Breadboard vs Soldered?

[MadMike]

This is a Bazz Fuss circuit, but I modified it, adding a switch that gives you two different distortion types and a tone knob.

When I breadboard it, it sounds amazing and everything works, but when I then solder it all together, it sounds like crap. It still sounds like a "fuzz" pedal, but there's a massive drop in the output volume and it loses that ripping zipper sound.

When soldered, I noticed that the +9v plugged in or not makes absolutely no difference in the sound (yes I checked that it is plugged into the wall lol). Also, the switch makes no difference in the sound. (on the breadboard, the change is significant).

Considering all the above, I thought it must be a problem with resistance (like a bad soldering job), but when I measured all my solder joints they're all 0.1 ohms.

I checked the 9v input jack and it's outputting 8.9 volts... and I replaced it with a brand new one anyway, didn't help.

I checked for solder bridges visually and with a multimeter and there's nothing.

I thought maybe the heat from soldering damaged the transistor or the diode, but I measured 0 leakage from either one.

When I used my multimeter to test the transistor the voltage from the base to the collector matches the diode ~.27. When I took the transistor out of the circuit, it goes back to the regular .7 volts. It makes sense I think, but is that normal?

what else could I check?

edit: the image below shows the part values I'm using and I have double checked and measured each part to make sure that it is working and outputs the correct value.

[cooder]

So did you measure the voltage coming into the circuit at the top connection of 10 K resistor (which should be 9V) and then at transistor collector? And it still didn't make any difference to sound with 9V connected or not? Seems very odd.
As it's such a simple low part circuit I'd be tempted to rebuild it from scratch on perf board with new parts and see if it does behave right then. Could be the faster way to get to the bottom of it.
Triple check the breadboarded version against schematic against what you solder up.

[MadMike]

I did measure the voltage before and after the 10k and that was normal, but not at the transistor. I only tested it with the diode setting for leakage. I've built it on perf twice and once on strip board, all with the same result. I breadboarded it twice, and it works perfectly.  I'm about ready to just buy the bcb lol. I'm going to take one more wack at it on the perf. I feel like the strip board is easier to plan, but harder to solder neatly...

[MadMike]

I rebuilt the circuit on my breadboard, using the components that I had soldered and I figured out the problem.

I definitely destroyed the germanium diode and possibly damaged the transistor as well. I measured .6v going the wrong way through the diode, while it was in the circuit, but 0 when I measured it by itself.

Go figure, I did not consider the warning to put those components into sockets. I am a diode destroyer after all!

[cooder]

... and you found it. All cool.