Best way to install a master volume on a fuzz

[MechaGodzilla]

I have a dizzy tone clone and it's fucking amazing but it has no real volume control. I'm guessing I *could* just stick a pot before the output (100k linear?) but even at minimum resistance, would it load the signal somewhat? What about a switching pot that disconnected itself when I didn't want it?

[BetterOffShred]

Yeah see basically any schematic for a fuzz with a volume will be a 50-100k audio pot at the end of the circuit. See the fz-1a schematic. That works great imo. You can of course use bigger sizes but for most circuits I've been happy with 50-100k audio taper

[crochambeau]

100K load from the collector is a pretty light load. 100K is kind of my go-to, and I've driven 10K input sections which increases the load by an order of magnitude with minimal affect (600 ohm loads are another matter). Granted, I haven't done it with the circuit you mention, but a voltage divider at circuit output is easy to reverse (unless you're cutting holes in the case).

[goroth]

If a pot changes the sound or doesn’t work as expected you could put a simple booster afterwards.

[MechaGodzilla]

but a voltage divider at circuit output is easy to reverse (unless you're cutting holes in the case).

ya, gonna have to do that, ruining the lovely symmetry of the 3-knobs format . I know I've seen buzzarounds/dizzys built by ghost and castledine in a 4-knob format with volume so I imagine they have a pretty decent idea what works best, might check in with them.

[rustywire]

If a pot changes the sound or doesn’t work as expected you could put a simple booster afterwards.

This is what I came to suggest, but in the form of an EQ with master boost/attenuate capabilities. They can be had for like $30-50 for graphic and a little more for parametrics. Worth it for the utility!

[crochambeau]

but a voltage divider at circuit output is easy to reverse (unless you're cutting holes in the case).

ya, gonna have to do that, ruining the lovely symmetry of the 3-knobs format

You can use a concentric/stacked pot, but it drastically hinders knob selection.

[MechaGodzilla]

If a pot changes the sound or doesn’t work as expected you could put a simple booster afterwards.

This is what I came to suggest, but in the form of an EQ with master boost/attenuate capabilities. They can be had for like $30-50 for graphic and a little more for parametrics. Worth it for the utility!

not worth it for a whole extra pedal on my board???

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

i took it as adding a booster circuit inside your existing enclosure

[MechaGodzilla]

Maybe I could stick an sho on the output, I think I'd be ok with that. I guess it would boost the super-zippy fuzz sounds that are a bit quiet, but it wouldn't help to attenuate the huge tonebender-y sounds (normal sho at zero isn't "off", it's just no boost)

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

even the SHO schematics show a voltage divider pot at the output to add a master volume
its a pretty common practice across many circuits

[BetterOffShred]

even the SHO schematics show a voltage divider pot at the output to add a master volume
its a pretty common practice across many circuits

[Bret608]

The schems I've seen for doing this on a Buzzaround or Dizzytone pretty much go from lug 2 of the Timbre pot (i.e. the existing output) to lug 3 of a 100k volume pot. Then, lug 2 of that volume pot is your new output, and lug 1 goes to ground.

Apologies if someone else already pointed this out! Hopefully this was at least somewhat clear. Also, for what it's worth, my Ghost Buzzaround has just the three knobs, but the balance knob really does just work like a volume control, even if it's technically some sort of bias. I haven't tried a Dizzy yet, though.

[eatyourguitar]

If a pot changes the sound or doesn’t work as expected you could put a simple booster afterwards.

or you can try the treble bleed mod for your output volume pot. you can change from the standard 100K to a 25K or 250K. the 250K or 500k will get darker as you turn down the volume. if this is undesirable then you should be using a 25K to keep it bright all the way down. you can also keep going with 100K or 500K but just add a resistor and cap if you want to keep it bright at half volume. no matter what pot you use, it will always be bright at full volume because it only adds a shunt but does not increase output impedance. when I do the treble bleed mod I don't just slap a cap on 2 + 3. I actually add a resistor in series to the cap based on the filter slope I think would work best. think of it like RC high pass in parallel to a voltage divider. the loss of brightness depends on the load connected to the output so your results may vary. just build it to work best with the amp you use the most.

Maybe I could stick an sho on the output, I think I'd be ok with that. I guess it would boost the super-zippy fuzz sounds that are a bit quiet, but it wouldn't help to attenuate the huge tonebender-y sounds (normal sho at zero isn't "off", it's just no boost)

I would advise against an SHO for a recovery stage. the advantage to BS170 is the really high input impedance from the mosfet that works great as the first thing your guitar sees. one of the drawbacks of using a BS170 as a recovery stage after an active stage is that they will always be way too bright. there is this sound that cuts through the mix in a way that I find to be almost unusable for live shows. the sound man will be fighting an uphill battle to get it EQ'd half way decent. you can bias a TL072 to work in class A mode and this works great for a perfectly linear recovery stage with no crossover distortion. it is jfet but it does not EQ your sound at all if the impedance's and AC coupling caps are carefully selected. if you must use a BS170 you should have fixed gain and the right output cap to balance the treble back a bit. the gain is controlled by the volume pot right before the BS170 NOT the 5K SHO crackle knob. replace the 5K knob with a 5K or 2.7K resistor.