Fredric Effects officially launches its superb 1980's Specially Selected East-German Components Silicon Harmonic Percolator - with a backlit viewing port to admire those superior electronics

The original 70’s Interfax Harmonic Percolator HP-1 came with Germanium Transistors, and indeed Fredric makes versions of those too - including its own compact Harmonic Percolator and larger extended format Utility Percolator. All 3 are available on the Fredric Effects Webstore. Both the compact percolators are £140 and equivalent - with the Utility Percolator a wee bit more at  £175.

As befits its silicon components - the Silicon Harmonic Percolator is a little more aggressive and muscular, and Tim has included a Clipping On/Off button - where the extra clipping yields a more unusual wiry and tight - literally ’clipped’ version of the unadulterated output. It delivers quite a bit a more edgy and distinct tonality.

As with many fuzzes - the most fun that can be had with this one - is to Max out the Gain and Volume - there’s a decent degree of guitar volume gain cleanup too - so you can control the circuit in part from your guitar.

Controls - Gain, Volume, Diode On/Off.

I really like both voicings - while my preference is mostly for the Clipping Off - which yields more volume, and a glorious open and blooming fuzz. Add the Clipping again and you loose a touch of the output volume - and get a tighter and more wiry and angular sound instead. The Un-clipped mode pretty much leads you to classic fuzz territory. And there’s a great deal of warmth in that output - which is not always true of Silicon Transistors.

This is one of those fuzes that is so simple to deploy, has a variety of different output sounds - and is incredibly easy to dial in. You just need to be aware of how much natural compression you want to add to the output. For some fuzzes you can get too much compression when the Gain dial is Maxed - but on this Silicon Harmonic Percolator diming both Gain and Volume sounds superb - and you can then roll-off some of that gain with your guitar volume.

The Silicon Hamonic Percolator is full of flavour - has both classic and somewhat more edgy tones - and is yours for just £140 from the Fredric Effects Webstore. It’s for sure one of my favourite sounding Percolators - where the DT4C06 and DX0307 certainly add some distinctive tones and timbres to the output.

Tim from Fredric Effect describes it as :

"This modified version uses only silicon transistors manufactured 40 years ago in former East Germany, and clips the signal using a weirdo East German diode array. This results is an effect which tightens and focuses the sound of the Percolator. The Silicon Harmonic Percolator sits somewhere between fuzz and distortion - clearer and more defined than a traditional fuzz, but still wild and saturated when pushed. It’s a distinctive evolution of a cult classic."

If you don’t yet have a Percolator - then this is a really great place to start that journey - think of it as a gourmet version of your favourite fuzz flavour! So more of what you like - just better!

I can see this Silicon Percolator in your life - you deserve happiness!! These compact wedge format Fredric Effect pedals are just gorgeous - and this one has a little extra on top of that! 

I’ve had my Silicon Percolator since the Woking Guitar Show in mid-March. We’ve just been waiting on an official demo - which my good friend Phil of Pedal Experiments fame - has now obliged us with - as below. The Silicon Harmonic Percolator has been on soft release for a while, and now it’s A1 Official! Back in Woking I picked up the Deeply Unpleasant Companion and Standard Fuzz Machine - so we have now officially completed that cycle.

Now we’re just waiting on a demo for the new edition of the Demon Fuzz (EHX 1-Knob Muff Fuzz). So will be back around once more as soon as that materialises! My Demon Fuzz was picked up at the Leeds Show back at the start of June! Hopefully the waiting time on the demo is less than for the Silicon Percolator - while to do things properly takes time - so it’s a matter of all in good time therefore!