cherrybomb squeal

[gibson88]

completed this build last night but when the gain is cranked to 9 or 10, the pedal squeals...I tried troubleshooting by changing guitars, power source etc but the problem remains.

I used 2n5222 and BC109 transistors. Right now i think it could be a faulty bc109? this is my first build so I'm not sure how to fix this... need some help from the tech guru haha..

[dwstanford]

Are the transistors socketed?  If so, pull the transistors and replace them one at a time to see if the noise goes away.  Is the pedal running off a battery or power supply?  Is it daisy chained with other pedals?  Some fuzz pedals can do that when powered along with other pedals.  My fuzz factory is the worst about it.  Of course it could be the nature of the pedal.  It is a little noisy in general and that noise increases as you increase the gain, but the squeal shouldnt be even as close to as loud as the guitar signal.  I would try plugging it into different outlets also or even plugging it in at a different location to see if the squeal still remains.  I would try swapping the transistors first and go from there.

[gibson88]

 I tried taking the pedal off my daisy chain and powering with a 9v batt but didn't fix the squealing. it only happens when i turn the gain to 10. there isnt much "fuzz" from 1-8 though...its more like a clean boost until the gain is turned to 9.

unfortunately i couldnt find transistor sockets locally...so i soldered the trannys to the pcb. right now i'll probably have to de-solder them but i hope i dont have change all 3. perhaps someone might know which tranny might be the problem..if there is a faulty transistor that is.

[Haberdasher]

there isnt much "fuzz" from 1-8 though...its more like a clean boost until the gain is turned to 9.

That's how mine is too.  I think it's the nature of this circuit.  I always intended to eventually try a reverse taper pot there to see if I got a better transition but I never got around to it IIRC.

BTW, mine doesn't squeal when the gain is dimed.