Spaceman Effects Capsule Collection and Future Intended Targets

I generally favour the compact editions - but don't mind the Vertical 1590-BB varieties either. I'm not so keen on the horizontal / landscape varieties - and generally avoid those if I can. I feel this is a pretty good selection now - just missing a handful - where I'm unlikely ever to get a Gemini III - unless it gets reissued in some way.

Here are my 23 Spacemen then - actually 20 landed - with 3 future targets - as identified by those icons in the visual.

• Aphelion Harmonic Overdrive - discontinued - circa $300-$500 for pristine example on Reverb.com
• Apollo VII Articulate Overdrive - $199 Standard, $309 for Limited Editions
• Apollo VIIb Voyager Tremolo Preamp / Overdrive - $299
• Atlas Harmonics Enhancing Preamp Booster - $249-$279
• Artemis Modulated Filter - $299 Standard, $369 Limited Editions
• Aurora Analog Flanger - $319 Standard
• Charon Ge/Si Hybrid Fuzz - $199 Standard
• Delta II Harmonic Tremolo : Black - $229 Standard
• Delta II Harmonic Tremolo : Red - $229 Standard
• Explorer 6 Stage Optical Phaser : Black - $279 Standard
• Explorer 6 Stage Optical Phaser : Red - $279 Standard
• Gemini III Dual Fuzz Generator - $359 originally, now as much as $1,500
• Gemini IV Dual Fuzz Generator - $349-$389
• Mercury IV Germanium Harmonic Boost - $299-$349
• Nebula Fuzz/Octave Blender  - $299-$399
• Polaris Resonant Overdrive - $319-$399
• Redstone Germanium Preamp / Harmonic Overdrive - $249 Standard
• Rumblefuzz II Low-End Fuzz - $349
• Spacerocket I Intermodulation Fuzz - $329-$449
• Spacerocket II Octave Fuzz - $299
• Sputnik I Germanium Fuzz Module Cyrillic Red - $319-$399
• Sputnik III Germanium Fuzz - $269-$399
• Titan II Fuzz Machine - $249-$299

As mentioned - I've landed near enough all of those - bar the Apollo VIIb Overdrive, Atlas Harmonic Boost, and Gemini III Dual Fuzz Generator. The first two are very likely to happen, the Gemini III - much less so!

You can never count out any Spaceman Effects Pedal - as Zak has a habit of reissuing them in a variety of ways - sometimes just as a rear colourway. but occasionally as a re-engineered reissue - which has happened several times - like with the Rumblefuzz and Spacerocket.

There are sill a few nice-to-have outliers for me - which include the Mercury III and WOW! Signal Fuzz. I always keep my eyes peeled on Reverb.com and Ebay - while invariably the prices are somewhat gouged for those examples. Also Brexit and every rising shipping, import and customs fees make this process too complicated and too expensive for most - I has such a bigger playing field when UK was still in the EU. I was only really able to get my Sputnik I because to he EU - nowadays that transaction would have been a good 20-25% dearer - and take it into the realms of lunacy. I'm a Scandinavian, a pragmatic man of science - and while semi-comfortable in some ways - still a man of limited means. Most of my pricier decisions still involve a whole heap of compromises and contingencies - in fact as has just happened recently with my board experiencing growing pains - and needing a signficant power-supply upgrade - which has though been on the cards since the start of last year - it's just more critical right now!

In any case there is a steady stream of reissues and further colourways - such that none of those pedals are fully retired - they mostly return again in one guise or another - and often in a prettier colour!. Spaceman no longer seems to list out all its legacy pedals - and we have added complexities in having sort of 4 different lines now - ranging from the most affordable - Cadet Series, Standard Series, NOS Series, Limited Series. You need to decide how much you're willing to pay for that shiny copper edition! All pedals that are currently available are listed on the Spaceman Effects Webstore!

Actually - in looking at that page recently - we have the PDX Series at the top of the page, then the Cadet Series, and then the NOS Equipment stock - which are the final ones available of those lines, editions etc!

Individual details on each of the 23 pedals below - as usual :

Controls : Gain, Tone, Drive.

My very first Harmonic Ovedrive - and in many ways still my overall favourite of that genre - while there has been some amazing competition for that throne more recently - including from Spaceman's own Redstone Germanium Preamp. I'm a Harmonics chaser - and I actively target Harmonic Overdrives wherever I can find them - I think I have around 20-odd which fit this category now - while the Aphelion was the very first for me!

Controls : Level, Clipping : D (Silicon Diode) | 0 (No Clipping) | L (LED), Gain, Tone.

A great sounding overdrive - not quite of the Harmonic category - but richly textured nonetheless. I love those warm sounding and richly textured overdrives - and this original is one I sought out right from the start.

Controls - Level, Gain, Tone, Clipping : VOY (Semi-Symmetrical LEDs) / None +Boost / ALT (Asymmetrical Silicon).

What I initially thought was just a slight update revisions with one extra clipping option - is actually a total reinvention of the ApolloVII - it should really be labelled the Apollo VIII - as the whole circuit has been re-engineered. I got this one wrong initially - as with just 'b' revision indication -  I thought this was a rather minor tweak - which also massively ramped up the pricing at the same time.

I do like the Apollo VII though - and if the VIIb is a significant further improvement over that - then I should surely consider this one too - while $299 is quite a significant commitment in this context. Kind of the typical Fortin Pedal prices - but there you're getting 6 or 7 controls, two channels, and two footswitches. I think I will probably go for the VIIb, but I've still to assign it a proper priority / time-sensitivity!

Controls - Boost (+15dB >), Thrust (Extra Harmonics) : On/Off, Axis (Treble Booster) : Shift / Origin.

When I first saw this my immediate thoughts were that it wouldn't dethrone my 3-in-1 Thorpy Heavy Water Dual Boost - which is an essential for me. Interestingly that one's path was paved originally by the Spaceman Mercury IV - which was my first Germanium Harmonic Boost. I then naturally moved sideways to he more on-the-fly capable Heavy Water - this has been a must-have for me ever since I got that. But it was the Mercury that first introduced my to the art of Harmonic Boosts. There's a Benson one too - which has been on my wishlist for years - while this Atlas has a little more about it overall - even though it's not Germanium per se. With the Heavy Water permanently on the board - and the Audiostorm Tone Lord II a very able deputy - I'm not exactly sure what he opportunities are for the Atlas - but I've decided I would very much like one!

Unfortunately - there is no proper active Spaceman Effects dealer in the UK. It used to be Andertson - while they just cherry-pick now - and in fact pass on most of them. Which means hitting up my pal Scott at Canada's Axe and You Shall Receive! I think a lot of the Spaceman dealers have been stung a little by having long-lasting pricey pedals in stock - and most of them seem to be shying away from regularly stocking Spaceman. Also Spaceman is doing these limited order release nowadays that further complicates things - especially for us types that need to carefully weight up our acquisition choices!

Controls - High (HPF), Band (BPF), Low (LBF), Mode : I Envelope Up / II Envelope Down / III LFO Triangle / IV LFO Ramp Up / V LFO Ramp Down / VI LFO Random / VII Static, Resonance, Frequency, Amount, Sensitivity.

One of my favourite Filter Pedals of all-time - up there in he top tier with the Subdecay Prometheus 3, and All-Pedal Macrodose. Does everything you need and more - while for all of those 3 flagship filter pedals - you do need to refer to the manual every now and again!

This one features one of the stellar demos done by my good friend Cohen Hartman - AKA SpiralCaster - just amazing!

Controls : Volume, Modes, Width, Mix, Rate • ↑, Regen, Range • ↓.
 
Modes : LFO 1, Tape 1, LFO 2, Tape 2, Comb Filter.

One of my all time favourite flangers alongside the Thorpy Camoflange, the 4 from PastFX, and my current reigning favourite - the Airborn by Krozz Devices! All of those sound superb - and each has its advantages - there are several more top tier ones in my collection - but not all readily spring to mind!

Controls - Level, Gain, Tone.

A truly fantastic Hybrid Mix of Germanium and Silicon Transistors - beautifully textures - such that I was compelled to fit it with suitable sparkling gold knobs. Spaceman really knows how to make fuzzes - and most of them are really stellar - like this one!

Controls - Depth, Voice : High & Dry (Brightness / Clarity / Sparkle), High & Low (Liquid / Phasey), and Low & Dry (Dark / Throbby / Bassy), Freq, Rate, Lag, Resonance.

Fantastic Harmonic Tremolo - probably my second favourite of all time - after the JAM Pedals Harmonious Monk. The Monk and this Delta II really are top tier - with so much flavour on-tap. Some of my other Harmonic Tremolos are nowhere near as juicy and textured - I genuinely love the Delta II!

Controls - Depth, Voice : High & Dry (Brightness / Clarity / Sparkle), High & Low (Liquid / Phasey), and Low & Dry (Dark / Throbby / Bassy), Freq, Rate, Lag, Resonance.

I decided to get a Red edition too - all for the sake of a spectacular visual - as is indeed included above. Those 3 Red Spacemen look so killer together - and stun on the board - and sound equally spectacular. I'm rarely one for duplicates - but the photo op was too big here - it had to be done - and I'm so happy I got these Red ones too - it's probably some sort of placebo effect - but I'd swear they sound better than my original black ones!

Controls - Rate (Speed), Resonance, Range (Sweep), Wave Shape, Volume (Level), Mix (Blend).

I may have been aware of there being a Red Delta II - but I can't recall seeing the Red Explorer early one - possibly I just blanked in subconsciously, This is one of my favourite phasers for sure - I have several top-tier favourites - with the Beetronics Larva still top of that tree. While this one sounds nearly as good, but it doesn't have some of the extra features of the Larva - the twin speed, Preamp etc! Still sound fantastic in both Black and Red!

Controls - Rate (Speed), Resonance, Range (Sweep), Wave Shape, Volume (Level), Mix (Blend).

And of course weirdly - the Red one sounds even better than the Black - especially when paired with the Red Delta II and my original Red Sputnik I Red Cyrillic edition!

Controls - Master Volume, Filter-Sweep Direction Switch, Filter, Ge/Si knob - proportion of Vintage Germanium to Modern Silicon, Ge : 1/2/3 Gain, Si : 1/2/3 Gain.

I've chased this one for so many years - since the autumn of 2016 really when I first became aware of it - and Spaceman Effects. The Gemini IV kind of scratched the itch a little - but I always wanted the original compact edition. For sure I could save up for one - but my Scandinavian sensibilities will always clash with something I perceive to be overpriced. I do hope Zak decided to revive this format at some stage - so I can finally cross it off my list, and my luck doesn't appear to be in on the lottery winning side of things. You could argue that the newer Gemini IV is better - more granular and more expansive - but I will almost always love the more compact variety more. Practicalities and usability for sure weigh heavy on me!

Controls - Silicon Gain and Filter (Tone), Germanium Gain and Filter (Tone), Si > Ge Blend, Level, Phase Inversion Switch.

The bigger, bolder and more expansive take on the Gemini. This one scratched the itch for a period - while I really want the smaller format one too. There were some clones out after the time - I think Steve Demedash made a few - while those were also pretty much rare as hen's teeth. I do love the Gemini IV - and it's better than the original in several ways - but then again - I am the champion of compacts! I won't be satisfied until this one's in the collection - and the Blakemore Effects Deus Ex Machina!

Controls - Boost Level +35dB, High : 2/0/1, Low : 2/0/1, Harmonics.

My very first Harmonic Boost - and the one really that set me off on the path towards the ThorpyFX Heavy Water. I loved every bit about this Mercury IV except its size. For a while I was chasing Mercury III's - but they were mostly silly model, and after I got the Heavy Water I didn't really bother. I've not encountered any boost more useful to me than the Heavy Water - although I really love the Strymon Sunset for its boost abilities too, and new kid on he block - the Tone Lord II from Audiostorm. I do get the Mercury IV out every now and again to remind me of that original Germanium hit. Interestingly that one is Germanium Transistors - but I seemingly prefer the Germanium Diodes of the Heavy Water. Interesting on the recent Keeley Manis - I much prefer the vintage Germanium Diodes mode to the new Germanium Transitors as Dioded mode - so it seem when it comes to boosting Diodes are best!

Controls - Volume, Clean Effect, Density, Tone Shaper : Mid-Scoop/Flat/High Boost, Spectrum, Emission (Gain), Gain Structure Switch: Mild/Blooming Harmonic Fuzz.

In some ways the Spacerockets' bigger and more expansive brother - which is really decent for sure - but I prefer both my Spacerockets over this Nebula. The Nebula is still very decent - just for my taste - it's seemingly overshadowed by its two little brothers!

Controls - Level, Bass : -1/2/1, Depth (Filter) : Single-Pole/2-Pole/2-Pole Resonant, Drive, Initial, Filter.

I quite like the Polaris - while I love the other overdrives quite a bit more - the Aphelion, Apollo and Redstone - which is up next. Those other 3 are more texturally satisfying - while I might be missing a trick or two with the Polaris and should probably give it another go-around. It's really no slouch as far as that goes - but the others have generally blown me away - where this one just lightly tickled!

Controls - Volume, Gain, Low, Mid, High.

This is another superb Harmonic Overdrive - which in some ways I even prefer to my all-round favourite Aphelion. This one benefits from a fully 3-Band EQ - and you can really shape the output to a far higher degree of granularity - so there are areas that this one will reach - which the Aphelion cannot. Both are exceptional really - and the Redstone deserves to be celebrated as much as the Aphelion. There are plenty of people clamouring for the return of the Aphelion - they should be championing the Redstone too!

Controls - Fuzz (Output Volume), Rumble (Bass : Tight > Fat), Bite (Gain), 3 x *|= switch : 3-way variable Bias + Compression + Presence options.

The Rumblefuzz I was the very first Spaceman Effect all the way back in 2009! - and thus its first fuzz too! It's another I had been chasing for quite a few years. And my friend Henry Kaiser had to rub my nose in the fact that he has serial number 001 of the very first Rumblefuzz. I was delighted to finally get my hands on my very own low-end rumbling beast with last year's reissue.

I'm hoping that the Gemini III can be reissued in the same way - finger crossed and all that! Also, I'd quite like to check out the WOW! Signal Fuzz at some stage - perhaps we can have a reissue of that too!

Controls : Level, Fuzz (Gain) : 1-3, Tone.

I lucked out in snagging this earlier version of Spaceman's Octave Fuzz - around a year after its release - got a brand new one for a decent price. It was one of the first 3 Spaceman Effects Fuzzes I acquired. All-in-all I think I've acquired most of my Spacemen direct, while there are 7 that came from Reverb.Com.  a few from Andertons, and at least one from Axe and You Shall Receive (Canada). The Titan II I think was my very first Spaceman Effects - and for sure the first one I ordered direct from them. Shortly after that came the Sputnik I, Aphelion, Spacerocket, and Mercury IV! This first Spacerocket has been quietly enduring - while a new variety was reissued last year - and of course I had to have that one too! 

Controls - Level, Fuzz : Fz1 / Oct / Fz2, Tone.

The new and improved variety of Spacerocket - with a little more rocket fuel in the tank - and a little more extensions. Both versions are slightly different - and the first one is labelled an Intermodulation while the new edition is very specifically an Octave Fuzz. In any case these are sufficiently different to make it worth owning both - presumably like the Apollo VII vs VIIb (which should really have been VIII to indicate how different that circuit is!).

Controls : Signal (Volume), Scan (Scramble/Corruption), Range (Fuzz Gain), Drift/Sync (Engage Scan), Calibrate (Tone), Filter Engage : Engage = Bass Cut + Mid Scoop.

My very favourite Spaceman to date (Aphelion is second!) - this is one that I really lucked out on - I was actually after the Gemini III for the longest time, and then when that didn't look like it was going to happen - I cast a wider net - and landed on a Red Cyrillic edition of the Sputnik I - where it took a couple of years for me to track it down to a dealer / private individual in Italy. A little like when I snagged the JHS modded King of Tone - I expected someone to snatch it away from me - before I was able to complete the transaction. As it was - I scored nothing those hallowed and rare devices. I love the searing nature of of the Sputnik I and its unruly corruption - it's everything a fuzz should be to me. And even though the larger Sputnik III is amazing - I've always preferred my Red original. The Sputnik II editions were too large for my preferences - it was always going to be between the Sputnik I and III - and the I is a little more immediate for me - I've always felt a special bond with that pedal - and you will have seen it in a fair few articles on the site - much like the ever elusive Gemini III!

Controls : Scan (Scramble/Corruption), Filter : Flat/Bass Cut + Mid Scoop, Signal (Volume), Calibrate (Tone), Range (Fuzz Gain), Drift Footswitch (Engage Scan).

I do love the III variety of Sputnik too - it carries though pretty much everything that made the original great - with similarly searing flying saucer style Soviet Germanium Transistors. This one sounds near enough every bit as good as the Sputnik I - while that for whatever reason seems to have just a little bit more mojo!

Controls : Level, Tone, Gain.

Kind of Spaceman's forgotten somewhat plain Jane fuzz - I always felt this one leant a little bit more into a sort of Big Muff sound - with those muscular silicon transistors really delivering on that sustain. Where all the other Spaceman fuzzes feel a little more exotic and special. All the others have specific elements that more distinguish those other fuzzes - while the Titan II seems to get somewhat overlooked. All the other ones have a speciality to them - while this one is more of generic all-rounder fuzz - it sounds pretty great, but doesn't really do anything to stand out from the other more immediately impactful ones. The Titan II was my very first pedal - and which I ordered direct from Spaceman - I really enjoyed it for about a week or two - before my rather more exotic Red Sputnik I arrived! I still feel the Titan has legs (IIb?) and there must be plenty of mods that Zak can apply to further elevate and raise it back into contention.