All tagged germanium fuzz
The Tonebender MKI circuit is one of my favorite fuzz circuits and one of the rarest fuzz pedals. Luckily for us, builders such as Seeker Electronics are making the circuit in modern times, as finding a vintage pedal is highly unlikely, especially without a price tag that would make even the avid collected blink.
Knowing how many original tone benders inventor Gary Hurst made is impossible. The first run of them was made in wooden enclosures. Gary then switched to metal-pressed sheet metal enclosures that were painted gold.
The MKI as we know it only existed for about a year, from 1965-1966, before the MK1.5 came out, which had a considerably different sound.
FSC Guitars has recently introduced their latest pedal, the What The Fuzz (WTF), based on a germanium Fuzz Face circuit (although using silicon) with some unique modifications.
While the WTF retains a silicon circuit's stability and standard power capabilities, it is designed to exhibit the sound qualities typically associated with germanium fuzz pedals. In addition, this innovative approach allows for increased stability and eliminates the need for specialized power supplies.
One notable addition to the WTF is the bias knob, a feature not commonly found on traditional silicon fuzz faces. This knob enables you to adjust the spiciness and gated characteristics of the sound by effectively starving the circuit.
Years ago, in a far away universe, I purchased my first fuzz pedal. It was a Dunlop Fuzz Face. When I got it, I was confused by the sound. It seemed kinda dead and lifeless. Rolling back the volume knob just made it sound more dead.
