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Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:39 pm
by GardenoftheDead
https://www.facebook.com/hilbishdesignl ... 02/?type=3

Apparently the guy making those boutique Sunn Beta clones is making a pedal in collaboration with the man himself. Available for preorder next month or at merch tables

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:57 pm
by Gone Fission
I love the labeling of the treble knob: "High AF."

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 2:19 am
by WORMDIRT
Whoa $600 for the beta preamp is pretty tempting.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:35 am
by Kacey Y
Is it an ODB-3 with a mid control?

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:03 am
by Gone Fission
Corey Y wrote:Is it an ODB-3 with a mid control?
Nah, that's what Vertex and JHS will do when they feel the need to serve the doom market. (Apocalyptic P&W?)
Vertex will actually rehouse Boss pedals and then get kudos from fan bois for admitting it when caught red handed.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:11 am
by Kacey Y
Gone Fission wrote: Nah, that's what Vertex and JHS will do when they feel the need to serve the doom market. (Apocalyptic P&W?)
Vertex will actually rehouse Boss pedals and then get kudos from fan bois for admitting it when caught red handed.
I don't mean to imply it's a rehouse, just that Buzz's main dirt pedal for years has been an ODB-3 and this has the same controls as that, plus a mid control. So I'm wondering if it's based on an ODB-3 or is something completely different. It seems out of character for Buzz to have a boutique signature pedal, but I can also see him just shrugging and laughing about it too.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:40 am
by ognoy
Buzz box?

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 10:11 am
by Kacey Y
ognoy wrote:Buzz box?
Maybe it's just him joking, but every interview I ever read about the actual Blue Box, he said he just used it as a goof on that one noise record they made to get out of their contract and piss off Atlantic Records. Has he ever actually used that effect as part of his main tone? I think his comment on the Buzz Box was something like "I had nothing to do with that, they just wanted to make and I let them" or some longer version of that sentiment.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:04 pm
by GardenoftheDead
Corey Y wrote:
ognoy wrote:Buzz box?
Maybe it's just him joking, but every interview I ever read about the actual Blue Box, he said he just used it as a goof on that one noise record they made to get out of their contract and piss off Atlantic Records. Has he ever actually used that effect as part of his main tone? I think his comment on the Buzz Box was something like "I had nothing to do with that, they just wanted to make and I let them" or some longer version of that sentiment.
He used the Blue Box for a while, Charmicarmicat off Eggnog is the most significant example. the DOD guy basically just asked buzz if he could trace the blue box circuit (they were out of production for a long time) and call it a buzz box and he said "whatever dude." The Buzz Box has a grunge circuit running to the blue box instead of Buzzo's Rat, and buzz himself did say "Is my tone that bad? That pedal sounds like a vacuum cleaner."

If I had to guess, this pedal might be a simplified Beta preamp circuit with an ODB-3 circuit running into it. Buzzo's setup has the ODB-3 always on. But who knows, it could be something different, there's not much info yet.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:27 pm
by rickenbastard
Buzz has been using the Hilbish pre’s instead of bringing his vintage Beta’s on the road so they have a relationship. My band just got one of Hilbish’s. It is awesome and Hilbish is the most solid of dudes, not the type that would just throw some BS together and slap Buzz’s name on it. I will be getting one whatever it is.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 8:43 am
by Kacey Y
I mean...it can be a modded ODB-3 and not be shit with Buzz's name slapped on it. Plenty of builders have made a name for themselves by rebuilding existing pedals from the ground up with a few key mods. I'm just curious if that's what the basis for the pedal is, since the ODB-3 is a dirt pedal with gain, volume, 2 band EQ (Low/High) and clean blend...and this pedal has gain ("blast"), volume ("boost"), 3 band EQ (Low/Med/High AF) and clean blend (mix). I was just making an educated guess, based on the pedals Buzz uses regularly and the controls. I guess it could be something completely different or unique as far as the drive circuit goes and Buzz just wanted it to have clean blend and multi-band EQ built in.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:34 am
by AZX309
A quick glance at the schematic and the gutshot make it look about right to be a modded ODB-3

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 12:58 pm
by Tom Von Kramm
AFAIK Buzz never had a Buzz Box on his pedalboard. Jason Lamb (RIP) was a massive Melvins fan and he designed the Buzz Box in an attempt to capture Buzz's octave down sound. People try to turn it into this weird thing, but we have always had a good relationship with Buzz.

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:37 pm
by rickenbastard
Corey Y wrote:I mean...it can be a modded ODB-3 and not be shit with Buzz's name slapped on it. Plenty of builders have made a name for themselves by rebuilding existing pedals from the ground up with a few key mods. I'm just curious if that's what the basis for the pedal is, since the ODB-3 is a dirt pedal with gain, volume, 2 band EQ (Low/High) and clean blend...and this pedal has gain ("blast"), volume ("boost"), 3 band EQ (Low/Med/High AF) and clean blend (mix). I was just making an educated guess, based on the pedals Buzz uses regularly and the controls. I guess it could be something completely different or unique as far as the drive circuit goes and Buzz just wanted it to have clean blend and multi-band EQ built in.
I agree that’s likely what the pedal is. I more meant that Buzz was actually involved in developing this it wasn’t just his name being put on it with no input from him

Re: Hillbish Designs Melvins Pessimister

Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:44 pm
by D.o.S.
DigiTechRep wrote:AFAIK Buzz never had a Buzz Box on his pedalboard. Jason Lamb (RIP) was a massive Melvins fan and he designed the Buzz Box in an attempt to capture Buzz's octave down sound. People try to turn it into this weird thing, but we have always had a good relationship with Buzz.
This is the version of the story I've heard as well.