Build - Pedal Project: Fuzzz Boxx
The Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx is a classic fuzz pedal that was introduced in 1967 as the Astrotone, which came in a unique dark green enclosure with recessed controls. The Astrotone was used by Tommy Bolin, Leslie West, and Gene Cornish. In 1968, it was rebranded as the Fuzzz Boxx and built into a modified, shorter version of the original Astrotone enclosure in a vibrant red. It was later built into the more commonly-seen red wedge enclosure. The Fuzzz Boxx uses silicon transistors and silicon diodes for clipping. The transistor type and package style varied, and both TO-92 and TO-105 styles were used. It seems likely that TO-105s were used in the earlier versions, as you more often see those in the enclosures with recessed controls, whereas the red wedge version usually had gold pin TO-92 transistors. 2N5135 is a good option that matches the look found on the earlier models.
The Fuzzz Boxx was one of the earliest fuzz pedals to feature a tone control. Unsurprisingly, it’s quite a primitive control, and in original units the effect can be very subtle. A very small tweak can be made to give the tone control a much better range by adding a single capacitor. It is included in this layout as the blue 330nF capacitor. There is also a power supply stabilization cap that is not found in the original. If you would prefer to keep the build original, the 330nF capacitor and the 100uF electrolytic can simply be left out.
Figure 1: Turret board layout of the Fuzzz Boxx.
Figure 2: Fuzzz Boxx Schematic
See Figure 1 in our Guitar Pedal Footswitch and Jack Wiring article for the recommended footswitch and I/O wiring.
Parts List
| Value | Qty | SKU | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
Capacitors | |||
| 100 µF | 1 | C-ET100-100-MOD | Electolytic |
| 330 nF | 1 | C-MKT-D33-400 | Film cap |
| 47 nF | 4 | C-MKT-D047-400 | Film cap |
Potentiometers | |||
| 100k Audio | 1 | R-VAM100KA-SS | Fuzz Control |
| 10k Audio | 1 | R-VAM10KA-SS | Volume Control |
| 10k Linear | 1 | R-VAM10KL-SS | Tone Control |
Resistors | |||
| 1.8 kΩ | 2 | R-I1D8K | Carbon Comp Resistor |
| 1 MΩ | 2 | R-J1M | Carbon Comp Resistor |
| 22 kΩ | 1 | R-I22K | Carbon Comp Resistor |
| 470 kΩ | 1 | R-I470K | Carbon Comp Resistor |
Semiconductors | |||
| 1N4148 | 2 | P-Q971 | Silicon Diode |
| BC109B | 2 | P-QBC109B | Silicon transistor |
Other Items | |||
| 2x8 | 1 | P-HTBW-2X8 | Board |
| Black 3PDT | 1 | P-H501-L-BLK | Footswitch |
| Black/red LED | 1 | P-LPW-FLATBK-R | Prewired LED |
| Fluted inset knobs | 3 | P-K402 | Knob |
| Lumberg switched DC jack | 1 | P-JBLB-IN-S | DC jack |
| Mono jack | 1 | W-SC-111X | Output jack |
| Stereo jack | 1 | W-SC-112BX | Input jack |
| YY | 1 | P-H-YY | Enclosure |