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PastFX Superbly Revives and Shrinks the Buffalo FX Reticon Flanger utilising the same Mojo Components - including the RD5106 BBD Chip

Buffalo FXFlangerModulationPastFX+-
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2021GPXPastFXReticonFlanger.jpg

As with many of my feature article narratives, this story has quite a few twists to it - before it reaches a very satisfactory conclusion. It draws together a series of dramatis personae - including David Gilmour, Pete Cornish, Steve Painter, and of course PastFX’s Verlie.

 

I, being a significant fan of Pink Floyd, and David Gilmour in particular - was well aware of his association with legendary pedal/board engineer Pete Cornish - and his sporting a number of Pete’s pedals throughout his career. Among those - the Big Muff derived P-1 (Ram’s Head) and P-2 (Civil War), and of course the amazing G-2 which sort of straddles Plexi and Rat flavours, but with a Big Muff sustain and sensitivities (I often refer to it as a Plexi-Muff!). Gilmour also very famously used the Binson Echorec Delay, B.K. Butler Tube Driver, Colorsound Power Boost, EHX Electric Mistress Flanger, and various Optical Compressors among a very formidable array of effects.

 

Brit abroad Steve Painter (Buffalo FX, France), is / was also a big fan of David Gilmour and Pete Cornish - and a large number of his pedals were directly inspired by Gilmour - with his Evolution being derived from the G-2, the M-1 being an evolved take on the P-1, and the Patriot an even smarter take on the P-2 (all Pete-Cornish inspired designs) - in fact some of the early variants copied Pete’s Black and White aesthetic too closely - and Steve was gently encouraged to evolve his own style.

 

I had long been keen on Buffalo FX - but got to the brand quite late really (early 2020) - where I only managed to acquire 6* before that company came to a somewhat mysterious and sudden end. I was one of the 100 special ones who put in an order for the Buffalo FX Reticon Flanger - where I think I was one of the last onto that list - around the end of June 2020. I included at least a couple of references on this site stating how much I was looking forward to receiving my Reticon Flanger - but as you can trace from this The Gear Page Thread - things got a little desperate latterly when it seemed only a few of the 100 were going to be delivered - and Steve could not be found anywhere - or contacted for that matter - just complete radio silence! During my Buffalo FX collecting I had had some written dialogues with Steve, while most of my Buffalo FX dealings were with good friend and UK Dealer - Joe Light of Joe’s Pedals - where from I acquired most of my six*.

 

I say I acquired six as I deliberately did not request a refund for the Reticon Flanger unlike many - as I did not want to kick a man who was so evidently down. From a variety of sources I pieced together a somewhat unsettling tale of a bitter divorce twisted by debilitating mental anguish. My understanding was that in order to avoid a protracted war of attrition, Steve somewhat deliberately allowed his pedal business to self-destruct. At the time I thought around 20 of the Reticon Flangers had been delivered, while it later turned out only 15 in total had been made. I hung on for several months - hoping against hope to get some good news eventually - while it was quite evident by Autumn that said ship had sailed. I gave it another month and then did my now quite well-known overview on October 15th 2020, where I listed out my 9 favourite Buffalo FX Pedals - all of which I had intended to get in before Steve’s untimely disappearance.

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Again, my understanding was that the Buffalo FX Carrera was a somewhat more modern hot-rodded take on the TD-X, much like the Supa Driver was for the Power Booster. I also settled on a Stiletto Fuzz - which is / was simply an earlier precursor to the Germanium Fuzz as I understand it - just with slightly different transistors. So I ended up with just 5 Buffalo FX in the collection - Carrera, Evolution, Stiletto (Germanium Fuzz), M-1 and Patriot. I still wanted my Reticon Flanger - and ideally at least a Supa Driver too.

 

Enter stage left then - Verlie's PastFX - which started up at much the same time I was collecting the Buffalo FX pedals - around early 2020. PastFX had been set up very specifically with a remit to engineer / revive and reproduce classic vintage pedals which utilised the original mojo parts that made those legendary pedals quite so exceptional / popular - Classic Effects from the Past = PastFX. The first projects consisted of reviving and evolving Boss's legendary CE-1 Chorus Ensemble - where PastFX now have no less than 7 variants of that fantastic modulation - including a particularly cool compact edition Chorus Ensemble Mini which I will almost certainly look to get in too.

 

Next were a series of classic phasers - where around about the same time various customers started to enquire if PastFX / Verlie would consider reviving / re-making any of the Buffalo FX pedals. In fact at various times there have been rumours that PastFX is simply Steve Painter re-located to Brisbane, Australia. While there are numerous factors that very obviously point to that not being the case - including the timings, and the fact that Verlie had to acquire each of the Buffalo FX pedals first to figure out the circuits and their outputs.

 

So after lots of persuasion, the PastFX Spectrum Collection was born - where Verlie would concentrate on re-making the classic Buffalo FX varieties - largely per my October 15th Buffalo FX Visual (as above)! In fact the plan went well beyond that - to extend the range - in particularly with further Gilmour-style modulations - above and beyond what Steve Painter had made.

 

To date 7 of these have been released - all of which I have in my reference collection, and I have chosen to start off with the Reticon Flanger (the 7th from the range) as that is the most storied and remarkable one thus far. Verlie's innovations are very much at least two-fold - as she has shrunk the pedals down to compact enclosure formats - and typically included an additional internal dip-switch - which allows you to select Stock (Buffalo FX Values) setting / voicing or Verlie's own preferred Mod of that circuit. Interestingly Steve Painter's very original pedals were in compact format (deeper boxes though) - so in some ways that cycle has come full-circle too!

 

In rough order of release - we have thus far had the TD-Y (TD-X), Patriarch (Patriot), Power Booster (Power Booster), Revolution (Evolution), Canberra (Carrera), M-1-A (M-1), and Reticon Flanger. I will detail the other 6 gain pedals to-date in tomorrow's post - this one is dedicated to the Reticon Flanger!

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External Controls - Rate (Speed), Range (Narrow > Wide Sweep), Color (Intensity), Matrix (Filter / LFO Freeze), Level, Treble, Blend.

 

Internal Controls - Mod Switch : Stock (Default) / Bright (My Preference), LED Dimmer

 

The PastFx Reticon Flanger wholly reproduces the Buffalo FX original - with the same controls and same Mojo parts - including the Reticon RD5106 BBD Chip from which the pedal's name is derived - all in a smaller enclosure. In fact Verlie was able to acquire the remaining consignment of RD5106's which had been intended for Steve Painter - but which he had never finalised payment for - meaning that Verlie was able to pick up that stock direct from the same European agent.

 

This at last then is 'my' Reticon Flanger - finally arrived - after a metaphysical around-the world trip. It's obviously more pedalboard-friendly - while it still retains its inspiration's 18V power supply requirement. I tend to use those Xotic Effects voltage doublers - rather than switching voltages on my Cioks 8 for instance - as I've had a couple of incidents in the past when swapping around pedals where some had higher power requirements. Using those voltage doublers just makes it more visible that said line is delivering more juice - and therefore less likely for me to make a mistake and plug it into something else - I also mark all my 18V pedals with a red dot!

 

So here we have a faithful reproduction of the Buffalo FX Reticon Flanger - in every way bar its size - and it sounds just as amazing too. Both versions of Reticon Flanger add Treble, Blend and Level to the classic 4 controls of the Electric Mistress - which is in turn the inspiration for the Buffalo FX variety - so you could say it's been evolved twice over!

 

I've declared 2022 as my 'Year of the Flanger' - and it's a fitting way to start the year - with the one that kind of sorta got away - but came back another way! Note that these retail for $399 AUD - which is around $290.

 

I'm a huge fan of Verlie's output already - do note that since the included PCB boards are front-facing I won't be doing any gutshots for this range - the quality is amazing though as I will further detail tomorrow - where 4 of the 6 I have run in parallel to their Buffalo FX equivalents in my collection for simple sake of head-to-head comparison and benchmarking. 

 

The very fact that the PastFX Spectrum Collection exists has stopped me chasing down over-priced Buffalo FX rarities. These smaller pedals are the real deal too - and sound every bit as good as their larger inspirations. You could of course say that you might prefer these pedals with top-mounted jacks - but considering how much is going on here - these are just an incredibly neat take. Buffalo FX pedals were some of the best in their categories - and it's great news that these exacting reproductions will put all those great flavours into the hands of more players.

 

This poses a real dilemma for me as I've already frequently declared Thorpy's Camoflange as the best in that category many times over. Both flangers are right at the top of what you can get - and each has its own advantages - I'm declaring it a draw! I don't think anyone would be remotely disappointed with either.

 

Because of the RD5106 part scarcity - the Reticon Flanger will always be tricky to get a hold of - and I believe it's pretty much sold out already - do check with Verlie first though.

 

I've been hugely impressed with all 7 of the Spectrum Collection pedals and I sincerely thank Verlie for taking on this task. Verlie is focusing on a number of Flangers this year - as well as delivering on the now quite expansive PastFX range - where I've still to get a Chorus Ensemble Mini, and a Foot Phaser Deluxe!

 

Note that there is also a purer PastFX take on the EHX Electric Mistress - the very cleverly monikered 'Elastic Mattress', I am still considering that, while I really prefer the extra fully variable Treble and Level Controls of the Reticon variety. I often have volume-drop issues with analog modulations - particularly with extreme wet settings - so having the extra volume boost is pretty much a must for me - with just a couple of exceptions!

 

I'm hoping that the next Spectrum Collection pedal will be a Supa Dupa Drive! How about you dear readers. Any Buffalo FX fans among you?

 

Anyone with experience of Verlie's other pedals for that matter?


Demos

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PastFx Reticon Flanger Amazing recreation of Buffalo FX
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What Happened to the Buffalo FX Reticon Flanger?

Final Thoughts

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This is for sure one of the best sounding Flangers out there - particularly with the Bright Mod applied per my own preference (and Treble cranked!). I've long said that the ThorpyFX Camoflange is my favourite of the Vintage style Flangers  - while now I would really need to say that the Camoflange and Reticon are my favourites for the vintage genre.

 

They don't exactly sound the same and some players may have a preference either way - while for me they both deliver an amazingly rich and finely nuanced flange texture. Each has its own advantages and their difference in controls make that fairly distinct.

 

This year will fo sure be the Year of Flangers - regardless of how many other new ones come out - for me the revived TC Electronic SCF is another that can quite happily sit in this category - and I will for sure be getting one of those. I'm hoping that Matt Kauffman releases his flanger variant relatively soon - and there have been a few whispers on the grapevine about other likely new arrivals. I still have an eye on the PastFX Elastic Mattress - which is closer to the Electric Mistress - but where I really prefer the extra controls that the Reticon gives me.

 

The Reticon Flanger is really easy to dial in for superb sounds - even tapers on knobs and no bizarre artefacts really - just a very satisfying experience all round. I'm kind of relieved that I finally got my Reticon Flanger - it was obviously that good that I had to pay twice over for it!

 

It looks like there are still some remaining  (just one in-store as of my writing this) - so you need to be quick - if your'e a flanger fan you know it's worth it! While if you already have the ThorpyFX Camoflange you already have one of the very best. For me the Reticon is an essential purchase!

 

Who else has one?

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Tentative Flanger Target List for 2022 - future targets outlined in green- flangers already in collection are ticked! (7)

Stefan Karlsson
Posted by Stefan Karlsson
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