ilovefuzz.com

ck3 wrote:Here is what my unkempt board looked like during A/B/C/D testing (before all my gear had to be packed and hidden from duct work contractors):



Final impressions:

JDM Pedals Little Steamer: Probably the most versatile of the lot and my favorite at the moment. It can chime and grind equally well depending upon guitar pickup configurations and/or settings and gain levels. JDM created a variant that can sound both musical and mean, but the DC polarity requirements may differ from the norm (based on labeling). I use batteries, so this is a non-issue.

Customeffects Harmonic Percolator: A killee deal for only 78 USD new/shipped from Poland to the US. It has the most limited features of the bunch, but totally nails the classic HP vibe. There's no battery clip, but it has standard polarity requirements.

Zander Circuitry Cafetiere: A wacky, silicon take on the perc circuit with extra compression and heft. Its response to playing dynamics and different guitar-related nuances seems more limited than the other options, though all sorts of oddball artifacts like octave down harmonics are possible. Silicon transistors also means more saturation on tap, which allows for even gnarlier textures at max gain with chords.

Land Devices HP-2: I'm not sure what transistors are in the mix, but they almost sound silicon compared to other options on hand. The HP-2 isn't quite as compressed as the Cafetiere, but definitely sounds fuzzier overall than my germanium perc variants. There may also be a slight lowpass filter at play, as its slight smoothness reminds me of my former Fredric Effects Utility Perkolator. This pedal can nudge my Way Huge Russian Pickle into uber doom territory when in diode bypass mode.

Results of cascading more than one pedal together in classic HP mode were flatulently grotesque, while they were nice and chunky with diodes removed.

BetterOffShred wrote: Do all/any of your perc clones "bloom" pretty dece? That is to say grow harmonic overtones during sustained notes?

BetterOffShred wrote:Well I've researched this device to death and listened to like 50 clones, and that land devices definitely sounds fantastic. It looks like it also has 3 diode modes (Si, lift, Ge). Curious what pre and post values he's got in there.

I'm aware most people prefer fewer knobs so I'm working on tidying it up a bit

actualidiot wrote:

I'm aware most people prefer fewer knobs so I'm working on tidying it up a bit

plz don't, looks awesome. What does the bass control do?

D Rock wrote:Percs have been my dirt/fuzz of choice lately. Spent quite a bit of time with the circuit on the breadboard so if anyone needs any help please PM me.

Also, did I mention Russian Germanium PNP transistors. Fuck yes.

actualidiot wrote:So does it cut and boost or just cut?

D Rock wrote:Percs have been my dirt/fuzz of choice lately. Spent quite a bit of time with the circuit on the breadboard so if anyone needs any help please PM me.

Built A PTP Perc first. It sounds great but quite a bit of work to do all the off-board wiring.




Then decided to start designing my own PCBs. This is version 1.



This version has a bass control, gain, bias, voltage starve and master volume. Sick. As far as I know there are no other more versatile percolators available. Also, it can self oscillate. Unsure if i want to tune that out or not. Produces some sick feedback when you let notes ring out, but can also be tuned back into a nice overdrive that has plenty of bite.



This circuit rocks, I plan to expand on it as time allows, but for now the 5 knob version is the tits. Bias has a sweet spot for sure, so that may just end up as a trim pot, but it is nice to tune in. I'm aware most people prefer fewer knobs so I'm working on tidying it up a bit so I can sell a few from time to time. Also, did I mention Russian Germanium PNP transistors. Fuck yes.