This is a library of perfboard and single-sided PCB effect layouts for guitar and bass. I'm not an electrical engineer by any stretch of the imagination, just a DIY'er who likes drawing layouts. It is meant for the hobbyist (so commercial use of any of these layout is not allowed without permission) and as a way to give back to the online DIY community.
Sneaky Fuzz Friday you probably didn't see coming! And on Valentine's Day too boot. See? I still love you guys. Here's Bjorn's Pink Purple Fuzz, a hybrid JFET, silicon, and germanium transistor fuzz. Schematic and discussion on FSB here. And don't forget about the sale going on over on the store. "Val20" at checkout gets you 20% off your whole order!
Note: I'm a bit rusty. I laid the whole circuit out before realizing the Nature pot wasn't centered, and still isn't on the perf side. So if you're building on perf, and board mounting that pot, you'll just need to angle it a little to fit to the drill template.
Keeping it in alphabetical order, here's Bjorn's Model H. Similar to the Model G, but without the the "C" pot and a few value changes, it emulates the Hiwatt amps Pete Townsend used on Live at Leeds. Here's the schematic for reference.
Today's layout is the Model G from Bjorn. It's a variation of the Honey Bee and aims to replicate the sounds of some classic Gibson amps from the 50s and 60s. Board mounted pots and should be an easy fit in a 1590B. Schematic over on FSB.
Here's an interesting Fuzz Face variation designed by Bjorn for Fuzz Friday. Here's the schematic for reference. It can also be purchased as a kit from Moody Sounds out of Sweden. Should be an easy fit in a 1590B.
This one just got traced over on FSB. Apparently the heaviest of Bjorn's Honey designs. Here's the schematic for reference. Note: In the schematic the source and drain on Q1-2 are reversed from the way they are normally oriented, but I recently learned JFETs are generally symmetrical and will work either way. The original is built on a PCB that several of Bjorn's circuits can be built with and is laid out for TO-18 package JFETs with a different pinout than the TO-92 packaged 2N5952. I'm wondering/guessing it was easier to swap the drain and source legs when fitting the transistor to the PCB, but perhaps other/earlier versions of the circuit used TO-18 JFETs and had the drain and source oriented the "normal" way. That's my reasoning and as a result I've reversed them to the "standard" orientation in this layout. Also I altered the polarity protection method to fit on the board better. I'll shut up now.
Unique little distortion box from Bjorn. The original uses 1A1200 diodes (which are pretty big), but other (and smaller) silicon diodes can be used. Should fit nicely in a 1590B.
Here's Bjorn's Baby Blue overdrive. Fairly straight forward JFET circuit with hard clipping in the 2nd stage. The clipping diodes in the original are (massive) 2A1200s, but other silicon diodes will work–socket and experiment. The JFETs used in the original aren't confirmed, but I've laid it out for GSD pinout. Pots are board mounted and should fit in a 1590B. More info here.
Also, I've added extra holes on the PCB for the 470nF caps in case you want to use electrolytic capacitors.
For Fuzz Friday, here's a great fuzz design by Bjorn he did for the DIY community. Q1-2 can be either silicon or germanium, and Q3-4 are used as clipping diodes. Here's the schematic for reference. Should be an easy fit in a 1590B.
For Fuzz Friday, here's the BearFoot FX Candy Apple Fuzz. It's a unique silicon/germanium hybrid designed by Bjorn and it rips. Originals use 2N1308 NPN germanium transistors, but others can be used. Pots are all board mounted and it will fit nicely in a 1590B. Here's the schematic for reference.
Here's a cool little booster from Bjorn. Fairly typical JFET boost but the way the originals are wired, when the effect is bypassed, it's buffer. This layout reflects that original wiring, so wire the In pad to the input jack, Out pad to the output jack, and use a DPDT footswitch. If want to wire it for true bypass, jumper the 2 switch pads at the top of the board and omit the 150k resistor going from lug 1 of the Boost pot to ground. Or you can wire up a SPST switch to go between buffer and boost. Lots of options with this little circuit. Works well off 18v too.
Fuzz Friday is once again upon us, so here's the BearFoot FX (BJFE) Arctic White Fuzz. It's probably based on Tim Escobedo's JFET variations of the Fuzz Face, but with a lot modification. It's set up for board mounted pots and will easily fit in a 1590B enclosure.
Being primarily a bass player myself, I've wanted to build this one for a while, but didn't really feel like messing with all the off board wiring of my first layout of this circuit. So I've drawn up a new layout with board mounted pots. I've also subbed a 2N5457 in place of the stock 2N5952 because it's what I have in my personal stock and I order from parts suppliers enough already (haha). If you do use a 5952, mind the pinout as it's SGD, whereas the 5457 is GSD.
Here's a cool EQ/booster from Bjorn Juhl. If pushed hard, it will break up much like a tube EQ would, and adds warmth and clarity to your tone. It uses 2 JFETs and a James style tone stack.
Here's another great circuit by Bjorn (who also designs all the Mad Professor stuff). It's an optical compressor that's very similar to the Mad Professor Forrest Green Compressor. It's not too heavy handed, and is, as Bjorn has said, "The compressor for people who hate compressors."
Almost identical to the BearFoot BlueBerry Bass Overdrive, this version is tuned for guitar. A medium drive apparently inspired by old Supro amps, it delivers warm overdrive that's very sensitive to your pick attack.
Here's a great bass drive from BearFoot FX in Sweden. Kind of similar to a RAT, but not really. It's a completely different beast. Q1 calls for a 2N5952, but other JFETs should work there too, just socket and mind the pinout.
