Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face (BC108) Settings Guide
The BC108 silicon transistor Fuzz Face uses the same two-transistor topology as the original Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face but with silicon rather than germanium transistors. Silicon produces a brighter, more aggressive, higher-gain fuzz character — more consistent across temperature changes and less sensitive to impedance matching than germanium. Jimi Hendrix transitioned from germanium to silicon Fuzz Faces during his career, and many players prefer silicon for its more cutting, aggressive character suited to rock and hard rock.
Used by: Jimi Hendrix (later period)
The best Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face (BC108) settings start with: Volume at 7/10, Fuzz at 7/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Psychedelic Rock: Volume 7/10, Fuzz 7/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | 7/10 | Off → Loud |
| Fuzz | 7/10 | None → Full |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Moderate Fuzz for the classic silicon Fuzz Face tone — brighter and more aggressive than germanium at equivalent settings. Single notes have a cutting, buzzy quality with good sustain. The silicon circuit is more consistent than germanium — this setting works regardless of temperature or impedance conditions.
High Fuzz for maximum saturation — the silicon Fuzz Face at Fuzz 9–10 produces a very compressed, sustaining fuzz with a brighter, harder attack than germanium would at equivalent settings. More aggressive and suitable for heavy riffing than the smooth germanium character.
Mid Fuzz for a ragged, dynamic overdrive that cleans up with guitar volume. At Fuzz 5, the silicon Fuzz Face responds to picking dynamics and guitar volume — lighter picking and reduced guitar volume produce a pushed, overdrive-like tone; harder picking and full guitar volume produce the full fuzz character.
Full Fuzz for the wall-of-sound sustained fuzz texture. Maximum Fuzz on the silicon Fuzz Face produces an extremely compressed, almost gating fuzz at the edge of controllability — extremely high sustain with a ragged, chaotic edge that suits shoegaze-adjacent heavy fuzz textures.
Artist Settings
Documented settings used by professional guitarists on this unit.
Hendrix transitioned from germanium to silicon Fuzz Faces in his later career (1969–1970). The silicon version provided a more consistent, brighter character compared to the warmer, more variable germanium units he used earlier. Band of Gypsys-era tone has a brighter, more aggressive fuzz character consistent with silicon transistors.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Silicon vs. germanium Fuzz Faces: silicon is brighter, more aggressive, more consistent, and temperature-stable. Germanium is warmer, more dynamic, more sensitive to temperature and input impedance. Neither is objectively better — the choice depends on whether you want a brighter, cutting fuzz (silicon) or a warmer, more organic fuzz (germanium).
- The silicon Fuzz Face is less sensitive to what comes before it than germanium — you can run a tuner or buffer before a silicon Fuzz Face without significantly affecting its character. Germanium Fuzz Faces are highly sensitive to input impedance and should typically be run first in the chain without any buffer before them.
- Guitar volume pot interaction: both silicon and germanium Fuzz Faces clean up when the guitar's volume is reduced, but silicon cleans up less dramatically than germanium. Rolling the guitar volume to 6–7 on a silicon Fuzz Face produces a slightly cleaner, more dynamic tone rather than the significant cleanup germanium provides.
FAQ
Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face (BC108) — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face (BC108): Volume at 7/10, Fuzz at 7/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Psychedelic Rock: Volume 7/10, Fuzz 7/10. Moderate Fuzz for the classic silicon Fuzz Face tone — brighter and more aggressive than germanium at equivalent settings. Single notes have a cutting, buzzy quality with good sustain. The silicon circuit is more consistent than germanium — this setting works regardless of temperature or impedance conditions.
For Hard Rock: Volume 7/10, Fuzz 9/10. High Fuzz for maximum saturation — the silicon Fuzz Face at Fuzz 9–10 produces a very compressed, sustaining fuzz with a brighter, harder attack than germanium would at equivalent settings. More aggressive and suitable for heavy riffing than the smooth germanium character.
Volume: Output volume (Off to Loud). Fuzz: Fuzz / saturation amount (None to Full)
Silicon vs. germanium Fuzz Faces: silicon is brighter, more aggressive, more consistent, and temperature-stable. Germanium is warmer, more dynamic, more sensitive to temperature and input impedance. Neither is objectively better — the choice depends on whether you want a brighter, cutting fuzz (silicon) or a warmer, more organic fuzz (germanium). The silicon Fuzz Face is less sensitive to what comes before it than germanium — you can run a tuner or buffer before a silicon Fuzz Face without significantly affecting its character. Germanium Fuzz Faces are highly sensitive to input impedance and should typically be run first in the chain without any buffer before them. Guitar volume pot interaction: both silicon and germanium Fuzz Faces clean up when the guitar's volume is reduced, but silicon cleans up less dramatically than germanium. Rolling the guitar volume to 6–7 on a silicon Fuzz Face produces a slightly cleaner, more dynamic tone rather than the significant cleanup germanium provides.
Jimi Hendrix (later period) settings: Volume 7/10, Fuzz 8/10. Hendrix transitioned from germanium to silicon Fuzz Faces in his later career (1969–1970). The silicon version provided a more consistent, brighter character compared to the warmer, more variable germanium units he used earlier. Band of Gypsys-era tone has a brighter, more aggressive fuzz character consistent with silicon transistors.
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