Analogman!

[i love sharin foo]

It took me a long time to finally getting around to trying some of Analog Mike's stuff. Now that I have had the chance, I am kicking myself in the ass for waiting so long.



BART Sun Face, high gain with Sun Dial
Damn, this thing has a lot of gain, but it's still very usable. You can roll the fuzz down and still do some lower gain type sounds. Clean up is still really good.

Mk1.5
The lowend was surprising. Not a lot of gain. More open than a Fuzz Face, not woofy, less fuzzy. But it cuts way better. Works better with a dirty amp. It's really clear sounding. Great with chords. Lack the "tubey-ness" that Fuzz Faces do halfway up the neck.

Peppermint Fuzz
This one surprised me! Can get really close to a regular Fuzz Face, but a little more clear. Bias down gets sputtery and gated. For my uses, can cop an MkI well enough. Bias toward the top end, it gets stiffer, more present, a bit brighter. Clean up is about as good as a Fuzz Face. There are so many sounds in this circuit!

Beano Boost
The classic Rangemaster. A bit noisy, but that is just an inherent trait of a Rangmaster. Unless you filter it out with some particular capacitor placement but that eats some of the sparkly high end. I find the most use with the full range setting, though it still rolls off some lowend.

Next I want to get ahold of one of his MkIVs

[marqueemoon]

Ok. Now you have me intrigued about the Peppermint. Nice collection.

[stevejamsecono]

Aside from the obsessive King of Tone worshipping that goes on on youtube (probably mostly just to do with how long it takes to get one. Let's call it "Wrens-itis"), I feel like people seem to sleep on Analogman a bit these days. I've got the smallbox version of the Analogman Chorus and it sounds lovely. I've been wanting to track down a Beano Boost for awhile, just wish he did a Sillicon one too.

[i love sharin foo]

Ok. Now you have me intrigued about the Peppermint. Nice collection.

Thanks! After spending some time with it, I am definitely surprised that the Peppermint Fuzz isn't more popular than it is. Of course it's just based on what I see on people's boards. I don't know how many they've actually built or anything. I think it is voiced really well and with the bias control alone can cover a lot of ground. Then factor in your guitars volume and there's even more sounds.

Aside from the obsessive King of Tone worshipping that goes on on youtube (probably mostly just to do with how long it takes to get one. Let's call it "Wrens-itis"), I feel like people seem to sleep on Analogman a bit these days. I've got the smallbox version of the Analogman Chorus and it sounds lovely. I've been wanting to track down a Beano Boost for awhile, just wish he did a Sillicon one too.

Yeah, it's funny. He hasn't marketed himself to get ahold of a very wide group of players. His Sun Faces are every bit as good as what, say, David Main built, but he just hasn't cranked up the hype machine with his stuff. He's just more forthright with it... like here it is, this is what it does, now go do it. And where else can you choose different transistors, jack placement, DC jacks, LED, etc..

The Beano is great! I've built multiple Rangemasters myself and I'll say that they do a great job tuning them. If I had it to do over again, I would request the switch be configured as:
keep the original setting the same, move the existing "full range" capacitor from the bottom to the midrange setting (switch up), and add an even bigger one to the down position for an even fatter "full range" setting. I could do it myself but I don't think I really want to modify it. It sounds great as-is, but I could get even more mileage from it with the tweak.

[stevejamsecono]

Yeah, it's funny. He hasn't marketed himself to get ahold of a very wide group of players. His Sun Faces are every bit as good as what, say, David Main built, but he just hasn't cranked up the hype machine with his stuff. He's just more forthright with it... like here it is, this is what it does, now go do it. And where else can you choose different transistors, jack placement, DC jacks, LED, etc..

The Beano is great! I've built multiple Rangemasters myself and I'll say that they do a great job tuning them. If I had it to do over again, I would request the switch be configured as:
keep the original setting the same, move the existing "full range" capacitor from the bottom to the midrange setting (switch up), and add an even bigger one to the down position for an even fatter "full range" setting. I could do it myself but I don't think I really want to modify it. It sounds great as-is, but I could get even more mileage from it with the tweak.

I think a lot of it has to do with capacity. Probably couldn't keep up with orders if they got super popular. I also know his wife passed away some years back and that understandably deflated him a bit.

[Gavanti]

I have a RCA/BART Sunface that I love. I've used it mainly when I need to punch through the band for solos. The one downside is that the RCA seems to be stable enough that the bias knob doesn't do a whole lot to shape the sound. I had a RCA/NKT previously that was also very good and much better for quick volume knob cleanup than the BART hybrid. I've been trying out a Mk 1.5 Sunbender for the last week too. It has surprised me on a number of levels. I had expected a more concentrated, brighter tone across the board than the Sunface, but it gets really muddy and dark with everything up. Roll the volume knob back, though, and it yields fun psych tones immediately. It's got a gorgeous crunch for chords also, and the bias and fuzz knobs offer a lot of possibilities.

I also picked up a Benson Fuzz, and it sort of splits the difference tonally—a little more open and clear like the Sunface but a little less gainy, grittier, and more tonally focused like the Sunbender. I haven't looked at the circuit, so I don't know how much it resembles one or the other. It doesn't have as much detailed character as either of the Analogman pedals but it's maybe perfect for a one fuzz situation with the band, and the pickup simulator makes for versatile placement. I'm playing with the idea of putting the Benson on my main board and building a mini extension board with the Sunface, Sunbender, and an Eccos that I use mostly as a looper for messing around when at home.

The Peppermint Fuzz sounds really intriguing!

[zhivago]

Very cool collection, Justin!

I have a Bi-Comp currently on one of my boards. I had an RCA/NKT Sunlion last year which unfortunately I had to sell last January to pay some taxes as my business tanked. (thank you COVID 19). I found the Surface side a bit bassy with my setup that is more Gibson-heavy, but Sunface + Beano was an awesome sound into a dirty-ish amp.

I'd like to get a Sunface one day...maybe a BART would be cool to check out this time.

[Veitchy]

I think Analogman was the first boutique pedal brand I heard of waaaaay back in the day. The hype around the KOT is a bit overblown but it is a great pedal.

I'd love to grab a Sunlion one day, which is a Sun Face running into a Beano - something you could replicate quite happily here.

If you ever get a chance, give Mike's analog delay a look too.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Ah, the elusive Sun Face.

A pedal I had several opportunities to buy but never managed to pull the trigger. One day...

[Domm]

the analogman mini chorus is my all time favorite chorus! just sits perfect in mix and sounds s full! ive also owned some KOT's and a few sun faces. all great pedals!

[LBx]

Beano Boost

Any chance you've jammed the EQD Bows as well and have a preference here? I have a chance at both 2nd hand and am kind of on the fence...

I've been jamming a SHO clone but am curious about changing it up.

[i love sharin foo]

Beano Boost

Any chance you've jammed the EQD Bows as well and have a preference here? I have a chance at both 2nd hand and am kind of on the fence...

I've been jamming a SHO clone but am curious about changing it up.

No, I’ve not tried that EQD pedal. The Beano is a great counterpoint to a SHO. I actually have both on my board. I could give some opinions on how those compare though. The Beano is inherently dirtier and even at the fullest setting, still rolls off some lowend. It gives a great grit and aggression when pushing your amp. And it is still pretty bright. They can build them with “bass” tuning. I may order another voiced like that later. I like mine but it would be useful to have another with a wider range. The SHO is however full frequency and is more neutrally voiced. You basically get more of your amp without coloring the sound as much. Cranked up a good bit you probably do get a bit of drive out of the SHO on its own. But not as much as the Beano. I like both and find different uses for them. My Telecaster -> Beano -> Vox AC4HW is an amazing sound. Bright yes.

[øøøøøøø]

It's funny to think that those early analogman pedals are now almost as "vintage" as the stuff he was cloning when he made them.

[i love sharin foo]

It's funny to think that those early analogman pedals are now almost as "vintage" as the stuff he was cloning when he made them.

It is an odd feeling, huh? I think about things like that all the time. One of my SGs is an ‘08 that I bought new. When Jimmy Page first recorded with his #1 ‘59 LP, it was younger than my SG is now. It’s just strange to think about.

[øøøøøøø]

It's funny to think that those early analogman pedals are now almost as "vintage" as the stuff he was cloning when he made them.

It is an odd feeling, huh? I think about things like that all the time. One of my SGs is an ‘08 that I bought new. When Jimmy Page first recorded with his #1 ‘59 LP, it was younger than my SG is now. It’s just strange to think about.

When sunburst Les Pauls first topped $25k it seemed insane. This would've been the mid-90s.

Adjusted for time and inflation, that'd be roughly like an '88 Kramer Barretta selling for $47k or so today.