Quite Shocking Fuzz [+ demo]

[Cortexturizer]

The superfuzz will love the strat, but the shocktave won't. Still, rolling the tone control on the guitar could help a lot. As well as volume, it all depends really, that's why I would insist that you build the shocktave as a true bypassable circuit in that enclosure, so that 100% superfuzz only tones are possible. It would maybe be easier if you were to build Green Ringer instead of the superfuzz, a lot less parts to go through, and octave up tones are very possible with the ringer as well. Just a thought. Still, some people are not convinced that the ringer is even a usable pedal... ... ...
But...it's easy - you build the Shocktave first, and see if the Strat and the SG p90 will love it. If yes, you continue the project, if not, dismiss.
Shocktave you can build pretty fast so it's gonna be a fast test. Be very meticulous about having EXACTLY 4.5V on the collector of Q2. It is the key to a good octave down. I chose my transistors in the 430 hfe area.

[ch1naski]

The stratocaster humbucker is a prs hfs, it's pretty high output, so I will keep my fingers crossed. I just soldered the vero of the shocktave up, didn't bother to bias the q2 transistor .
Guess I'll check the voltage and insert the needed resistor value. I was just going off the layout-_- no build doc.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Cortexturizer]

Correctly biasing the Q2 is a must. Put a trimpot in there, and fine tune it, that's what I did to mine.
I run the fuzz of the shoctave completely dimed, and volume somewhere around middle way of the trimpot [I used 1M for volume] and the Mix control is my external octae down blend knob as you know.

Let me know how you like the sounds of the shocktave, and remember to experiment a lot with volume and tone controls of the guitar. Cheers!

[ch1naski]

Hm, it's Shocktave INTO the Superfuzz, not the other way around, so making a fuzz face instead of the superfuzz will result in no upper octave tones. That, and if I were you, I would wire a dpdt toggle switch on the way of the Shocktave towards the Superfuzz in a true bypass sort of manner, so that your boy could have superfuzz-only tones. Now as to why I haven't done that to my build...well, I don't like to many knobs, switches, and everything, and this sounded good and usable to me, as someone that can pretty much get straight superfuzz tones by fiddlin' with guitar controls anyway.

Note that the Shocktave gets very easily confused by treble content in the signal! So, if you or your son are using Strats, then I would advise to look elsewhere for the octave downage. I have an SG, a tele with hot mid oriented pickups, and a Strat. The tracking of the octave on the Strat is very bad.

If anything else interests you, or anybody else, just ask, because I would feel guilty if you spend lots of time building this and conclude that it doesn't work for you. It's not a kind of pedal that will sound spectacular whatever guitar you run into it, and fiddling with the volume and tone knobs is a must if you wanna get some of those tones like on my demo. Just saying.
Still, if you or your son end up not seeing any use of this effect wired combined like I did with mine, you can always run it separately, 2-in-1 sort of, cause they both sound great for what they are.

Good luck!

You are right about the shocktave being picky about pickups. I have better luck on my PRS with Imperials than my son's guitar ( strat, with a high gain/ mid-range-ish PRS HFS humbucker).

So i am building him another one, this time using your idea of the 10k trimmer at the collector of Q2, and I am going to throw on an input cap , on a switch, for less high frequencies getting to the circuit.
I've noticed that it doesn't see to like his Dunlop Jimi  Fuzz Face....but he loves that thing, I've built him an Analogman Sunface and a '69, he still likes the Dunlop. 

I want to thank you again for answering my questions about the circuit.