One of these has been on the cards for a while - I really like this type of Ge/Si Transistor Switching Fuzzes - essentially a switchable hybrid Fuzz Face variant with 2 sets of Germanium and Silicon Transistors onboard that you can set :

Q1 | Q2
Ge + Ge
Ge + Si
Si + Ge
Si + Si

So 4 different Transistor Variations out of such a circuit. The Colombeta is the third I have of this type of circuit - and it has the most diverse set of Transistors - with every one of the 4 ones onboard being ...

Riff Lord Mikey Demus of Skindred fame and Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX have collaborated for nigh on 7 years now on the Red Beard Effects project - but all good things must come to an end eventually - and that time is now! Mikey has become a proper chart-topping Rockstar with a #1 Album (You Got It!) and massive European and Australian tour in progress. Pedal Brands need a lot of time and effort invested in them - particularly on the promotional side of things, and Mikey just doesn’t have time ...

A super busy month - with plenty of highlights and heatwaves.

My house is finally cooling down as I write these last few observations - we’ve had around 10 days of oppressive heat now, and there’s another wave on the way at the end of this week - which makes for very difficult conditions to have sessions with said pedals.

We’re in the final consequence of global climate change now - with increasingly more extreme weather patterns occurring - alternately cold snaps, heatwaves, and torrential ...

At one stage there was a 50/50 chance as to whether I would make the show - as there were significant disruptions on the Liverpool Street to Norwich line - which meant a bus replacement service between Colchester and Ipswich. Some of the journey times quoted were up to 4 and a 1/2 hours each way! In the end the door-to-door was closer to 3 hours in total! The journey up including the coach was actually more fun that the journey back via Cambridge. Cambridge has obviously sinned grievously as ...

May has been a little bit of strange month - lots of delays really, and waiting for pedals to land.

As inevitably happens most months - much was delayed this month, and I was unable to complete some of the larger articles - they will need to wait until next month, there’s certainly lots of projects in progress. Where new and imminent arrivals kind of scuppered several intended projects - hopefully they can be completed in June.

The first event I’m attending this month is tomorrow - as a micropub ...

Back in 2021 I did a cool Fuzz Face Feature - which focused on the 3 to 4 Key Fuzz Face types :

• Type I : Original AC125 / Newmarket NKT275 Gorgeous Gritty-sounding Germanium Transistors
• Type II : BC108 / BC109 Higher Gain, Harder-sounding / Searing Silicon Transistors 
• Type III : BC183 / 2N3904 Germanium-sounding Softer Silicon Transistors
• Type IV : Fuzz Face Circuit Evolutions and Derivations - Fuzz Factory, Meathead, Regulus VIII etc. evolved 2-Transistor circuits - using a variety of

We get a cool 60’s Hendrix inspired purple oil-on-water design across classic hand-wired Marshall Amp Head, Cab, and matching Dunlop Fuzz Face pedal.

One for those with deep pockets - as this will cost you £3,800 in the UK where they are hand-wired / made, €4,400 in Europe, and $5,000 in the USA. Had I unlimited funds and space - I would possibly spring for one of these cool editions. While I’ve always been a combo guy really - and a 2-amp stereo guy too - with Marshall style on the Left ...

A slightly uneventful month in many ways - just the one event - the excellent sophomore Leeds Pedal Show - where I ended up picking up 3 pedals.

Some killer releases during the month, with a strong final flurry to make up the 10 notable article highlights. I’ve been very busy all month - and plenty of work has gone into this as usual, while there was somehow fewer large-scale rundowns and marquee features - more of that next month for sure.

HIGHLIGHTS for APRIL :

[Click on Images for ...

I am a huge fan of the Crazy Tube Circuits Constellation Series - where I own each of those 3 rare Germanium Editions - OC45, OC41, and CV7003 (Milspec OC44). Those were relatively simple devices with just a variable Volume and Gain Control, and then a 6-way Rotary that took you though the different modes :