Still, I always wondered about the differences between the MKI and MKII. I have a friend (also a friend of Matt Wright's) who has a MKI, and although they are very similar I love this pedal enough to justify having both versions. After all, one has two transistors (MKI) and one has three (MKII). Even though that third transistor on the MKII is essentially just a boost (and a great addition to the pedal), it does give the circuit a slightly different flavor.
I had already been in contact with Matt Wright in the past, and I knew he was a very cool guy. I decided to contact him and see if there was something I could do to soup up my MKII. I wondered if there was a possibility of toggling between MKI/MKII modes, and I also wanted to bump up the sustain a bit without drastically altering the nature of the pedal.
Well, Matt came through big time. He installed a switch that allows me to bypass the third transistor, essentially making it a MKI. You have to bump up the Volume when in that mode, but it certainly does have a slightly different character, although it's hard to describe. The differences seem more apparent when twiddling with the other knobs, and it's just really cool knowing I have both versions in one box. I wish I had a good way to record clips, but unfortunately I don't right now. I'll see what I can do, though.
Matt also altered the Attack knob slightly so that I could get more sustain, especially at the higher end of the dial. I still have all the spitty, fizzling, gated sounds that I love at different points on the Attack knob, but this mod also allows me to roll back the Fuzz knob and play chords without it fading away too quickly or being too garbled. That was a nice surprise.
To anyone thinking about getting a Fuzz-Stang MKII, I can't recommend it enough. It really is an inspiring, gratifying sound that this pedal produces, and I'm not surprised to see all the love it's gotten on TGP and beyond. Matt Wright is 100% professional and punctual, and besides that he's a really nice guy (and a terrific musician, I hear). The mods Matt did for me are certainly not necessary for everyone, but I'm very grateful to have a tricked-out Fuzz-Stang MKI/II that I'll be breaking in this weekend. Here's a less-than-stellar photo:
