Engineering Problem and Goal
Huge Sound, Low Cost
Shayan Etebar
Project Overview
Primary References
Results of Project
Effects are a popular and essential part of many types of music. Normally these effects are generated through effects pedals. However, these can come at no small cost to the musician, so I strived to build an effects unit that would meet the physical and sonic characteristics I and other musicians required.
I set the constraint for myself that the total cost of components mustn't exceed $15 USD. My ultimate goal during this process was to cut down as many costs as possible. This led to me using homemade enclosures out of repurposed recyclable materials as opposed to prefab metal enclosures.
The effect alone is solid and varied, and the circuit is also easily modifiable to tailor it to your needs as a musician. The circuit is very small, so it can fit into smaller enclosures and smaller boards, it can be modified to contain various knob controls for finer tuning.
I was able to construct a full functioning unit built into a cardboard box. The circuit produces a fuzz distortion effect when signal is passed through it, and it functions with various frequency ranges. The enclosure is durable and allows for easy access for modification, and the enclosure is painted to fit the aesthetics of an essential pedalboard.
While the consistency and dependability of a manufactured effects pedals may be appealing, you can build one on your own, saving money while also decreasing the environmental impact that the mass-production of these enclosures and components adds to.
Bazz Fuss circuit schematic https://youtu.be/QW0pcy0bw94
Bazz Fuss Modifications
Interpretation of Results
Conclusion
Methods, Constraints and Experimental Design
Title: Big Sound, Low Cost
Shayan Etebar
Effect units can be costly and, like most things mass-produced, they contribute to global pollution, so I hope to create a far cheaper, more environmentally-friendly option.
The functioning unit produces a nice and gated fuzz effect, almost akin to a sharp saw wave. I find I like it’s sound with long, droning passages, or with blistering power chords.
Using recycled and/or recyclable materials, as well as cutting out the cost of labor factored into production, will cut costs down to next to nothing. The cost of the effects unit mustn’t exceed $15 and must be made of a recyclable material.
By building your own effects unit, you can save a significant amount of money, as well as opening up the door for user-specific modifications, and decreasing global pollution and e-waste.
Project ID:
Engineering Problem and Goal
Background and Problem
In 1969, a college student who would eventually found Electro-Harmonix released the “Big Muff” fuzz pedal. In 2019 they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Big Muff, having sold millions upon millions of pedals, seen on the boards of legendary players like Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, and Carlos Santana.
However, a stock EHX Big Muff will set you back $90, a price many “starving musicians” cannot afford. So we need an alternative.
Goals
David Redfern / Getty
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Design Methods and Procedures
My V1 circuit
My workspace on the dining room table, surrounded by parts and instruments
Design Methods and Procedures (cont.)
Some failed enclosure candidates: A Rolodex on the left and the box for a ProCo Rat on the right
Part of my test rig: My Ibanez guitar and Fender amp
Results
Front of Unit (pictured above)
Unit Interior (pictured below)
Clean Signal Bass Demo
Fuzz Signal Bass Demo
Control Bassline - Crying Lightning by Arctic Monkeys
Interpretation of Results
Initially I ran into some issues with my own high expectations. I had a lot of big ideas and not enough material or execution ability to follow through. Then I remembered a quote from the music critic Anthony Fantano about how albums like Radiohead’s Ok Computer and Pink Floyd’s The Wall remain so timeless: “Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. (Fantano, 18:01-18:08)”
I’d hoped to have kept the knob, as it likely would’ve opened the door for more complex circuitry, but I figured it would be wiser to fall back on the cardinal rule of pragmatic engineering: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So the pedal remains always on, but so far I haven’t found a time where I’ve had to or wanted to turn it off.
This unit proves that you don’t have to be at the whim of the old titans of the industry, or even their imitators. You can forge your own unique sound at a fraction of the cost. And while it may not be as convenient as a pre-built pedal, or carry quite the same gravitas as a pedal used by legends of music, it’s one-of-a-kind sound and handmade detail, as well as it’s modification potential make it a sound alternative to the current offerings of the market.
The First Steps (above)
The First Success (below)
Conclusion
In finality, the availability of information, the bounty of recyclable materials, and the astonishingly low cost of the components necessary to build a pedal have thrown open the gates and have allowed anyone to create their own effects that could save them money and save the environment. And who knows, maybe enough people will like your designs that you could start a business creating your own pedals.
Images courtesy of u/CaptCardboard on r/diypedals
Virtual Lab Notebook Excerpts - 11/9/2020
Virtual Lab Notebook Excerpts - 11/12/2020
Virtual Lab Notebook Excerpts - 11/14/2020
With fuzz effect
Dry signal
Yamaha PSR-12 Test
Brass Synth
Sustain: On
Running into Fender Rumble 15
References
De Jong, Kley. “Bazz Fuss - Circuit Analysis Pt 7: Tone Testing Fuzz + Boost + Drive.” YouTube, 7 Dec. 2019, youtu.be/o4D_O4HWySw.
De Jong, Kley. “What Are Resistors? Guitar Gear Explained.” YouTube, 16 Nov. 2020, youtu.be/UsMqoObKpuU.
De Jong, Kley. “Bazz Fuss - Circuit Analysis Pt 7: Tone Testing Fuzz + Boost + Drive.” YouTube, 7 Dec. 2019, youtu.be/o4D_O4HWySw.
De Jong, Kley. “Bazz Fuss - Circuit Analysis: Pt. 2 - Schematic Overview.” YouTube, 22 Nov. 2019, youtu.be/QW0pcy0bw94.
De Jong, Kley. “Bazz Fuss - Circuit Analysis Pt 5: Testing Mods.” YouTube, 2 Dec. 2019, youtu.be/xtC0b3bhZrM.
Redfern, David. “American Rock Guitarist and Singer Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) Performs Live on Stage Playing a Black Fender Stratocaster Guitar with The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 24th February 1969. .” Getty Images, 24 Feb. 1969, www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-rock-guitarist-and-singer-jimi-hendrix-performs-news-photo/84894709?adppopup=true.
Electro-Harmonix, 30 Oct. 2017, www.ehx.com/products/big-muff-pi.
u/CaptCardboard. Reddit, 24 Mar. 2020, www.reddit.com/user/CaptCardboard.
Fantano, Anthony. “Radiohead: Worst To Best.” YouTube, Theneedledrop, 17 Apr. 2017, youtu.be/uu8sC7YDOZg.