Onboard Fuzzface in a Bass

[jotangent]

Hi Guys, this is my first post so go easy on me. I just obtained a cheap second hand bass and wanted to get a bit A-Team on its ass. I decided that a fuzzface circuit would be an easy enough thing to build and house in a bass so I got to thinking about how to best install it.

My idea is to split the signal at the pickup sending one line to the fuzzface with a true bypass switch (switching to nothing and off) and the other to an active Jfet buffer (clean boost) I have lying around . Then combine the 2 at the jack socket.

Theoretically that should give me the option to bypass the fuzzface completely and have a normal active bass or blend the fuzz and normal output at the flick of a switch.

Both the bass and the fuzz have 500K output pots. Would I need to add resistors in series before I combined the 2 signals at the jack socket? I don't really want to do that as it will interfere the normal bass sound. If the resistors are required then would they need to be different values given that the buffer is probably a different impedance from the fuzz?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[jotangent]

The bass in question

The schematic (my first ever go so may be bad)

 

[jotangent]

OK, parts are ordered, worked out I can switch the resistor on the normal bass cuicuit using a 4PDT switch so happy days. Will audition the resistors on a breadboard, it may be the case that the loading down of the signals will happen in a tonaly useful way so they may not be required, only time will tell. Distortion in a fuzz cuircuit shouldnt matter too much me thinks, loss of tone is another story.

Am taking the bass to JD's workshop tomorrow (guy who makes Mark Kings bass's) to get his advice on placement and see if he knows what it is, I cant say I have ever seen anything like this before.

 

[jotangent]

Also, anyone wanting to make thier own fuzzface clone and dont know where to start, here is my parts list

maplin.co.uk
UH06G 100K Vari x2
UH00A 1K vari
M330R 330
M8K2 8K2
M47K 47K
M33K 33K
FD31J Breadboard
N97CF PC Board
N86AX LED Bezel
CJ55K LED
M3K3 LED Resistor

banzaimusic.com
SKU20837 Alpha 12mm DS 500k log
SKU20831 Alpha 12mm DS 1K lin
SKU16267 Miyama 4PDT on/on Toggle
SKU30172 TAD Vintage Oil 0,01uF
SKU30160 TAD Mustard Cap 22nF
SKU16151 2,2uF 100V Axial
SKU17718 Sprague Atom 25uF, 25V
SKU17711 Sprague Atom 8uF, 150V
SKU13731 Fuzz Face medium gain transistor set

All cost about 60 pounds inc shipping, some of it is for prototyping so you could probably do it for cheaper. You need wire and a soldering iron though so add 30 for that if you dant already have them. In the US smallbearelec.com will do the nice caps and tranys and radioshack will do the rest. I am using variable screwdriver resistors for some of the biasing but you could go for stock. Schematics are available at
fuzzcentral.ssguitar.com/fuzzface.php

 

[rayc]

The basic body, split pickups & bridge remind me of my Vantage bass. The rest may be a previous mod. or the parts may be generic.
WHY do you want a built in fuzz?