FUZZ14

a 2014 breadboard fuzz, simulated part by part

One MPSA13 transistor, three 1N4148 diodes and a 1 nF cap, put together on a breadboard in 2014 by adding diodes until it sounded right.

Fuzz14 doesn't imitate how it sounds. It solves the circuit, every part, every sample, the way SPICE would. Turn the battery down and the bias really sags. Pull a diode out and the circuit really changes.

DOWNLOAD SOURCE

free · Windows 10/11 64-bit · VST3 + standalone app (ASIO) · v0.1.0

The Fuzz14 plugin window: the circuit's schematic, with knobs for input, battery and volume, and pickers for the three diodes
The window is the schematic. Diodes glow red while they conduct.

01 Controls

INPUT

How hard your instrument hits the circuit. It only fuzzes when it's hit hard: for a voice through a mic, try +18 dB. The IN jack glows as you drive it.

BATTERY

A fresh 9 V down to a dying 6 V, with the internal resistance climbing as it goes.

VOLUME

What reaches the amp.

D1, D2 & D3

Click any diode in the schematic to swap it while you play. Mix kinds for a more dynamic knee. Pull D1 and D2 both out and nothing biases the transistor: silence.

BYPASS & MUTE

True bypass, lined up with the pedal so it doesn't jump; and silence for tuning. Both fade in 20 ms: no clicks.

02 Pick a diode

Sixteen to choose from. What matters is how much voltage a diode needs before it starts to conduct: the lower it is, the earlier it clips. Pick one to see its curve against the original 1N4148.

Kind
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Turns on at
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In Fuzz14
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03 Listen

A synthetic plucked low E, then an A chord, rendered offline through the plugin. Not a real recording, yet.

Clean
Fuzz14, as built in 2014
D3: germanium 1N34A
D1: pulled out
Dying battery

04 The circuit

Schematic: +9 V through 10k to the MPSA13 collector; two 1N4148 diodes from collector to base; a 1 nF cap from collector to the output, with a third 1N4148 from the output back to the base; 2.2 uF from the input to the base; 330 nF from base to ground; emitter to ground

A one-transistor fuzz in the Bazz Fuss family. The two diodes side by side bias the Darlington and squash the signal; the 1 nF on the output lets only the top end through, which is where the buzz comes from; the third diode clips the peaks back into the base.

05 Plug in

Standalone

  1. Unzip, run Fuzz14.exe.
  2. Options > Audio/MIDI Settings: ASIO, your interface, the input your instrument is in, buffer 64-128.
  3. The input is live from the start. Headphones, or keep the mic away from the speakers.

VST3

  1. Copy Fuzz14.vst3 to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3.
  2. Rescan plugins in your DAW.
  3. Put it on a mono track. It comes out stereo.

"Windows protected your PC"?

The files aren't code-signed, so SmartScreen may warn you. Click More info > Run anyway. Only download it from this page or the GitHub release.

06 Under the hood