Solid Gold Fx – IF 6 WAS 9 – BC108 FUZZ
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Solid Gold Fx – IF 6 WAS 9 – BC108 FUZZ
Getting into Fuzz boxes is like going down a rabbit hole…. The quest can never end, but sure is fun chasing it. The Fuzz Face has long been a popular pedal to clone and base new designs from. The original is quite a simple circuit, but oh so much tone and thickness. Many players have their favorite Fuzz, but you switch guitars and amps and the quest starts again. The Solid Gold FX pedal IF 6 WAS 9 is a more modern variant of this classic.
Solid Gold Fx’s IF 6 WAS 9 pedal comes in a few variances. This one is the BC108 Silicon transistor FUZZ. There is also a Silicon BC183 version. Have not tried that one (yet)!
Silicon transistors are usually more stable and easier to match than the old school Germanium transistors. Silicon are easier to obtain and are not prone to change tone under different temperature conditions. It is not folk-law that Germanium transistors are finicky and had to find ones suitable for audio… But some players like the tone. I will caution you to ONLY look for Germanium effect boxes. Many Silicon transistors sound awful good and have less issues with temperature changes and how they are placed in the signal chain.
Bottomline, if the pedal sounds good and you like it, it really does not matter what transistors or chips they used!
Some extreme cases:
It was nearly 100 degrees yesterday and my Germanium Fuzz was in the direct sunlight sputtering and crackling so I had to disconnect it.
Cezar Diaz: “I was also the one to introduce Stevie to the Fuzzface. He didnt know what one was until In Step. He had a Univibe, but he never used it, and I brought in a Tycobrae Octavia and the Fuzzfaces. I had 2 of the original ones marked NKT, which stands for New Market. They would tend to sound really good when they were nice and cool, but when they got hot, theyd go down. The fix for any old Fuzzface that has germaniums is to put it in the freezer. Take it out, play your song and replace it with another one thats cold. It has to be germanium though, because silicon doesnt react the same way.”
From the Solid Gold FX website:
Who among us doesn’t love a good Fuzz Face? If there’s one pedal that captures the soul of classic rock, the Fuzz Face is probably it. For those unfamiliar with Fuzz Face lore, as germanium parts fell out of vogue due to reliability issues, Dallas-Arbiter shifted to silicon parts. Both versions were used extensively on thousands of records.
Our If 6 Was 9 pays tribute to all the players who contributed to the pantheon of rock, with specially selected components to get your mojo working. We put two BC108CS devices in each one, which is widely regarded as a happy medium between the mushy compression of germanium and the brash sawmill-like fuzz of silicon. The tone of the If 6 Was 9 is just that—smooth and refined without falling apart on chords, and with loads of sustain on single-note work.
The specially-selected BC108 parts gives you a balanced bass response and a tight fuzz tone—just right. We supply a three-way Tone toggle switch that adjusts the fuzz character to match with the rest of your rig.
Fuzz Face tone has been whittled down to such a precise science that players now know what voltage at which they prefer their Fuzz Face to be run. Eric Johnson famously kept a box full of batteries drained to various degrees. Now you can harness this power with an external Bias control—set the voltage to whatever you wish for full-bodied fuzz or ripping splatty tones that explode when you dig in.
The Fuzz and Bias controls work in beautiful synchronicity with your guitar’s volume control, bringing all kinds of flavors to the table. Anything from mild overdrive to almost envelope-like snarl is available with just a couple turns. Set the onboard controls just how you like and leave the heavy lifting to your guitar.
KNOBS
Fuzz: Unlike the original, this control has range throughout, instead of just the maximum. Go from sparkling harmonic enhancement to blissed-out sustain with one turn.
Bias: This varies the voltage to Q2’s collector, giving you a huge range of tones from zippy and lean to full and throaty.
Vol: There’s more on tap here than in the stock unit, letting you really give your amp what-for.
TOGGLE SWITCHES
Tone: This three-position switch delivers three different fuzz voicings. Chose from Tight (left), Treble Boost (center), and Thick (right).
AUXILIARY
Input: Instrument or other pedal goes here.
Output: Amplifier or other pedal goes here.
True bypass footswitch: Turns the effect on and off.
POWER: The If 6 Was 9 requires a center-negative 9VDC power adapter with at least 3mA of current (not included). Almost all power supplies meet this requirement, but check yours beforehand.
DIMENSIONS: 4.77″ x 2.6 x 1.39″ (121.1 x 66 x 35.3mm)