Keeley Fuzz Head User manual

Keeley F u z z H ead
Welcome to the Wild World of the Keeley Fuzz H e a d !
T
he Fuzz Head is designed like no other fuzz pedal. Enjoy a lead boost that’s a
blend of fuzz and overdrive! Here’s a quick overview of its features:
NPN Germanium transistor, the heart of this pedal!
Additional gain stage, a Darlington Pair of high gain silicon transistors for tons
of volume output. This is great for overdriving tube amps or other overdrive
pedals.
Buffered output so that it can drive pedals or amps with a high current and low
impedance signal. It’s also great for driving chorus or other modulation pedals,
transistor amps, etc.
True-bypass to offer a true signal when the pedal is off. True bypass switching
can pop when turned on and off the first couple times. Switch it a few times to
discharge any voltage.
Large blue LED, a Keeley Trademark!
Silicon/Germanium Toggle switch. This is a gain style switch.The “SI” mode
inserts two diodes in the distortion circuit so you can have a modern twist on a vintage sound. It increases the
gain and compression a bit for more sustain. “SI” is more of an overdrive mode rather than raw break-up. The
“GE” mode is natural and open sounding.
Very transparent and dynamic. A winning tone by taking the best qualities of a fuzz face and a blues overdrive.
Roll back the volume on your guitar for clean sounds, a variety of tones, textures, and natural Fuzz/Overdrive!
Internal gain and tone controls. The gain control lets you set up the range of the external drive control for more
or less Fuzz--perfect for fine-tuning light overdrive tones to a roaring Fuzz. The tone control allows you to
determine how much low or high end compliments your fuzz tone.
Simple to setup and use lead boost! Use in conjunction with our TS9, BD-2, DS-1 mods for a great dual pedal
setup!
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FUZZ CONTROLS ON THE FLY
FUZZ
This is the distortion control. Set this for the amount of
gain or dirt you like. Actually, set it a bit higher than
you might normally use so you can take advantage of
the dynamics. The dynamics of this pedal are such that
you can just roll back the volume on your guitar or pick
lighter for less distortion. If this control seems like it
doesn’t have enough range for you… read on!
There is an easy-to-set internal gain control. It will let
you set the overall range of the fuzz.
HEAD
This is the volume control.Again, you can set this higher
than you might normally do with other pedals because
this pedal is designed to be played with dynamics and
varying pick attack. We designed this pedal to have
ample volume output so you can use it as a boost for
tube circuitry. Tube circuitry often sounds good when
pushed hard. The Fuzz Head gives you plenty of
headroom for that type of tone.
Si/Ge SWITCH
Just what in the world is the Si/Ge switch? It’s a switch
that allows you to control a secondary clipping stage
of the Fuzz Head. With this switch, you can toggle in
a pair of diodes for smoother clipping, more saturation
and, more sustain!
In the GE mode you just have the NPN Germanium
transistor and Darlington Pair working. This gives you
the more open and transparent tones the Fuzz Head
offers.
In the SI mode you have the diodes (a silicon and
germanium pair) to give you extra clipping. This will
increase the apparent amount of sustain the pedal
offers and gives you a smoother sound.
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Experiment with both settings in order to find your
tone!

For the “tweakers” at heart, there is an internal gain
control. This sets the overall range of the external FUZZ
control. For your convenience it is a large thumb wheel
with pointer arrow! No need for eyeglass repair tools to
adjust this one folks! Honestly, it’s really easy to adjust
this and play around with different tones. Give it a try
and see if you can find a better setting than our midway
point. I’m sure you’ll find a tone that is just perfect for
your ears!
SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE FUZZ!
The silver can-style transistor is the Germanium
transistor. Please don’t touch or move it. We use a gold
pin socket to avoid soldering on it. Heat can damage
or alter this transistor. Some units might have slightly
different looking transistors. No need for alarm, each
transistor we use is tested for a certain gain and leakage
to ensure each Fuzz Head has a similar sound. The wheel
to due west of the Germanium transistor is the internal
tone control. This bad boy will sharpen your high end
or cut it back as needed. Use it to shape your fuzz tone
exactly as you see fit. In conjunction with additional
capacitors, there’s no end to the tones you can get!!!
INTERNAL TONE WHEEL
INTERNAL GAIN CONTROL
FURTHER TWEAKING!
These caps are provided so that if you MUST change
the low bass response of the pedal, you can. Consider
this a last resort as most people just switch to a different
pick-up on their guitar for altered tones.
If you play a slightly “bassy” setup, then you can
switch to the cap marked 223. The 0.022uF (223)
capacitor will cut a little bass from the pedal’s output.
(The stock Fuzz Head comes with a 0.027uF (273)
capacitor installed.)
To get a treble-boosting type of sound, you can switch
to the 0.015uF capacitor marked 153. It will really
cut the low end and make the pedal bark!
To get more bass from the pedal switch to the cap
marked 333! This will be big, bad, and woolly. At
least for most people!
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The warranty of the Fuzz Head is in two parts. For one
year we will cover anything that electrically fails within
the pedal. This includes foot and toggle switches,
potentiometers, jacks, etc. No abuse will be covered.
The Fuzz Head circuit board, everything on it excluding
the germanium transistor, is covered for 5 years. This 5-
year warranty does not include switches, toggles, etc,
just the parts on the board, excluding the germanium
transistor. This warranty is only offered to the original
purchaser. In the unlikely event of a warranty repair,
claims must be you accompanied by proof of purchase
from a Keeley Authorized Dealer.
Included with your Fuzz Head are three capacitors.
(There is one in your Fuzz Head, the large, orange-
brown object in the lower left hand corner of the
picture.) Most folks will never use them as they are for
the Die-Hard-Tweakers.
WARRANTY
Robert Keeley, BSEE
[email protected] 1-405-341-2025
1-866-8-go-rkfx (Toll Free)
www.rkfx.com & www.robertkeeley.com
CONTACT INFORMATION:
If you have the need for
more bass, let me know,
and I’ll send you caps
to play with. Send $5 to
cover shipping for extra
caps.