Ultra-Wide Range Vintage Style Fuzz

2x MULLARD OC45 | 1x MULLARD OC76 | 2x FAIRCHILD 2N3638A

The ACIDEATER is not a clone; it’s an homage to my favorite era of distortion units, designed to push the best-sounding parts on the planet to their absolute limits.

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CONTROLS

The ACIDEATER is equipt with 3 rotary controls, 2 of which are also push-button switches.

Filter: 

Heavy, warped “tilt” style EQ. Rotating CW, dark, heavy low-end begins to merge with slivers of upper-frequency harmonics, giving way to ultrawide bandwidth with deep low-mid scoop, before razor-sharp & focused mids & treble cut through the mix.

“Contour”: Pushing in the filter knob engages an alternate, mid-forward filter set. Fully CCW yields full frequency filter bypass, surgically shaving off & tightening the low end as you rotate CW. The combination of these 2 filter sets brings out all eras of drive & fuzz sounds.

Fuzz: 

Custom omeg dual potentiometer attenuates & alters frequency response at 2 points in circuit. Designed for the widest possible sweep--from glassy to trashy drive to massive harmonic grind & sustain.

“☮“: Rotating fully CCW engages steep low-frequency attenuation at input. Perfect for 1960’s jangly hippie type shit.

Volume: 

While good measure was taken to make all settings nearly level matched, unreasonable amounts of gain are still readily available.

“Clang”: Pushing the volume control inserts a silicon transistor wave rectifier stage (between the second & third germanium transistor stages), instantly giving the complex harmonic array 3D definition. In this mode, the fuzz control primarily affects sustain/decay. Full CCW yields convincing gated & reedy FZ-1 fuzz. A bit further up the dial shifts toward the more filled-out, zappy rasp of its 9V predecessor. From halfway to full CW, we move past fractured woodwind into violin bowed with a hacksaw blade. The inherent gating effect now serves to eliminate background noise while keeping full note sustain intact.

POWER SECTION & REQUIREMENTS

The ACIDEATER’s unique power handling circuit was designed for maximum flexibility, circuit protection, and noise-free operation. Use a 9V battery or any standard 9V DC center-negative pedal power supply. It is 100% safe to daisy chain or share power banks with other effects. (Ext. Power Supply)—Plug into the power input (located topside), & the incoming voltage is filtered, stabilized, & inverted, meeting all the necessary requirements for the vintage germanium transistors at the heart of this circuit. (Battery Power)—By unplugging your external power supply, the internal relay automatically switches to battery power, bypassing the power inverter circuit. This minimizes unnecessary drain & preserves the sonic benefits of direct-to-circuit battery connection.

WARNING: Do not exceed 9 volts.

ALWAYS UNPLUG INPUT JACK TO PREVENT BATTERY DRAIN.