Tonkraf Manufacturing - The Phoenix

Hello Gearheads! I’ll assume you’ve been doing well and enjoying your pursuits in tone and gear since the last feature… Well, today I’ve got a fantastic one to share with you all - a very cool new release to the boutique amplifier market that’s not not only hand-built, incredible sounding and versatile but also impressively priced at retail! This mythic beast is appropriately named the Phoenix! It’s a brand new offering from Tim Thompson, the designer and builder at Audio Eyra, who builds amazing high end amplifiers and HiFi audio components. Tim has had a long history with both those auditory elements - Instrument and HiFi audio and bridges that gap amazingly well with his circuits. Tim was tapped as the main designer, builder and creator of the amps sold under the Ronin Amp brand and has come into his own with Audio Eyra and now a sister company called Tonkraf. Simply put, Tonkraf was created to offer the same unique tonal magic and performance but at a much more affordable price point. This is not a cheaper offshore build with misguided build practices and junk parts… but actually a well thought out business choice to offer the same quality with more attainable, less rare and less expensive components. Every amp is still built by hand and with the upmost attention to detail. It truly is a Goldilocks scenario for someone interested in the higher tier offerings of Audio Eyra but maybe they’re priced out of their reach. I don’t often start features with price in mind, but I truly felt it necessary to showcase this point as it’s a brilliant one that not only works for Tim and Co. but also for the end user who buys one of these.

The Phoenix is in itself a powerhouse of a design. 18w and powered by 2 EL84’s and 2 12AX7’s and simple in form but quite versatile in it’s feature set. The Phoenix has a unique effects loops along with a master volume that can not only fine tune the gain structure of the amp, but also add or subtract large amounts of clean headroom. Tim remarks the Phoenix to be a sort of mixture of Trainwreck and 18w Marshall influences as well as others in a unique mishmash that makes the Phoenix a stand out in it’s peers not only in the wattage class but also across other similarly marketed brand’s amps. Take a look below at more from Tim on his inspiration for the Phoenix.

“The Phoenix is a re-imagination of the “Tone Valve” circuit created by Tim Thompson in 2009. Taking cues from Ken Fischer, Doug Hoffman, and the famous Marshall 18-watt, Tim carefully chose his favorite off the shelf parts, added an active effects loop and solid-state rectifier to create this fire-breathing monster.Enter the Phoenix.

In 2009, this amplifier started as a paralleled 12AX7 preamp with only simple tone and volume controls. Over the years to date, this circuit has evolved to boast an incredible Master Volume control that preserves responsiveness and overdrive from very low volume levels to full loudness. The parallel preamp was changed to use the tone stack between the dual triode gain stages, and an effects loop inserted just before the phase inverter. Lastly, to “speed” things up a bit, a solid-state rectifier was incorporated. We find this circuit is not only suited for most all genres of guitar playing, but also very capable of acoustic-electric; lap steel; harmonica (harp to you blues guys); and violin.

This slow-roasted recipe of years of evolution has yielded a tonal palette of guitar bliss. Thus, from the ashes, the Phoenix rises. We know you will enjoy this little tone machine. Plug in, crank it up, enjoy!”
— Tim Thompson

In my overall testing of the Phoenix, I found the amp to be a very versatile design. While it could be written off that it’s just a high gain monster for rock tones or a Marshall and/or Vox clone it’s actually not. The Phoenix is really it’s own thing in many ways. There is a huge amount of gain and saturation available within the gain range on the Phoenix and if you would prefer to use it like a typical Trainwreck style circuit, you could certainly do so. The volume knob cleanup on your guitar is fantastic and very sweet. You can also utilize the Phoenix’s effects loop without anything in it to completely change how the amp reacts to the input stage and you’ll get a wide range of headroom available. Chimey clean, edge or breakup to higher levels or saturation all the way to exploding tubes and melting transformers. All those tones are available in a variety of ways. The volume knob on your guitar, the gain and master volume on the front of the Phoenix and of course the loop on the back of the amp. It’s seriously impressive how the Phoenix reacts to your playing and what you put into it. I believe this intention is from Tim’s love of HiFi and how he interprets a guitar’s voice.

In terms of the effects loop, if you are someone who loves to put your delay and reverb or maybe even a utility pedal like an EQ etc… the loop works great! It’s musical and works as it should. You could probably even stick your entire pedalboard in there if you’d want! Personally, I’ve never been able to bond with effects loops. It’s an odd thing because I really do like the clarity of post speaker effects, especially stereo delay and will often employ this in use in the studio but for some reason I just don’t prefer what those effects “do” in a loop… that said, I’m VERY happy the loop exists due to how it reacts with the amp’s gain structure and how much room you have to work within that network.

I found the Phoenix to offer such a wide palette of tones that I could see using this amp for all sorts of applications. Tonkraf makes a combo or a head format and the chassis itself is quite light despite it’s massive tonal muscle. It takes pedals really well and as you’ll hear in my demo below, it also takes reverb and delay without any struggle. I used a lot of time based effects straight in with the rest of my pedalboard and as long as you gain stage correctly, you’re set! All in all, I’m extremely impressed with the Phoenix and look forward to what else comes from Tim Thompson not only from his endeavors at Tonkraf but also at Audio Eyra. I highly suggest you take a look at both companies for your next amplifier journey… I know I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled and sights set on what’s coming through! Until then, I look forward to using the Phoenix on my sessions and scoring works as well as showcasing new gear here with you all!

If you’d like to learn more about Tim Thompson, Tonkraf and the Phoenix please check out the links below!

https://www.tonkraf.com/

https://www.tonkraf.com/the-phoenix

https://www.audioeyra.com/

https://www.instagram.com/audioeyra/

Ron Ellis Pickups - 60's Bette Set - PAF Perfection

Hello Gearheads and welcome back! Today, I’ve got the pleasure to feature another wonderful set of pickups from Ron Ellis Pickups, who make possibly, the best sounding and feeling pickups today. I’ve had the joy to feature a few other sets from Ron in the past and not only did they breathe new life into the instruments they were installed in… they have remained a permanent resident! Ron’s pickups just speak so well in terms of the tone and feel and literally every set I’ve tried has completely blown me away.

The set in question for today’s feature is the 60’s Bette humbucker set. I had the chance to experience a Bette humbucker in the bridge position of my Danocaster Double Cut and when I was looking for a new set of pickups to “wake up” my Koa Montuoro hollow body, the recommendation from Ron was to try a full set of Bette’s. The Bette set is in essence a perfected 60’s era patent era or PAF sound and while they work wonderfully in any guitar, they seem to fit really well within the semi-hollow or hollow body styles…. absolutely perfect for my use case with my custom hollowbody from luthier Frankie Montuoro.

Frankie Montuoro is high end custom luthier who built and still might be building old and vintage style replica acoustic guitars in the vein of pre-war Martin and Larson style acoustics. Sought after in the high end collectors market, Frankie’s work is something special. I happened to meet Frankie about 20 years ago when I was looking to have a guitar built in the style and influence of a Paul Languedoc hollowbody electric, made famous by Trey Anastasio of the band Phish. At that time, literally no one was making direct clones much less much held information on making something in the spirit of those amazing guitars. I had attempted builds with a few other builders but nothing really worked out until I met Frankie when he was working with Bill Asher in Santa Monica, CA. We struck up a friendship over the idea of making such a unique instrument and set forth onto a lengthy (5 year or so) process till it’s fruition. Both Frankie and I were blown away by the guitar and I used it exclusively for about a decade. Frankie mentioned wishing he made himself one at the time as it was such a labor intensive project that couldn’t really be replicated without a ton of work and expense. To date, I believe it’s the only electric guitar he’s made. My Montuoro is still a constant writing partner and is used on sessions for it’s versatile and extremely unique tonal character. It’s the ONE guitar I’d grab if disaster struck and will forever be an important piece of my music career.

Enter my friend Ron Ellis! When I was looking at featuring a few more sets for him, I thought about finally upgrading the set that had been in the Montuoro since it’s birth. Originally, a set of Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro II’s were in that guitar, which at the time (20 years ago) served it well. I think I remember those being a favorite of Slash and I thought that was good enough for me! Over the years I always thought about upgrading the pickups, the electronics… removing some of the extra switching etc… simplifying and embracing a purity of tone. I had always put this idea on the back burner and not until chatting with Ron did I make the move to upgrade my sweet old friend with some magic. Magical indeed, the 60’s Bette Set were like swapping out well worn and tattered boots, that were so familiar but so badly needing a refresh with a new pair that not only felt amazing, but like you’ve known them for years. That is in short the mysterious beauty of Ron Ellis Pickups to me… these are brand new pickups, they feel familiar and evoke the best out of your fingers while really opening up the guitar’s voice in way that somehow grounds you in all that you’ve been and pushes you forward to who you are today.

I opted to go very simple with this overhaul and while I kept my treble bleed circuit, I removed all the coil tapping, phase and parallel switching and what I have now is a pure and open voice with such sweetness that shines with the wood of this guitar. This Montuoro is all Hawaiian Koa with a Curly Maple neck and while the guitar is hollow, it’s not braced like a traditional archtop or a Languedoc. It’s actually a top sandwiched upon a one-piece hollow back and sides. This set of Bette’s makes the most of this unique composition and I am left with a very woody and warm tonality but still have the snap and clarity that I demand out of this kind of instrument.

In the video demo below I used the Montuoro with the 60’s Bette set for all the guitar tracks and used a variety of amplifiers to showcase not only the versatility of these wonderful pickups but also to show how responsive and musical they react. These pickups just sound like music… pure and simple.

Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the 60’s Bette set from Ron Ellis Pickups. If you’d like to learn more about Ron and his work please do check out these sites for more information.

https://www.ronellispickups.com

https://www.instagram.com/ronellispickups/

https://www.facebook.com/ronellispickups

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

Keeley Electronics - Manis - A Whole New Myth

Hello Gearheads! Welcome back to warm and fantastic waters of the tone zone, where I get the supreme pleasure to share with you fantastic new and exciting gear! Today is a great day here at Tinkercity Music, not only do I get the the chance to revisit one of my favorite companies but showcase a brand new release from the awesome folks at Keeley Electronics. If you haven’t had a chance to check out my previous Keeley feature on their Rotary pedal, please take a moment (now or at your tonal leisure) and check it out HERE. Robert Keeley and team have been cranking out some incredible pedals as of late and their next release is definitely doing to make some noise!

What is this magical, dare I say mythical new pedal!? It is indeed the brand new Keeley Electronics Manis! The Manis is Keeley’s effort to begin and end the conversation on the Klon Centaur. While I can’t imagine that literally ANYONE reading this written feature wouldn’t have deep, dare I say compulsive knowledge of the Klon Centaur… if you’ve somehow missed one of the pinnacles of the gear world archetype, plainly put the Klon is mythical, rare and no longer available. In it’s original form, the Klon Centaur fetches insane market prices north of $5k and hence an entire cottage industry has been birthed from it’s ashes. The Klon has become it’s own meta, inception style experience where clones or rather Klones have taken the ethos into new worlds and evolved states.

This is where we meet the present. Robert and his team have taken the Klone mythos to new and exciting heights using their deep knowledge, tonal mapping technology and expertise to create an evolution of the mythical circuit. The Manis isn't just a mod: it’s an evolution of the mythical overdrive mid-boost pedal.

The Manis sports some very useful additions to the stock circuit which include switchable bypass modes, buffered bypass or true bypass, 9v or 18v operation (you absolutely cannot do this with a traditional Klone unless you wish to fry your pedal), an option to use a Germanium diode like the original or a transistor and lastly a bass boost switch. These options not only add simple tonal changes but they’re all very musical.

The mythical circuit in it’s typical use case is seen in two forms. A clean boost or a midrange heavy medium gain overdrive. The original circuit works amazing with certain rigs and not so great with others. Often, the higher gain tones are less than stellar and are met with an unnatural midrange honk that’s unpleasant. Keeley’s changes really help to make this circuit an option for higher gain tones that not only feel great but also sound wonderful regardless of your rig.

I personally found using the Manis in my rig best suited as a medium gain overdrive while using my guitar’s volume knob to clean up the tone. Pushing the amplifier in a great way while having the Manis’ silky midrange to add pleasant compression and clarity. I opted for the stock bass setting and used both the transistor and diode setting with great results. Plainly put I could see the Manis working out in “your” rig like this…. Bass boost on and GE transistor switched for rigs that are more of a pedal platform - cleaner or more headroom. If you’re running a rig where your amp is set to edge of breakup, the bass boost off and GE switch set to diode makes more sense. These features really open up your opportunities to use this kind of circuit and I really do think they’re not only inventive but also very musical.

In the video demo below, I used the Manis on all the stringed instruments including the bass guitar. The Manis sounds awesome on bass! I highly encourage you to check out the Manis whether you’ve owned or tried previous Klones or even if you own an original. It truly is an evolution of a mythical circuit!

Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the Keeley Manis. If you’d like to learn more about Keeley Electronics please do check out these sites for more information.

https://robertkeeley.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KeeleyFX

https://www.instagram.com/keeleyelectronics/

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

Keeley Electronics - Rotary

Hello Gearheads! Welcome back to another fun exploration into the diverse and toneful depths of the gear world! Today, it’s my pleasure to showcase a wonderful and fairly new addition from the geniuses over at Keeley Electronics. For anyone who might not be a musician and happen to enjoy reading my wax poetic diversions or if you’ve been living under a rock… on mars… in a different universe… Robert Keeley along with a few other early pedal builders, absolutely MADE this industry out of the mire. Keeley Electronics are dutifully one of the original gangsters of the pedal boom and we ALL have a lot to show in forms of gratitude for the ground they’ve laid. Since the early days of modifying pedals as a necessity, turned small business and now ultimately a modern empire - Robert Keeley and his team are evolving in the most beautiful of ways and showing the gear world how to become bigger and remain true to the original core values that made them who they are.

The Keeley Rotary is Robert and his team’s homage to the rotating speaker, most notably the Leslie rotating cabinet used by history’s musical greats. Keeley shrinks the form, function and tone into a tight laser cut aluminum case that is incredibly easy to use and sounds fantastic. I personally have had love/hate and mostly hate relationship with rotating speaker simulations as they almost always sound and feel like unnatural, phased, one dimensional chorus units. That’s not the case at all with the Rotary… it’s very sweet and immediately musical.

With just 3 knobs and two foot switches the Keeley Rotary offers a pretty wide feature set to shape your tone, while keeping the impressive core tones close to home. The Rotary is not trying to emulate every rotating cabinet ever made. It’s made to sound fantastic and eliminate the need to endless options and feature overkill. Exactly my kind of pedal! Simple. Elegant. Musical….

I found the Keeley Rotary to sound best in my rig with the MID boost either flat (down) or slightly boosted (middle position). It’s a wonderful feature though as it’s a subtle yet effective way to manage the EQ without getting too far out in the “weeds” as it were. There’s a common ground with the way these new pedals are being designed from Keeley… they’re all in that “Goldilocks” zone that give the end user the ability to shift and tailor their tones but not end up in option anxiety or quickly create an abrasive or unnatural tone.

The Rotary’s BLEND and DRIVE were best set to about 2:00 for the BLEND and 10:00 for the DRIVE in my rig while I kept the SPEED knob (the big mission control style knob) at around 3:00 for a nice faster rotation. They SLOW-FAST button comes in clutch with it’s ramping ability between the slow and majestic chorused and almost flange-like tones to the faster Jazzer-esq warble. You can adjust the speed at which the ramping up and down happens but I opted to keep it set stock as it’s meant to replicate how a traditional Leslie would work in that way. That SLOW-FAST foot switch is the key to creating realistic rotary tones and using it within your playing and phrasing is so beautiful and addicting. I really delved into this feature during the solo section of the demo below, to give that ebb and flow and create a dimensional movement to the tone.

What more can I say about this pedal! It’s killer, it’s small enough to fit on any pedalboard and it sounds incredible! Trey Anastasio, the front-man to the seminal jam band Phish has replaced his real rotary cabinets with the Keeley Rotary. If that doesn’t tell you something… I’m not sure what will. Trey can use whatever he wants and has used the real cabinets forever. I’ll say it again… these Rotary pedals are a triumph of form, function and tone!

I’d like to share one last thought on these new Keeley releases. Robert has repeatedly mentioned that his team have met new heights with their DSP engineering and processing of not only the algorithms themselves but also how the audio is passed through the pedal. I can attest that there’s this sense of a more robust and sweetened tone as I hear my guitar pass through the pedal. I firstly found this with a ZOMA (Keeley’s answer to the Strymon Flint) that I purchased and what ultimately led me down the road to reaching out to Robert to feature the Rotary. It’s akin to how signal flow sounds richer when it’s running through vintage rack gear with it’s outdated but amazing sounding components. Notes sound bigger, more 3D and natural. It’s hard to describe but the sound feels so more alive and while the point of this Gearheads Feature is to showcase the tone of the effects… this point was very much worth making as the sonic improvement is very well received and I’m excited to see what else the Keeley team come up with considering these advancements!

In the video demo below, I used the Keeley Rotary on all the guitars including the bass guitar with the BRAKE feature to utilize the EQ and gain structure of the Rotary minus the speaker movement. As mentioned earlier, I took advantage of the SLOW-FAST ramping foot switch often during the guitar solo section to great use. For anyone looking for a rotating speaker or Leslie simulation, I highly recommend the Keeley Rotary. It’s fantastic and certainly worth a spin!

Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the Keeley Rotary. If you’d like to learn more about Keeley Electronics please do check out these sites for more information.

https://robertkeeley.com/

https://www.facebook.com/KeeleyFX

https://www.instagram.com/keeleyelectronics/

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

HAGERMAN - OVERDRIVE SPECIAL

Welcome back Gearheads! Today, I’ve have the pleasure to showcase a cool tube preamp pedal from Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Amplification. Jim Hagerman is based out of Honolulu, Hawaii and has been hand crafting tube based musical tools since 1982! Have a look at Hagerman’s story in his own words HERE.

The Hagerman Overdrive Special or ODS is Jim’s take on the venerable Dumble Overdrive Special circuit in a tube based preamp form. Hagerman recommends running this high voltage powerhouse either in front of a neutral/clean poweramp or in the effects loop of an amplifier. He does also note that the pedal can be run traditionally as a guitar pedal in line and in front of an amplifier… more on that later!

Tonally, the ODS isn’t a direct clone of the Dumble topology or another pedal, but more so Hagerman’s own take with improvements sought to not only get those Dumblesq tones shrouded in mystery but also to go beyond the spectrum to meet the demands of players seeking versatility.

“The OVERDRIVE SPECIAL is a dual 12AX7 tube pedal preamplifier designed to mimic classic Dumble ODS tones. It is not a copy or clone, but rather a completely re-thought and re-designed circuit, intended to surpass the original. The COLOR control provides equalization identical to Dumble rock mode at noon, while duplicating Robben Ford settings when minimized. A LIFT switch pulls this control out of circuit, providing a 10dB boost in gain. The DRIVE control adjusts gain to compensate for various pickups (single-coil, humbucker). The ODS switch enables the high-gain section, which utilizes my all-tube symmetric clipper circuit, offering up what I believe to be superior performance. This is followed by another tilt TONE control and output LEVEL. ”
— Jim Hagerman

The Hagerman ODS is a true tube powered preamp circuit meant to color and influence a clean amplified circuit, running at a full 115 volts and powered by two 12AX7 preamp tubes. Many pedals on the market claim to utilize tubes to get their warmth and tone while barely generating enough voltage to pass signal through the tube much less empower it’s valve magic… again not the case. You do need to either use the supplied 370ma AC power supply or feed it the proper power from your supply of choice.

The ODS’s control layout are fairly simple with it’s level, tone and drive while the color control acts as a sort of presence knob allowing you to bring in more top end or cut brittle or harsh highs. Hagerman mentions setting the COLOR knob at noon is identical to the ROCK setting on a Overdrive Special whereas pulling it back, hence cutting some highs takes it towards Robben Ford’s familiar tonal landscape.

In terms of the controls and the ODS preamp’s use case, I did indeed try running the pedal in the effects loop of a Guytron GT-100 amplifier as well as the input of my preamp’s which went directly to the DAW and used software to simulate speakers etc… While those methods worked, I found my most favorable results running the ODS into the front end of a Two Rock Traditional Clean configured for it’s highest headroom and at it’s cleanest setting. I positioned it at the end of my pedalboard chain, right before the front end of the Two Rock. While the recommendation might suggest otherwise, I felt this yielded the sweetest tone from the ODS and I was able to get color, gain and that familiar Dumble tonal characteristic. I’m sure the ODS works exceedingly well as recommended but this was my own personal experience. I mostly used the ODS in it’s lighter to medium gain structures and relied heavily on using the LIFT switch to add a tonal and tactile boost for the amp. I felt these settings suited the ODS in the best way as well as matching my playing style. A side note, I did not employ the ODS switch itself in any of the demo tracks as I felt they were just too fuzzy for what I was going for in this demonstration. It’s certainly not a dig but I personally didn’t need that much extra saturation from the pedal itself. If you would like to hear that ODS higher gain switch in action, Pete Thorn has a great demo showcasing the pedal as well including those elements.

In the video demo below, the Hagerman ODS was used on all the stringed instruments including the bass guitar, which was very impressive to my delight. I could see bass players using this as another voice in their preamp choices very easily. I found the ODS to be a very musical and high headroom box of tonal color, when paired with the right amp or rig I think anyone could easily find tonal nirvana!


Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the Hagerman ODS. If you’d like to learn more about Hagerman Amps and FX please do check out these sites for more information.

https://www.hagamps.com

https://www.facebook.com/HagermanTechnology

https://www.instagram.com/hagermanamplification/

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

Atomic Tone - Triptych Twins - A True Edifice Of Tone

Welcome back Gearheads! Today I have a very cool pedal to showcase for you all. I first found out about Atomic Tone from one of my gearhead pals who works in the television music sync world and he said you NEED to check one of these crazy pedals out… it’s perfect for guys like us. With most things coming from my buddy John “Flan”, I took him seriously and immediately got in touch with Brian from Atomic Tone.

Atomic Tone was founded by Brian Heunergardt in 2023 with a firm vision to offer really well built circuits that give the end user much more than what’s typically available in the market. The bespoke pedal I’m showcasing today absolutely is that and so much more. There is much depth at the heart of Atomic Tone… getting into the rabbit hole as it were with poise, great promise and a firm scientific perspective… indeed, there’s much to be rewarded with their pedals.

The Triptych Twins is one of those of pedals that rides the unique line of being so simple to operate but once you dig a bit deeper you realize how far down the tunnel of tone you can go. Most often pedals that are… shall we say “option oriented” tend to really not offer that much in the end. That usually comes down to either the feature set being too confusing, ill fated or just plain non musical. Absolutely not the case with the Triptych Twins… it’s a proverbial cornucopia of tones that rewards experimentation.

At it’s heart the Triptych Twins is two pedals (the Saturation Triptych) from their line put in one enclosure. In keeping with the honest scientific method and being that all twins, unless identical are not 100% the same, the blue (right) side of the pedal is voiced slightly different to offer some versatility but to my ears it just makes the whole pedal work better within itself. I found that to be a nice touch to add that little detail and it showcases Brian’s interesting ethos behind Atomic Tone.

So what does this pedal do!? What does it sound like!? Come on man… enough carrying on and do the review thing! I know… you want me to tell you it sounds like a Tube Screamer, a Timmy, a Fuzz Face, a Nobels ODR-1, a Klon, a “insert your current favorite drive pedal”…. Honestly, TLDR/ it sounds like you. Yep! Like it or not the Triptych Twins ascends above the delicate clouds of transparent buzz words and straight up sounds like you. Remember when my buddy Flan said “it’s perfect for guys like us”? Well, it’s true and he was right. I LOVE this thing. It works how I wish most boost and drive pedals would work. Simple, small movements on the knobs make immediate and fruitful changes to your tone. When I’m working on a track either for myself or for someone else and if I need to have a part sit better in the mix, I want to exercise the least amount of effort to get it right. The Twins are that in spades. It’s sensitive without being touchy, it’s uber musical without overshadowing the other gear your using in the chain. It’s a high end “do-it-all” tool that I think any recording or performing professional musician should own. I’m completely blown away by it and have already used it prior, during and after compiling this feature on other works. The Triptych Twins sneak up on you and I found I kept using it because it just works so damn well.

So what can it do? Other than the most important aspect of any gear in my opinion… to sound like yourself? It can be a simple boost for your amp or other pedals. It can be a medium gain with variable amounts of compression. It can be a higher gain fuzzy drive with variable amounts of compression. It can be singing solo tone when you stack both red and blue sides of the Twins…. most importantly it sounds, functions and FEELS fantastic.

The Twins can be run on either 9v or 18v and you do absolutely get different pedals with each choice of voltage. I personally preferred running it 18v as it offered more headroom and while it doesn’t get into the fuzzier side of things as 9v would offer, I really liked the bigness and tonal response.

“The design is an analog circuit. The Bass is a HPF (pre-distortion) and the Treble LPF (post-distortion). Clock-wise, the Bass will also add sag and more saturation in a very amp like way, the Treble will tighten/clean up sag and more, Sat/does that thing. These three knobs have a very high level of tone shaping power, and a small adjustment makes a difference. The pedal/circuit offers pristine clarity to thick saturation.

(Pos-1) Boost to Overdrive that goes a little past mild, will do a “little” modern to thick vintage tone that can also get compressed, all depending on how you set it.

(Pos-2) Boost to OD with fuzz, knobs maxed w/volume @11 can get close to the TB MKII pro tone, and it covers a lot of great tone options in-between!

(Pos-3) Boost to Distortion to fuzz, the Dirt will go a little past mild before the fuzz begins to enter and then proceeds into variations of fuzz, it will not do heavy fuzz.

Note: “If” you do not like fuzz, run it at 18v, it then becomes a variations of Distortion/OD Saturation.”
— Atomic Tone on the Triptych Twins


In the video demo below, I used the Triptych Twins on all the stringed instruments including the bass guitar. I ended up using two borrowed amplifiers (Divided By 13 FTR37 & a Bad Cat Lynx) partly out of curiosity but also to act as an experiment in using the pedal in unfamiliar territory to find the best results. It wins and in the end we all win. I’m very impressed by the Triptych Twins and really look forward to using it on a ton of work in the future. I’m excited to see Atomic Tone continue to grow and can’t wait see what’s next.

Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the Triptych Twins from Atomic Tone. If you’d like to learn more about Atomic Tone please do check out these sites for more information.

https://atomictonellc.com

https://www.facebook.com/people/Atomic-Tone-LLC/61550665712618/

https://www.instagram.com/atomic_tone_llc/

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

Benson Amps || Benson Delay!

Hello Gearheads! I’m excited to return today with another fabulous offering from Benson Amps, the Benson Delay! I had the pleasure of previously featuring the Germanium Fuzz from Chris Benson and crew… if you haven’t had a chance to check that feature out I highly recommend the pedal itself and the feature to learn a but more about Chris and Benson. CLICK HERE to read that Gearheads Feature!

The Benson Delay is in itself a decidedly simple device, offering a solution to crafting great tone without compromise. Very similar in design ideology to the other devices in the Benson line (including the Germanium Fuzz), the Benson Delay seeks to give musicians the analog and tape delay sounds we desire without the trouble and hassle that often comes from using them. I’ve been sensing a trend in the circuits that Benson releases and I really love what they’re doing. Simple, toneful and elegant.

At it’s heart, the Benson Delay utilizes the PT2399 delay chip to it’s fullest potential. The PT2399 was originally designed to be used in Karaoke machines and consumer grade electronics to add echo effects but has seen a great use case within the guitar effect world. It offers a unique tonal core to create great sounding digital delays that sound and feel analog. Benson makes hay while the sun shines as it were with this circuit to let in all the vintage mojo from analog delay pedals without the troublesome issues like clock noise, unusable feedback or sonic artifacts. Benson also enables tap tempo to modernize yet another step forward with the help of Bontempo, an open source technology concocted by Antoine Ricoux at Electric Canary, which was then refined and implemented by film colorist Octave Zangs (per Benson’s website).

The Benson Delay has a wide range of available delay time, featuring 30ms-1250ms which allows for anything from chorus and vibrato effects with the mix control up, slap back, tape delay or replicating your favorite analog machine… Ahem Deluxe Memory Men. The sounds are plainly put, natural and pleasing. Nothing is weird or artificial. You can warp the time and feedback around to rather crazy extents without losing control of the moment or pulling in a more traditional musical delay tone to suit every need.

I personally found the Benson Delay to replicate my favorite setting on the venerable “Big Box” Deluxe Memory Man from Electro Harmonix. There’s a certain way the repeats mix with the dry signal and even more so how the interaction of the modulation portion of the circuit interplay with the tone. It’s like two actions dancing together yet in parallel, all the while creating this uber musical glue. The perfect moment for a moody guitar line in a track. I’ll often use this kind of tone in lieu of a traditional chorus or vibrato pedal to create space and vibe. The Benson Delay nails this and it was instantly familiar and musically enticing.

In the video demo below I used the Benson Delay on all the stringed instruments including bass guitar. I found the slight modulation and thickening very useful in making those parts sit well and musically. The sound of the Benson Delay is percussive and highly addictive, creating a washes of toneful elasticity and smacking rhythmic hits. One could simply slap this pedal on their board and have instant usability in both form and function. I know I really fell in love with the Benson Delay and highly recommend checking one out!

Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the Benson Delay from Benson Amps. If you’d like to learn more about Benson Amps please do check out these sites for more information.

https://www.bensonamps.com

https://www.instagram.com/bensonamps/

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

Benson Amps || Germanium Fuzz || Temperature Controlled Wizardry!

Hello Gearheads! Welcome back to another fun and fuzzy feature. Today, I have the wonderful pleasure of sharing with you all a unique fuzz pedal from the genius that is Chris Benson. The Germanium Fuzz is Benson’s take on what he calls a “pretty” fuzz, one that will take you back to the vintage tones many of us guitarists are hunting for with a few tricks up it’s sleeve… one of which could be considered straight up wizardry in the world of temperature sensitive fuzz circuits. More on that later!

Chris Benson is the owner and creator of Benson Amplification, a very popular Portland, Oregon based company who have been cranking out unique takes on favorite amplifier circuits while focusing on vintage tone with modern and very useful innovations. I’d absolutely love to check out one of their amps in the future.

Benson’s innovations have of course touched the pedal world with their fantastic line of boosts, drives, fuzzes and delays… and the Germanium Fuzz is a great circuit to showcase that spirit of modern use in a vintage minded world… Simple, elegant and useful. It might be said that the elephant in the room when it comes to vintage germanium transistor based circuits is the temperature sensitivities those sweet little juicy transistors exhibit. They’re much like humans in way, able to exist within a small margin of error, the goldilocks zone if you will. If it’s too hot or too cold, or even with some specific transistors, slight variations on the temperature seesaw make them unusable, mushy and essentially a turd of a pedal. Yep, it’s a frustrating bubble that can often make using germanium fuzzes impossible. Cue Chris Benson and his brilliant team… they created the first temperature stable system to be able to use germanium transistors! No external cooling units, no ice packs or freezer “time outs”… there’s internal cooling circuitry! It’s magic I tell ya!

The same ethos that marks the simple innovations Benson employs also reach the tone of the Germanium Fuzz. Three controls - Volume, Gain & Impedance make such a wide variety and shades of boost, drive and fuzz that it’s honestly rather surprising. Some of you who’ve kept up with my features over the years know that I’m a big proponent of simple but wide feature sets. I’ve never found much joy out of menu diving or shifting through tons of knobs or switches to make the tone that’s in my hand reach the speaker. The Germanium Fuzz hits it’s mark easily in that regard.

The Gain and Impedance controls work so well together to tailor a more saturated and gritty fuzz or a dryer more open drive tone. I found running either the gain lower and the impedance higher or the gain higher and impedance lower to create my favorite results. I definitely preferred the “in between” tones that you wouldn’t normally get out of a vintage style Fuzz Face, and using the volume knob on the guitar further accentuated this experience. The Germanium Fuzz cleans up great and in a very natural way, not at all like the super hyped treble poking roll-off that can happen with some circuits. You can absolutely tell Chris Benson voiced this fuzz to work in a wide variety of situations and genres rather than focusing on the (in my opinion…tired) SRV and Hendrix buzz worlds. Nothing wrong with the greats, but it’s truly refreshing to see pedals like this being made.

In the demo below I used the Germanium Fuzz on all the stringed instruments, including bass guitar and an ancient Silvertone Aristocrat that’s been modified with a rubber bridge conversion by Rueben Cox at Old Style Guitar Shop here in Los Angeles. The Germanium Fuzz held it’s own equally with the wide variety of frequencies in those instruments. As I mentioned above, I mainly focused on the “in between” tones and found brilliant clean, slightly breaking up, medium gain tones and ultimately more saturated tones in the solo sections. Most often a fuzz pedal brings a certain kind of mood or voice when writing material for these features and I was pleased with the places it took me. After all, what’s the point to all of this gear if we’re not making music with them!

Thanks for checking this Gearheads Feature on the Germanium Fuzz from Benson Amps. If you’d like to learn more about Benson Amps please do check out these sites for more information.

https://www.bensonamps.com

https://www.instagram.com/bensonamps/

Until next time Gearheads, please take a moment to Like, Subscribe & Share this Feature and I’ll see you all very soon!

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