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Long story short: The À la carte lets you modify the tone by adding parts to the electric circuit. By bridging the two magnets on the top of the pedal with one or more diodes of your choice, you are performing a hard clipping of the output signal, creating what's better known as a heavy "fuzz" distortion. The actucal outcome depends on many factors, but first and foremost on the choice of the diodes in the clipping circuit. Each pedal comes with a whole pack of different Si diodes. Create your own fuzz, exactly to your taste - as simple as placing an order in a restaurant!
What's on the menu? A fine selection of tasty silicon (Si) diodes! The all differ in their forward voltage. This is the minimum voltage needed to "overcome" the barrier. As soon as an input signal goes over this value, it will be cut off or "clipped". This is the origin of the fuzz effect, and the lower this clipping value, the fuzzier the sound. The higher, the more overdrive-like will be your tone.
Germanium (Ge) diodes, sold separately due to legal reasons (see FAQs), provide a softer clipping knee, while silicon types tend to give a slightly harsher experience. Play around and find your favourite. Use one to cut only one half of the AC signal, use two in opposite direction to give it a full cut.
Tone pros and experimentalists among you will quickly realize that yet another universe of sounds opens if you combine diodes in either direction, or if a resistor is put in series with a diode to lift the clipping knee to higher voltage. You see where this is going? Its going into a fuzz frenzy...
Now, let's round off your menu with a nice dessert: The little chocolate cake to the left, reading "Gain", is not a knob, it's actually a transistor. Yes, those shy little fellows that usually hide inside the pedal, but are the heart of any sound amplification. Take it out and replace by a different one from the menu to play around with gain as well! Go from low to high gain, see how it fits your gear. The standard pedal comes with three different types. Find the perfect choice for your equipment, your music, your style.
The underlying circuit follows a well-established "purist" concept, providing a warm, smooth fuzz that can produce the compressed, classic fuzz sounds you might be seeking, but it also cleans up nicely if the guitar output level is reduced. It then reminds of a Fuzz Face, but with a slight emphasis on mids, making this a very digestable and super-easy to use fuzz - especially for those at the beginning of their journey into fuzz land.
Note that this pedal is talking to your guitar a lot - in your signal chain, it wants to be as close as possible to you and your guitar. As with all analog fuzz pedals, avoid any digital effects between the pedal and the guitar in your signal chain.
And yes, it can be a little noisy.. Because it's a fuzz - by definition an extreme amplifier of whatever comes along. With two metal plates and a transitor sticking out of the pedal. Diodes in the open. Nice, right? So, on a bad day you might pick up a local radio station - but don't be fooled - this is a top-quality effect, and a high-end boutique pedal made of quality parts.
The pedal ships with a fine selection of Si diodes and transistors that allow you to approach the sound of several well-known boutique pedals. So, what are you waiting for? There is no other pedal like this. Grab one before they are sold out again, as I can only build these handcrafted babies in small quantities...
Happy tone hunting!
A few additional notes...
During finalization, every pedal gets signed and personalized with the name of the customer on the inner side of the rear plate. Note that I am going to use the name that appears on the billing address – If you want me to write another name, please let me know either in the order notes ("special instructions", before checkout) or write a message to office@pantronicum.at. Please note that sales are final. The item is sold as-described and cannot be returned unless it arrives in a condition that deviates from how it was described.
The pedal requires a good quality, isolated, and regulated 9V power supply - specifically made for powering guitar pedals. This means negative tip/center, 2.1mm plug. Make sure you do not exceed 9V under any circumstances.
The pedal also features 3D-printed and custom-built details, all of our own design. The product you buy is carefully crafted, special, and hand made just for you. I ask you to keep this in mind, as this fact might entail slight variations in appearance and minimal imperfections in the paintwork. So, in short, the pedal you buy at our store will be like you - truly unique.
