What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by OffYourFace » Sat Jun 20, 2020 6:50 pm

Another thing to consider in John used a late '70s UL 100w Twin. To me, the BC109s sound better through a big clean twin than the bc108s. I found the BC108s to be too bright, fizzy & scooped. The BC109s have more gain and don't sound as harsh or scooped.

It's a whole different story with Marshalls. BC109s are pretty smooth and might be too smooth for some (kinda eric johnson like but less defined). The BC108s have more attack and grit here.

I wasted countless hours in the FF world (and Tone Bender and Big Muff). I'm very glad that part of my life has passed :)
But you'll never know until you try it yourself.

My favorite FF of all time was a 1998 Fulltone '69 I bought new. That's a different tone but I felt I could get close to that germanium sound with a BC109 FF biased a bit darker.

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by marqueemoon » Sat Jun 20, 2020 7:47 pm

OffYourFace wrote:
Sat Jun 20, 2020 6:50 pm
Another thing to consider in John used a late '70s UL 100w Twin. To me, the BC109s sound better through a big clean twin than the bc108s. I found the BC108s to be too bright, fizzy & scooped. The BC109s have more gain and don't sound as harsh or scooped.

It's a whole different story with Marshalls. BC109s are pretty smooth and might be too smooth for some (kinda eric johnson like but less defined). The BC108s have more attack and grit here.

I wasted countless hours in the FF world (and Tone Bender and Big Muff). I'm very glad that part of my life has passed :)
But you'll never know until you try it yourself.

My favorite FF of all time was a 1998 Fulltone '69 I bought new. That's a different tone but I felt I could get close to that germanium sound with a BC109 FF biased a bit darker.
Yeah, I like the bright, cutting thing. I have a Colorsound clone I dig, but it isn’t very complex and is pretty limited when backing off the guitar volume. Gets brittle pretty quick. It’s great for adding a nice bed of noise in the background when overdubbing though.

I play Fenderesque amps pretty much exclusively, though much lower wattage. Not trying to ape Squire’s sound too closely, but it’s a fuzz sound I really like and think I could do something with.

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by fuzzjunkie » Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:24 pm

Basic Audio Solar Myth. I don’t know what transistors he uses, but his silicon based fuzz pedals are awesome and very versatile. He takes one trick ponies and teaches them new tricks.

https://www.basicaudio.net/store-1/5ein ... nkj6-e7jng

Monsterpiece NPN. Another highly regraded silicon Fuzz Face with external bias controls. Comes in the 3 classic transistor varieties 183, 108, or 109.

https://monsterpiecefuzz.com/pedals/npn-fuzz

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by The P-Man » Sun Jun 21, 2020 10:59 am

Surprised no-one has mentioned the foxrox hot silicon. Dave Fox was the man producing the Crest Audio Fuzz Faces...

"Hot Silicon2 is based on the legendary Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face. Specifically, the version that was produced by Dallas Music Industries, Inc between 1986 and 1990. DMI, Inc also manufactured Crest Audio power amplifiers and Kelsey Mixing boards. These Fuzz Faces came to be referred to as "Crest Reissues" because they were built in the same factory as the Crest amps. In fall of 1986, a young Dave Fox (founder of Foxrox), while working for DMI, Inc, brought the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face back from extinction. These Fuzz Faces were based on the silicon version from the 1970's but they also had a tone all their own. Read Dave's account of those early days below."

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:45 am

A D*A*M silicon Grease Box GB-83 just popped for sale locally. Listening to some samples it’s a little milder - maybe more of a fuzzy overdrive, but it does have that cutting, slightly nasal thing going on.

Thoughts?

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by del » Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:31 am

marqueemoon wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:45 am
A D*A*M silicon Grease Box GB-83 just popped for sale locally. Listening to some samples it’s a little milder - maybe more of a fuzzy overdrive, but it does have that cutting, slightly nasal thing going on.

Thoughts?
That's probably going to be a great fuzz pedal. And definitely re-salable if it doesn't ultimately suit your needs.

I've never played one, but based on some clips I just listened to it is less spitty than my JH-F1, but in the same vein. And maybe it can be made spittier than what I heard on those clips... so... COOL!
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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Jun 22, 2020 7:02 pm

del wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:31 am
marqueemoon wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:45 am
A D*A*M silicon Grease Box GB-83 just popped for sale locally. Listening to some samples it’s a little milder - maybe more of a fuzzy overdrive, but it does have that cutting, slightly nasal thing going on.

Thoughts?
That's probably going to be a great fuzz pedal. And definitely re-salable if it doesn't ultimately suit your needs.

I've never played one, but based on some clips I just listened to it is less spitty than my JH-F1, but in the same vein. And maybe it can be made spittier than what I heard on those clips... so... COOL!
Kind of what I'm thinking too. Still a bit over my original budget though.

If it were in a shop and we weren't in the middle of a damn pandemic I would be making a beeline to play it.

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by reserves » Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:24 pm

Wish I’d kept the one I got a a boot sale in Bristol UK for £2

Same guy sold me a Cry Baby Wah Wah pedal and also a boxed Millennium Falcon :)

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by del » Tue Jun 23, 2020 12:48 pm

marqueemoon wrote:
Mon Jun 22, 2020 7:02 pm
Kind of what I'm thinking too. Still a bit over my original budget though.

If it were in a shop and we weren't in the middle of a damn pandemic I would be making a beeline to play it.
D*A*M pedals definitely aren't easy on the pocketbook.
A quick look at reverb shows that used JH-F1s are regularly listed at prices under $100, which I'd guess is a fair bit below the Grease Box.
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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Jun 24, 2020 9:03 am

Welp, I’ve come to a decision. I bought a Euthymia Crucible.

One popped up on ebay for a fair price (about 1/3 what the D*A*M would cost me).

It’s NOS BC109C, and from the crappy sounding demos on Youtube it’s a bit hotter than the Crest and less splatty. Seems a lot like the Foxrox, actually.

If I like it I’ll go further down the rabbit hole later.

I’ll post some impressions once it gets here. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by FiestaRed335 » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:14 pm

I played an Analogman BC183 Sunface through a Fender Twin with a strat and thought it was awesome. I own a Peppermint Fuzz, which is a different thing entirely but it's beyond my expectations, big fan of Analogman pedals.

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by marqueemoon » Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:42 pm

FiestaRed335 wrote:
Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:14 pm
I played an Analogman BC183 Sunface through a Fender Twin with a strat and thought it was awesome. I own a Peppermint Fuzz, which is a different thing entirely but it's beyond my expectations, big fan of Analogman pedals.
I definitely considered a BC109 Sun Face, but decided I couldn't justify the cost for what may not be a mainstay sound for me.

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by stilwel » Tue Jun 30, 2020 8:43 am

Last edited by stilwel on Wed Jul 01, 2020 2:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by stilwel » Tue Jun 30, 2020 9:12 am

My personal favorite, and much maligned, silcon fuzz is the Seymour Duncan Tweak Fuzz. I have 5 of them in various states of modification.
Here's one with my Double-Tweak mod.

Image

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Re: What's yer favorite silicon Fuzz Face?

Post by brain21 » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:53 pm

Berkos 3rd Stone fuzz. Close runner ups are:
Roger Mayer Visage fuzz - so versatile, I haven't even really begun to explore what it can do.
This one only sorta counts, but not really - Dunlop Band of Gypsies Fuzz. I have the big red one. Technically it's not a fuzz face circuit.

I have a bunch of others, but wouldn't list them as my favorites - Harmtan Si Fuzz (BC-108), KR "The Fuzz" ...

Most of the other Si fuzz faces that I've heard that I really liked were all BC-183.

I'm not sure whats in the Berkos, but between the 3 I mentioned above, IDK that I need another Si Fuzz Face. Now, another Si fuzz of another variety? I'm eyeing a Ron F*cking Swanson Super Fuzz...

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