My second Brelliott Modular TODP Tube OverDrive Pro has landed - this time it's the Blue Mutartis Cell Edition - with Pentode Mixer Module and Single Schottky Clipper applied

So in my previous TODP features - on the Main ’Tube’ Modules, and Clipper Boards, I detailed all the different options available and how I ended up with the Germanium Dual Clipper and Green Fetzer circuit on that version. Those were my favourite pairing. With the Blue Pentode Mixer Module + Single Schottky Clipper my very close second favourites. Those 2 pairs of boards seem to be perfect for each other - and perfectly balanced in output profile.

The Germanium clipping weirdly only works really well with the Fetzer Board - meaning that on my original Toxic Green Edition I almost exclusively love to pair the GE-D9A Dual Germanium Clipper with the stock Fetzer FET Tube emulation circuit module. The Fetzer FET Tube Emulation Circuit Board is the one that sounds the best across all the 6 different clipping editions - it has a really versatile core sound / timbre too. That pairing is kind of the all-rounder here!

My second favourite choice sees the Blue Pentode Mixer Module - which has a certain snap and punchiness to it - combined with the single Schottky Clipper. That delivers the perfect sort of Plexi tonality for me - you get the punch and the low end from the Pentode Mixer, and the Single Schottky Clipper is the perfect balance to that with a crisp and open clipping nature.

I generally use the Fetzer near enough the whole time - so I determined early on that I should have another unit for the 2 Pentode Module Options. The Purple Pentode board is a little more saturated and searing - a little more JCM800, while the Blue Pentode is rather more Plexi for me. The Fetzer is generally an all-rounder - and does Dumble style outputs really well. While the Blue Pentode has that added punch and low end - of a similar kind that you would get with an SLP amp.

The second TODP has been on the cards for quite a while - I initially thought I would pick one up last year - but now seems to be the perfect time! It’s really cool to have this colour-coded approach - so I instantly know which combinations I’m dealing with - these are my favourite pairings for sure. And I’m not about to be regularly chopping and changing the Onboard modules - where the Purple Pentode will occasionally come into play - while the green and blue are my definite favourites.

I would quite have liked to have had the 4 x  clipper boards colour-coded too - as not all of them are marked - and you sometimes need to examine each one under a magnifying glass to determine which is which. 3 of my now 5 have markings so it’s easy enough I suppose. I did all my in-depth testing in those first intensive rounds last year, and documented them well. I really like both artworks - they make for a really nice pair - while I will rarely have both varieties on the board - it’s normally one or the other.

The standard editions will always come with the Fetzer Module onboard alongside the Dual Schottky BAT85 Diodes [RoHS compatible]. So I stripped out my new one and replaced those boards with the Blue Pentode Mixer that I already had, alongside my existing Single Schottky BAT85 Diodes [RoHS compatible].

Refer to my previous 2 articles referenced above and in the related articles column - to establish how I decided upon my various switch and knob settings!

The core control topology is as follows :

Controls - Filter (LPF), REC (Recovery / Make-up Gain) : +6dB / 0 / +12dB, BST (Low Frequency Boost) : Bypass / 200Hz / 80Hz, LOAD (Load on Tube) : 47K (Hot) / 220K (Cold) / 100K (Medium), CUT (HPF) : Bypass / 200Hz, Level, Clipping / Distortion : Germanium / Silicon / LED / 2 x Anti-Blocking Diodes / 4 x Anti-Blocking Diodes / N (No Anti-Blocking Diodes).