Anyone help me with a homemade mini booster problem.

[erick4x4]

So I built a mini-booster off the schematic from AMZ, but it doesn't seem to sound like I would expect it?

 

It is not real loud, I have to turn it past halfway to achieve unity gain.

 

It also seems a little bass heavy (that might be why it is often called "Fat").

 

But mostly it is really fizzy, especially when it starts boosting. Any ideas? I have checked the parts over. My resistors are right, my caps are film except for the 10pf. My .05uf is actually a .056uf but that shouldn't matter?

 

I do see a variety of different Transistors listed. I am using nte457's.

 

Any ideas? Where do I start. It seems to function right, just not as much boost as I would like, and fizzy, and a touch bassy.

 

I know its not perfectly clean, but thought it was a going to be a pretty clean boost.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated!! I am still just a newbie hacking away at it

[AMZ-FX]

You probably have the transistors oriented wrong... it should have 25 or 30 db of gain when it is working properly and fizzy it is not.

 

The NTE457 is not my favorite transistor for it but will work okay.

 

regards, Jack

[erick4x4]

Ok, I will check those.

 

Of the ones I have available to me in town, I can get an nte458 and a mpf102. Would you recommend them over the 457's?

 

So it will still work with the transistors oriented wrong? I am learning so much. Thanks!

[AMZ-FX]

The 457 should be fine but the 458 will have more gain... they have different pinouts so be careful.

 

The 457 is D-S-G looking at the bottom with the flat side up.

 

regards, Jack