Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Drunk Beaver massively upgrades and enhances its PD #9 Kharkiv CMOStortion - now a full release Denys Toporchuk Signature Kavun MOS Drive edition
So back in May of 2023 Vitalii released a very special / specialist Kharkiv CMOStortion ’inspired by’ take on the Ibanez Mostortion - as I explained it - it was much more of an ’evolved from’ than ’based on’ project. Instead of the Mostortion’s CA3260 OpAmp, the Kharkiv relied on MOSFET inputs (2N7000) and CMOS outputs (2N7000 + BS250 pair).
The Kharkiv was an instant hit for me at the time, and featured in my ’15 Favourite Drunk Beaver Pedals’ rundown from last year. It turns out that it was big hit for Ukrainian funk-rocker Denys Toporchuk too (Денис Топорчук) for whom it became his signature drive pedal. You can hear it in one of Denys’ best known tracks below ’Хочу кавуна’ (I want a watermelon) [a little reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers for me!]. A watermelon ’кавун’ (Kavun) is the symbol of Denys’ home region / Oblast ’Kherson’. And Deny’s surname Toporchuk (Топорчук) is a derivation of ’топо́р’ which means axe or hatchet - which explains the pedal artwork and name! As well as the relevance to the melon - both in the name of the song and on the pedal. Denys is the leader of at least a couple of bands - Pivas (Півас), and The Muss (Півас).
I could tell when I stomped the Kavun on - that his was a much improved version of that already great circuit. It is better balanced now, more present and crisper - for an all-round even more pliable overdrive - it really sounds beautifully balanced now, and I could instantly hear the enhancements in the more articulate output. Like its predecessor the Kharkiv - the Kavun is incredibly versatile with plenty of range and a very decent amount of gain - mostly an overdrive for sure. I liked it plenty enough already, but I like it even more now. It’s on the board with the recently arrived Walrus Voyager II and 385 II - which are both excellent - where overall I rather prefer the Kavun - it really is incredibly well balanced, and has a decent amount of cleanup action too.
Controls and Top Mounted Ports
Controls - Bass, Mid, Treble, Level, Drive.
Ports - TS In, 9V DC [-] 65mA (100mA recommended), TS 0ut.
The only think that looks the same is the main control labels - but Vitalii has tweaked and adjusted those values too - so nothing really remains the same. The Kavun is closer in some ways to the Mostoriotn as it has an input buffer where the Kharkiv did not.
For the Kavun we have an input buffer, discrete OpAmp changes, Clipping changes, and changes to the target frequencies for the EQ's. The Kavun has MOS + Ge Clipping vs the Kharkiv's Green LED.
The EQ OpAmp in the Kavun is a CMOS (Texas Instruments LinCMOS specifically) - a TL2272 variant.
For me the new ones sounds crisper, better balanced, more present and instantly more engaging - also with slightly more range.
If you're looking for a well-balanced beautifully textured versatile main overdrive - then the Kavun is a superb candidate - it will stand up to most other overdrives - it is incredibly beguiling. And as mentioned I prefer it slightly to me also recently arrived Walrus 385 II and Voyager II - while those are also excellent in their own right - but somehow not quite as well balanced crisp, and articulate as the Kavun!
The Kavun MOS Drive is $175 from the Drunk Beaver Rocks Webstore - in a very fetching shade of Green sparkle - with water melon and axe motif (кавун + топо́р).
This is one of my favourite Drunk Beavers for sure - as is the recently released TS-15 Trainer MKII - if you've not managed to catch up on that one yet!
Demos
