Happy #fuzzfriday Here's a little clip of Doyle Bramhall playing through the silver and pink Zonk I made for @zapatafication #zonkmachine #tonebender #germaniumfuzz #knowyourtone
May I present - Electric Junk, named after the song by Guru Guru which apparently features an original Zonk on the recording. This is my completely overhauled MK1 Zonk Machine featuring a hand screen printed enclosure with a 2 colour design printed on 3 sides.
As per my previous Zonk iterations, it features a 3-way input cap selector switch allowing for the original tone setting and 2 levels of extra bass. There are also 2 internal trim pots to adjust the levels of gain/gating, and the pedal can either run on battery or a 9v power supply.
These will be going up for sale on my website soon, keep watching here for details.
Germanium micro Zonk w/custom external bias control. These are usually silicon, but I can just about squeeze 3 germanium transistors in there on request.
Currently up for grabs, a Big Face NKT 278. I found a couple of sets of these transistors in my stash that I'd forgotten about. This pair makes for a pretty high gain Fuzz Face clone, even when not using the boost. The boost switch changes between vintage Fuzz Face and Texas Square Face spec.
For the purposes of the Fuzz Face, the NKT278 is functionally identical to the 275. The only difference is the current handling capability, and both transistor types are well within their limits in the FF circuit.
The Comp Lab, based on the compressor/limiter circuit found in the Lab Series L5 and other amps designed by Moog in the 70's
The original amps feature the limiter after the master volume, allowing you to crank the preamp gain and get a nice overdriven tone at a lower overall level. The result is a very pleasing sag type effect as the compressor kicks in, followed by a slow release or 'bloom' and increased sustain.
This pedal version includes the master volume control from the amp. The limiter and master volume are very interactive, and the higher you push the volume, the harder the limiter works.
Lastly the circuit has a secret weapon in the form of a second OTA (operational transconductance amplifier) instead of diodes for clipping. This gives a soft knee transition into distortion that more closely mimics the natural breakup and warm harmonic content of a tube, especially even using a boost or overdrive in front.
