Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Markus Reeves' Reeves Electro RedDotSound Jnr Silicon Fuzz is just as Impressive as its BlackHatSound sibling
Key Points
I own two Peter Vogel‑inspired silicon fuzz pedals by Markus Reeves with copper‑coated insides: BlackHatSound (#98, one of the last original‑series) and RedDotSound (#020).
RedDotSound is Tone Bender MKII‑style (Jimmy Page/“Whole Lotta Love”); BlackHatSound is an evolved MKI take. Reeves uses NOS silicon transistors to achieve a Germanium‑esque profile.
Controls: Volume (left), Bias (right), Bass Boost switch (middle); Attack/Fuzz/Gain set internally to Max. Guitar volume cleans up gain; Bias moves toward MKI rasp. Preferred: both knobs ~2 o’clock, Bass Boost off.
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I am very fortunate to now own two of Markus Reeves’ finest Peter Vogel-inspired point-to-point hand-wired silicon fuzz pedals - both with custom copper-coated insides. I took delivery of my BlackHatSound at the start of the year - where that was one of the last of the original series (#98), while I’m a little quicker to get to the RedDotSound (#020).
Markus has grown very adept at making Germanium-esque profile fuzzes - via really Smart Selections and combinations of vintage NOS Silicon Transistors. The BlackHatSound is his evolved take on the MKI Tone Bender, while the RedDotSound is Jimmy Page’s favourite MKII style Tone Bender variety - think ’Whole Lotta Love’.
Both pedals have the same control topology - Volume knob on the left, Bias knob on the right, Bass Boost switch in the middle, and the Attack/Fuzz/Gain internally set to Max. This means you further control the gain with your guitar's Volume knob.
For a Tone Bender MKII type variety the gain clean-up via guitar Volume knob is simply incredible - especially considering how full-on and visceral this fuzz can go. The Bias can make it a little more buzzy too and take it into MKI territory - while the BlackHatSound is certainly rather more capable in that territory. The RedDotSound simply sounds immense for a Silicon fuzz and there is something magical in the way Markus assembles his circuits - this if for sure going to be another one of my favourites.
Right now I am preferring the output with both knobs set around 2 o'clock and Bass boost down and off. As mentioned - you get fantastic gain control via your guitar volume, while the fuzz also gets more compressed and denser the further up you crank the volume. The Bias control makes it really easy to transition into buzzier MKI territory - which has a raspier, reedier edge - while for Jimmy Page tones you need the output slightly looser and more open-textured.
I heartily recommend the RedDotSound to everyone - particularly fuzz fans who missed out on say a Boss TB-2W. You need to be signed up to Markus's mailing list to ensure you get notifications on when further batches become available and the odd occasion when Markus opens up his order-book for pre-orders. Most of the time he tends to release pedals in batches of around 10 or so.
Any of you have your own RedDotSound? Or another favourite Reeves Electro fuzz for that matter?
Demo
