Fuzz Face stacking after passive buffered pedals fix

[Mattallica]

As we all know, fuzz face type circuits don't work well when placed after passive-buffered pedals (like an old Boss tuner) in the signal chain. I understand that they are supposed to react directly with the pickups with regard to input impedence/etc.

What I'm wondering is: is there anything that could be done to the circuit to make it so the fuzz face could be stacked after passive-buffered pedals with no odd/undesireable behavior? Even if it compromises the sound in some way?

I've already tried putting a TL071 IC/jfet unity gain buffer before the input, after the output, and both simultaneously with no improvement under said conditions. 

I'm thinking, maybe a small transformer before the input to mimic the impedence loading of a natural guitar input, therefore it could be placed anywhere in the chain with no ill effect.

Thoughts? Thank you

[matmosphere]

I wanna say there's an article on Jack Ormans website about using a transformer to do something similar.  I'll try to look it up later.

[zombie_rock123]

This is the article that Matmosphere mentioned: http://www.muzique.com/lab/pickups.htm

It's referenced in some of Tim Escobedo's work like the Bronx Cheer and works really well. I got some cheap inductors from somewhere on the continent that worked well.

[matmosphere]

Ah, thanks!!

Ran across it because I'm planning on building a Bronx Cheer soon and I was researching.

I've actually been considering building a utility box with that circuit and an effects loop on a stomp and maybe a switchable output buffer on the other end.

[Mattallica]

Killer, this is exactly what I was after. Thanks guys!

[zombie_rock123]

The Bronx Cheer is a beauty. I don't think I've gotten that many sounds out of circuits a million times more complicated. No wonder Tim called it a day after having that in his library of achievements!

You've probably already seen it but there was a chap over at DIY Stompboxes that came up with the Scotch Bonnet (?) if you wanted a lead on some mods. The utility box could be great for testing how things sound in different placements, hadn't considered that before.

[Mattallica]

So if I'm doing a schematic and/or pcb layout using the mini transformer at the input (Xicon 42TM019-RC per the Mouser site), it only uses the three taps of the primary (assuming I choose to wire up the center tap for 1/2 or full windings, which I am) and leaves the two secondary taps disconnected.

I have 2 questions regarding this:

1. Should I connect the two taps of the secondary to ground or just leave them disconnected?

2. Crazy Idea - wire the output through the secondary?! What may occur? From the datasheet, it looks like the 42TM019-RC only has a center tap on the primary, so the secondary would just be an in/out connection through the whole coil. Just wondering if this would affect the sound in any way. Going to try this and report back with the results. I've got a couple of these mini-trannys on order from Mouser scheduled to show up in about two weeks.

[Mattallica]

Brainwave #2:

Reverse the wiring and just wire the input through the I/O of the secondary tap then wire the output through the primary tap with the same hi/lo switch from center tap. Just hypothetical spitballing here but eager to try both ways.