Keeley Fuzz Head User Manual

K eeley Fuzz Head

Getting The Most From Your Fuzz Pedal

The Fuzz Head is designed like no other fuzz effect.

Enjoy a lead boost that’s a blend of fuzz and overdrive.

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 over-driving 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 silicon diodes in the distortion circuit so you can have a modern

twist on a vintage sound. In the “SI” mode there is a slight increase in the

fuzz and compression for more sustain. The “GE” mode is natural and open

sounding. This is a subtle difference dependent on other settings.
Very transparent and dynamic. 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 Keeley Modified •

TS9, BD-2, DS-1 for a great dual pedal setup!

External Fuzz Controls

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

The Si/Ge switch is 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 a slightly
smoother clipping, more saturation and, more sustain!
The effect can be small depending on how the FUZZ
and HEAD controls are set.

In the GE mode you have just the NPN Germanium •
transistor and Darlington Pair working. This gives you
the more open and transparent tone the Fuzz Head
offers.

In the SI mode you now have diodes added (a silicon •
and germanium pair) to give you extra clipping. This
will increase the apparent amount of sustain and
give you a smoother sound. This effect is slight and
dependent on the other controls.

Experiment with both settings in

order to find your tone!

Set the Controls for the Heart of the Fuzz!

INTERNAL GAIN CONTROL

For the “tweakers” at heart there’s an internal
gain control in the center of the circuit board.
This sets the overall range of the external FUZZ
control. A small flat blade screw driver is all that’s
need to fine tune your tone. Our midway point is
a very common starting point and great for nearly
all players. For more gain turn it clockwise and for
a cleaner boost turn it down. I’m sure you’ll find a
tone that is just perfect for your ears!

CAPACITOR SWAP OUT!

Included with your Fuzz Head are three capacitors.
(There is one in your Fuzz Head, the large, orange­brown object in the lower left hand corner of the
picture.) Most folks will never use them as they are for
the Die-Hard-Tweakers.

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.

The Fuzz Head comes stock with a 0.027uF capacitor •
installed. (It’s marked 273 on the part.)
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 scream!
To get more bass from the pedal, switch to the •
cap marked 333 or 473! These caps will produce a
progressively fatter sound. It’s possible these caps
will be a little thick for chord work, but super thick
for leads.

If you have the need for
more bass, let us know,
and we’ll send you caps
to play with. Send $5
to cover shipping (US)
for extra caps.

INTERNAL TONE CONTROL

The internal tone control is on the left side of the board
and black/white in color. It stands up on edge and can
be rotated by thumb or screw driver. This is a simple
high pass filter and can be used to sharpen your high
end or cut it back as needed. Use it to shape the sizzle
in your fuzz tone exactly as you see fit. In conjunction
with additional capacitors, there’s a wealth of tones
you can get!!!
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.

WARRANTY

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 including
the germanium transistor, is covered for 2 years. This 2
year warranty does not include switches, toggles, etc,
just the parts on the board, including the germanium
transistor. This warranty is only offered to the original
purchaser. In the unlikely event of a warranty repair,
claims must be accompanied by proof of purchase from
a Keeley Authorized Dealer.

Robert Keeley, BSEE

email: [e-mail]

site: www.robertkeeley.co m & www.rkfx.com

Keeley Electronics, 6400 Industrial Blvd. 2nd Floor, Edmond, OK 73034

SHOP TELEPHONE NUMBER 1-405-341-2025 TOLL FREE 1-8668-go-rkfx (1-866-846-7539) / email: [e-mail]