Genuine Arbiter Fuzz Face Clone Kit Instructions

Welcome to the Genuine Arbiter Fuzz Face Clone Kit Instructions! It’s a great circuit and it’s an easy build, so let’s get started!

BOM Layout

DA Fuzz Face Layout

PCB Components

Resistors

PCB w/ Resistors

Locate the silkscreen component identifiers for R0, R1, R2, R3, R4, and R5.  Insert each resistor into the correct through-holes and solder them to the board.

Capacitors

PCB w/ Capacitors

When placing C1 and C2, use the picture above to help you position these electrolytic capacitors.  Note the black band; this indicates the negative polarity lead of the capacitor.  To further assist you, the PCB has a ‘+’  and a square through-hole for the positive lead and a  circle through-hole for the negative lead.

C3 is a ceramic capacitor and it does not matter which lead goes into which hole.

Transistors

Other On Board Components

Pay special attention when placing the transistors onto the PCB.  Each of the three leads has a specific function and the circuit will not work if they are placed incorrectly. Line up the little tab on the transistor with the tab on the board as shown in the picture above.

The trimpot has three leads.  Orient the trimpot as shown in the picture above and insert the leads onto the PCB.  If the leads are bent, gently bend them to conform to the through-hole layout on the PCB.  Once the circuit is completely built, you can adjust this trimpot to color your sound to your needs.

That is all for on board components.

Wired Components

Potentiometers

Pots

 Wire the pots exactly as shown in the picture above (the top one is the A500k and the bottom is B1k).

We suggest soldering wires to the potentiometers before attaching them to the PCB.  Having to de-solder a too-short wire from the PCB is an extra step that can be avoided.  As always, use more wire than you think you will need; wire can always be cut.

Input/Output Jacks and Power Jacks

Input/Output Jacks

The ‘In’ Jack of the Arbiter Fuzz Face Clone circuit uses a 1/4″ stereo jack which turns off the power sources when nothing is plugged into it.  When you plug a mono plug into the jack, the circuit receives power.

Stereo jacks have three solder lugs for the 3 different parts of the stereo signal: Tip, Ring, and Sleeve.  On the PCB, they are identified as ‘T’, ‘R’, and ‘S’.  Attach each solder lug on the jack to their respective PCB connection. Make sure to use the solder lugs as pictured above.

On the other side of the board is the ‘Out’ PCB connections.  They are marked ‘T’ and ‘S’ for ‘Tip’ and ‘Sleeve’.  Mono jacks only have these two connections, so they are easy to wire up.

Power Supplies

The 9V battery jack is easy to put onto the PCB.  Take the red wire and insert it into the square through-hole with the silkscreened ‘+’.  The black wire goes to the circle through-hole marked with a ‘-’.

DC Jack

The DC Jack has three solder terminals that connect to the PCB.  Use the picture above and the silkscreen on the PCB to place the wires correctly.  The DC Jack allows you to power your circuit with a wall wart and disconnects the 9V battery from the circuit, saving money on expensive batteries.

NOTE: please remember to use a 9 volt center positive power supply. Using the incorrect power supply polarity will damage your circuit.

Stomp Switch

Stomp Switch Help

 Line up the number code from the switch to the board exactly how it is labeled in the picture (above and below.)

Make sure the flat blue side of the stomp switch is facing up when comparing it to the picture below.

Stomp Switch Wiring

Congratulations, that’s the end of the instructions for the Arbiter Fuzz Face Clone circuit!  If everything is wired/connected properly, you should have a fully functional fuzz pedal.  Remember to adjust the trimpot to get the sound you want from your new pedal and have fun!