Description
About This Circuit
If you’ve spent enough time around guitar players who are obsessed with the Fuzz Face like I have, you’ll quickly learn that there are about as many flavors of the Fuzz Face as there are people who are obsessed with the Fuzz Face. And as a guitar player, why wouldn’t you be? This circuit has almost single-handedly defined both the quintessential fuzz tone, as well as what it means to be playing your guitar through a fuzz. It responds to your playing dynamics and on-board guitar controls, and it is a simple enough circuit to build as well as to modify. I honestly could go on and on, but if you’re here already then I’d be preaching to the choir. My story with it goes that one of my best friends/pedal guru (@leibo.plays.guitar on IG if you want to give him a follow) asked me to build him the ultimate Fuzz Face, catered to all of his specific tastes, and flexible enough to be able to be modified as needed. Thus was born the Clever Girl Fuzz PCB, a pedal project designed for Fuzz Face lovers and their discerning tastes.
Since Arbiter issued the first Fuzz Face in 1966, many pedal circuits bore a similar topology to the Fuzz Face. So depending on what kind of flavor you’re going after, this PCB can be used to build a multitude of these circuits. Try the classic or any of its variants with a similar schematic—I’ve provided a table in this Build Document which outlines parts for the original Arbiter Fuzz Face, DAM Dark Meathead, Axis Face, and Sola Sound Tonebender MkII.
You can also use this PCB as a development platform to mix and match parts and create your ideal Fuzz Face variant. Experiment with silicon, germanium, or a hybrid mix of the two. Hard-wire some of the pot values or implement internal trimmers. Create a one-, two-, three-, or four-knob fuzz monster. Fill in the missing parts with spliced amphibian DNA. The possibilities are truly endless.
If you want to read more about the Fuzz Face, I recommend starting with ElectroSmash’s excellent technical analysis of the Fuzz Face circuit, as well as Fuzz Central’s blog for a brief history of the original circuits.
In short, the Clever Girl Fuzz PCB is not just a fuzz circuit—it’s a project in and of itself, where you can get so preoccupied with whether or not you could, that you don’t stop to think if you should.
Controls
The following are the standard external controls for this pedal:
- Attack — Controls the amount of fuzz in the circuit by increasing or reducing the transistor gain.
- Input — Allows you to adjust the signal input volume into the circuit. This is meant for guitarists who always roll back their guitar volume knob a hair when turning on their fuzzes.
- Bias — Biases the Q2 transistor. Fuzz Face purists will set this to a specific point and forget it, but because certain transistors can be finicky, especially depending on the ambient temperature (which is always changing), then an external biasing control can be particularly advantageous. In practice, even unbiased transistors have a certain aesthetic to them, so the Bias control essentially gives you different fuzz characteristics.
- Level — Controls the amount of output volume from the circuit.
Note that this is the price only for the circuit board. You will need to source your own parts.
Return Policy
I gladly accept returns and exchanges.
Contact me within: 7 days of delivery
Ship items back within: 14 days of delivery
I do not accept cancellations on custom orders.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
I cannot accept returns or exchanges for custom or personalized orders
unless the item arrives damaged or defective.
Conditions of Return:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Shipping Information
Processing Time:
Depending on availability, the time I need to prepare an order for shipping varies. For custom builds, please allow 3-4 weeks lead time. For finished builds, please allow 1-2 weeks for processing.
Estimated Shipping Times:
Eco Post: 7–5 business days estimated distribution time for most destinations (see below), 10–12 business days estimated distribution time to Australia and Hong Kong.
Registered Mail: 4–8 weeks
I will do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but cannot guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
*** UPDATE***
Postal systems around the world appear to still be adapting to the global impact of COVID-19. This means that shipping times may be longer than we had previously been used to. I ask that you please be patient while we track the status of your package together.
Shipping Methods:
I ship out all pedal orders via Eco Post. This method is typically quicker than Registered Mail (advertised estimation is 7–5 business days, but due to the current situation has been known to take a bit longer, depending on the country), and it also features computerized tracking and proof of delivery.
This method is available in the following countries: Austria, Australia, Italy, Ireland, the United States, Belgium, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, South Korea, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Greece, Japan, Norway, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Finland, France, Canada , Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Russia.
For PCB orders, you can choose between Eco Post and Registered Mail.
Customers living in Israel can arrange for Local pickup, just contact me for arrangements.
Customs and Import Taxes:
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I am not responsible for delays due to customs.
Warranty
Each Carcharias Effects pedal is hand-made by one person in his home workshop who loves making music, and making things that make music. Every purchase you make enables me to continue making more pedals, so your support is very much appreciated. That said, I take responsibility for the build quality of every pedal I make comes, and offer a 24-month warranty on each one, not covering normal wear-and-tear or abuse.
All the PCBs that I sell on this site were designed personally by me, but the fabrication is outsourced to third-party PCB fabrication services. Once they are designed, I order them in relatively small batches. I personally test every batch that I receive; however, as I am a strong believer in minimizing waste, there are cases in which I may sell perfectly functioning PCBs that might have some design flaw. I take responsibility for these design flaws (if any) and will specify their fixes or workarounds in the product's specific build document.
If you should encounter any issues with your product, please feel free to reach out to me via the contact form on this website. As I am based in Israel, I understand the inconvenience added by international shipping, and so I will be happy to assist in troubleshooting with you any problems before resorting to international shipping in case a repair needs to be made.
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