The fuzz pedal Jimi Hendrix played
A recreation of the Fuzz Face, the two transistor fuzz pedal Jimi Hendrix played, with fuzz and volume knobs.
Free build sheet
The parts, every wire with its length and bend points, a bend guide, both sides of the board and checkboxes to track your progress. Print it or keep it open at the bench.
Open the build sheetWhat you need
14 parts on a perfboard 18 × 31 holes, plus hookup wire.
| Qty | Part | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrolytic Cap2.2uF C1 | Buy Electrolytic Cap on Amazon |
| 1 | Ceramic Cap10nF C2 | Buy Ceramic Cap on Amazon |
| 1 | Electrolytic Cap22uF C3 | Buy Electrolytic Cap on Amazon |
| 2 | Screw Terminal 2P (5.08mm) J1, J3 | |
| 1 | Power Input (2-pin) J2 | |
| 2 | NPN Transistor (TO-92) Q1, Q2 | Buy NPN Transistor (TO-92) on Amazon |
| 2 | Potentiometer Q3, Q4 | |
| 1 | Resistor (axial)33k R1 | Buy Resistor (axial) on Amazon |
| 1 | Resistor (axial)470 R2 | Buy Resistor (axial) on Amazon |
| 1 | Resistor (axial)8.2k R3 | Buy Resistor (axial) on Amazon |
| 1 | Resistor (axial)100k R4 | Buy Resistor (axial) on Amazon |
Check every pin against the datasheet of the exact part in your hands before wiring.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cut list
18 wires, 415 mm (16.3 in) in total, in the order the build sheet cuts them. Wire numbers match the build sheet. Each length includes 5 mm per end to go through the hole.
| Wire | Colour and net | Length | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | BlackBASE C14 → C10 | C14 → C10 | 20mm | Straight |
| 18 | BlackGND J25 → M27 | J25 → M27 | 23mm | 10mm (90°) |
| 12 | BlackEMITTER C18 → I15 | C18 → I15 | 33mm | 13mm (90°) |
| 5 | BlueTAP O13 → P13 | O13 → P13 | 13mm | Straight |
| 17 | BlueGND G26 → K26 | G26 → K26 | 20mm | Straight |
| 11 | BlueEMITTER E18 → G21 | E18 → G21 | 23mm | 13mm (90°) |
| 4 | GreenTAP N12 → N11 | N12 → N11 | 13mm | Straight |
| 16 | GreenGND D22 → E26 | D22 → E26 | 23mm | 15mm (90°) |
| 10 | GreenVOL P16 → M24 | P16 → M24 | 38mm | 25mm (90°) |
| 1 | RedCOLLECTOR M17 → K17 | M17 → K17 | 15mm | Straight |
| 7 | RedBASE D13 → F13 | D13 → F13 | 15mm | Straight |
| 13 | RedGND M5 → E5 | M5 → E5 | 30mm | Straight |
| 9 | WhiteDRIVE I16 → G15 | I16 → G15 | 18mm | 10mm (90°) |
| 3 | WhiteIN C11 → B6 | C11 → B6 | 25mm | 8mm (90°) |
| 15 | WhiteGND H12 → E23 | H12 → E23 | 46mm | 33mm (90°) |
| 2 | YellowOUT L26 → K27 | L26 → K27 | 14mm | Straight |
| 8 | YellowDRIVE K11 → K16 | K11 → K16 | 23mm | Straight |
| 14 | YellowGND F6 → F12 | F6 → F12 | 25mm | Straight |
About this build
This is a recreation of the fuzz pedal Jimi Hendrix played, the Fuzz Face. It's the silicon NPN version he used later on: two NPN transistors, four resistors, three caps, a 1k fuzz pot and a 500k volume pot.
The board runs top to bottom the way the signal does: 9V in at the top, the guitar in on a screw terminal, two transistor stages that push the signal into clipping, and the amp output on a screw terminal at the bottom. The fuzz pot sets how much gain you get, and the volume pot sets how loud it comes out.
The transistors are TO-92 parts, and TO-92 lead orders vary between makers, so wire them from the build sheet and the datasheet for your exact part.
Fuzz Face is a trademark of Dunlop. This board is an inspired-by recreation drawn from published schematics, and PerfBoard is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dunlop or the Hendrix estate.
More builds
See all builds
VideoThe amplifier inside a million kit speakers
The LM386 minimum parts amplifier, the chip inside countless kit speakers, with a volume knob and a terminal for a small speaker.
10 parts · 17 wires
Guitar and audio
VideoThe two-knob synth from 1980 still sounds like a broken robot
A two knob noise box from a pair of 555 timers. It makes the stepped, gritty square wave tone people have built since 1980.
11 parts · 17 wires
Guitar and audioGames and toys
VideoThe circuit inside every guitar pedal
A one transistor clean boost that makes a guitar about twenty times louder, with a volume knob. The core of most pedals.
11 parts · 11 wires
Guitar and audio