amp which when added to another amp gave the desired sound.

Most of the available amps were Fender amplifiers and the pre-amp just did not sound right with the Fenders. So Gar got some parts from Heathkit and built an amplifier to go along with the pre-amp unit. The resulting amplifer and its sustain feature is the sound heard on American Woman, No Time and other Guess Who songs.

Randy and Gar decided they needed a name to go on the amplifier. Bachman was reading a book at the time that said Herzog across the cover and decided that was the name for the amplifier.
Later on Gar went into business for himself and built amplifiers and cabinets with the name Garnet on their fronts.

from : https://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/2015/01/randy-bachman-featured-items-from-his.html
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: PRR on January 23, 2023, 10:54:22 pm
> ...to the speaker ...continued use of this technique resulted in damage to the larger amplifier.

No, to the smaller amp, playing flat-out with no load. The OT would break-down. Gar basically added a dummy load and a turn-down pot, then re-packaged in a much smaller cabinet than a Champ-combo (what it started as, though it may have been Gar's take on a Champ-amp.)

Gar was already fixing amps, and assembling amps, since before Rock started. His special niche was that Fender was expensive in Canada: shipping, import duties, distributor markups, and USD vs CAD. He could sell a parts-amp out his own door fot significantly less money.
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on January 25, 2023, 06:38:17 pm
Thanks for the info.
Yeah it's pretty much a PP clone of the Herzog with a reverb
Part of the motivation is having most of the parts on hand.
So the eyelet board was laid out and made.
(https://i.imgur.com/j6tBPcC.jpg?1)
I know the Herzog was not probably used as an actual amplifier, even though the bones is a champ.
There is a bit of hype ATM with low watt amps using 12A_7 valves as output.
The bones of my "Fuzzniverb" is a couple watt beast, so I was wanting to utilize that part of it.
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: tdvt on January 26, 2023, 06:59:32 am
I would be interested to see a pic of your populated board when you get there, especially with the mix of eyelets & turrets.
But cool project overall, that always WAS/IS a very distinctive guitar sound.
 
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on January 28, 2023, 05:25:49 am
(https://i.imgur.com/gT2rG71.jpg?1)
Ready to be grafted into the chassis
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on January 28, 2023, 11:36:54 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/TwFYqTe.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/xUxi3cb.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qDYb3wk.jpg?1)
Ready for the circuit board
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: tdvt on January 30, 2023, 06:56:04 am
Thanks for posting the pic of the loaded board.

Is that a 1/8" (3mm) board or something thinner? Just wondering about the eyelets.

While I like turrets, they do have their limitations, like all the various types of connections do.


I have made a few hybrid eyelet/turret sub-boards lately, which is why I was interested in what you were doing. I also ordered some forked turrets recently to try out at certain points with a higher wire count 
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on February 02, 2023, 12:28:31 am
Hey mate, The board is only 2mm thick so the turrets are a bit harder to seat.
They both have their advantages, I like eyelets for a more vintage look.
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: tubeswell on February 02, 2023, 04:07:23 am
Hmmm, this thread has stirred up some emotion for repurposing an old stand-alone vibrato unit I made a few years back into a vibrato/fuzznikator/herzog. Time will tell
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: AlNewman on February 02, 2023, 10:31:44 am
That is an interesting chassis.  Did you use a piece of steel framing stud?
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on February 03, 2023, 02:27:29 am
Hmmm, this thread has stirred up some emotion for repurposing an old stand-alone vibrato unit I made a few years back into a vibrato/fuzznikator/herzog. Time will tell
Go for it!!!!
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on February 03, 2023, 02:31:35 am
That is an interesting chassis.  Did you use a piece of steel framing stud?
Almost....
It's actually the bottom/top channel for steel stud framing
I found some off cuts on a construction site I was on
It measured 152x 50mm and about 1mm thick
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: AlNewman on February 03, 2023, 01:17:10 pm
That is an interesting chassis.  Did you use a piece of steel framing stud?
Almost....
It's actually the bottom/top channel for steel stud framing
I found some off cuts on a construction site I was on
It measured 152x 50mm and about 1mm thick

Nice, good idea.  Bout the same size as a deluxe reverb chassis.
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: AmberB on February 06, 2023, 12:00:38 am
The entire chassis is pre-tinned...   :laugh:
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on February 06, 2023, 03:23:17 am
(https://i.imgur.com/tO9DDRI.jpg?1)


I'll give it another going over before I solder the final bits in.
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: glass54 on February 06, 2023, 04:32:01 am
Nice (NEAT) work Timbo  :headbang:
Kind regards
Mirek
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on February 15, 2023, 03:07:54 am
Wiring completed and life injected....
Works great as a low watt amp.
It had a 4E type tank but I only have 4D and 4F, the 4F works well, plenty of boing.
I was able to get just above 300v on the preamp node as per the original circuit.
So all voltages look good with no hums or buzzes

Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on March 04, 2023, 05:35:28 pm
Hey the "Fuzzinverb" works well
The new 1H choke has been installed.
As a low watt amp sounds good at a mainly clean sound, could sound good with a pedal.
As a drive pedal, it's not bad
Clean setting give just enough edge, but not over the top.
Distortion setting, is also good with a fair bit more growl.
Plenty of reverb
Tone is subtle
Starvation setting is good, enables to control the amount of distortion on a different level, kinda have to be there.
Head shell is under construction.
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: DummyLoad on March 05, 2023, 05:48:52 am
It's a fuzz box. The small amplifier is not meant to drive a speaker. The output is supposed to connect to the input of another amp. This will produce a huge fuzz sound. Randy Bachman used a "herzog" which was basically a Fender Champ plugged into his main amp to get that wild overdrive fuzz on songs like American Woman.

Here's his schematic

     https://el34world.com/charts/Schematics/files/Garnet/Garnet_g12h_h_zog.pdf (https://el34world.com/charts/Schematics/files/Garnet/Garnet_g12h_h_zog.pdf)

and here's what it sounds like. If you are impatient jump over to 6:00 for the more traditional American Woman...



Cool jam! Very impressive!  :icon_biggrin:  @ 10:40 he breaks a string!! Lol! 

--Pete
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: Willabe on March 12, 2023, 10:50:10 am
Hmmm, this thread has stirred up some emotion for repurposing an old stand-alone vibrato unit I made a few years back into a vibrato/fuzznikator/herzog.

What vibrato?

Did you post the build here and I missed it?

Can you post the schematic for us vibrato loving guys please?    :icon_biggrin:
Title: Re: FUZZNIKATOR what is it???
Post by: TIMBO on March 13, 2023, 01:28:34 am
Hey Willabe,
It has a spare AU7 triode that could be used and buddie it up with a mosfet.