D*A*M: Drag n Fly DF-05

The D*A*M Drag n Fly DF-05 is a hybrid fuzz pedal that combines silicon and germanium transistors, drawing inspiration from the classic Fuzz Face design. 

What sets it apart is its unique filter control, located at the input of the circuit.  This control blends the input signal between a 10uF and a 4n7 capacitor, offering a wider tonal range compared to the traditional 2u2 found in standard Fuzz Faces.   Its brethren the Dragonfly DF-06 has the tone control at the end of the circuit, using something similar to a MKII.

While the overall circuit is straightforward, it incorporates some non-standard component values to fine-tune the sound, and there's a touch of the Vox Tone Bender in some circuit variations - and there were many variations on this circuit.

D*A*M DRAG N FLY DF-05   VERO LAYOUT

This is one of the layouts used by D*A*M - the 0 ohm resistors are often replaced by jumpers under the board.

Looking at the image below, it appears that they used velcro to mount the circuit to the back of the pots.  

SCHEMATIC / LTSPICE

Component values have differed across various production runs over the years. The schematic serves primarily as a guide, illustrating the circuit's topology rather than providing definitive values.  

Anyone familiar with D*A*M circuits will have seen the input capacitor blend on a few other designs.  

This is what the signal looks like at the base of Q1.  Basically it sweeps the bass response from thin to fat.  The small bump in the middle is a result of the 47pf cap across the collector and base of Q1.

VARIATIONS

There are so many…  check the D*A*M forum post here  These are just some that I've seen; there are probably more.  So if you don't have the "right" transistors, maybe don't stress about selection too much, as a lot were used over time.

• 10k instead of 18k resistor on Q1 collector (likely to be transistor selection related)

• 2 x trimmers for biasing on some layouts

• 56k resistor instead of 120k between the base of Q1 and the emitter of Q2

• 10uf and 3n3 on the input blend

• R1 / 1 meg resistor on the input, not always used

• Q1: BC108, BC107B and plenty more unidentified silicon transistors

• Q2: AC176, AC187, OC76, OC82, AC128, CV7112, OC140 (note some are PNP)

note:  this is a revised post from April 2022 with updated information, schematic and layout.