CRAIG ANDERTON’S
OPUS, ELECTRONIC
PROJECTS FOR
MUSICIANS, SPOKE
OF A TIME WHEN
TRANSISTORS
WERE LARGELY
OBSOLETED, AND
THE DAY OF THE IC
WAS UPON US. When
the book was published in 1975,
the movement to integrated circuits
seemed like a logical progression.
However, like neon clothing, fanny
packs and Ecto Cooler, what’s old is
new again and suddenly more people
were building pedals with transistors
than ever before. The bulk of nascent
circuit builders on the cusp of the
Internet owe their entire hobby to one
simple six-part circuit: the Bazz Fuss.
Designed by a man simply known as
“Christian” and originally hosted on
an Angelfire webpage, the Bazz Fuss
represents the dawn of the information
age in terms of guitar effects. This
bone-simple six-component circuit
represents the bare minimum in
stompbox design, yet it sounds
incredibly good. At a time when
companies like Z. Vex, Frantone and
Klon were pumping out inspiring
designs, those of us without any
background in electronics were left
to circuits like the Bazz Fuss, and
even to this day, it is the first pedal
build of many novices. And today,
you are that novice.
Because it’s a very low-parts count
circuit, small changes mean big
differences, and the circuit has been
reimagined several times as the epoch
of DIY effects has stretched outward.
As someone who cut their teeth on this
circuit, I’m giving you what I believe to
be the best version of it that I’ve ever
made. In this guide, I’m going to detail
the parts, what types to order, and
exactly how to perform every step. You
might even use this as a guide in future
builds, or at least until you get the hang
of it.
ToneReport.com
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