AM NKT Sunface Owners Question

[Unadan]

I've just gotten a white dot sunface NKT275 (love it) and was wondering how many of you have eventually gotten and kept all three: white dot, red dot, high gain, and if you use them for different applications, tones/guitar styles. I understand from Wingwalker (thanks!) the red dot has a pretty unique "darker and thicker" sound. Reply with your experiences.

I'd also like to hear if you had all three and decided one or another was not "for you" and the sound you were attempting to achieve.

 

[wingwalker]

Well...I knw we've talked already but I'll tell you my thoughts on this...

I started out with a white dot and loved it...wanted to get another one so I could leave one on the board and have one loose to carry for jams or gigs with limited stage space, thought a slightly different flavor would be cool too. Went with a high gain NKT...Mike said they wre "a lot of fun to play live" so I gave it a shot and he was right...it's a BLAST!

After that I was reading about the red dots on Mike's site...of course, at this point Im hooked and HAD to at least try it...blew me away, it was my fav to date, just killer!

Now, all that said I have kept, and plan to keep all 3...they are all different enough to be useable in their own way BUT they are also something I could swap one for another and still be happy...the red dot is currently on my board but if something happened I'd sub the white dot or the high gain and not be lost...they are all still Fuzz Faces and that part never changes.

It's like having a backup or 2 that is like the original but not exact...

I will also say that it has been my experience that while the tones are all pretty different the louder you get the amp the smaller the differences seem to be...

 

[Yr Blues]

damn, that's like $750 for 3 fuzzes....i just have a red dot... i'm sure there's more....cv7003, bc108, bc183, nkt275 x 3, etc. etc....doesn't gearmanndude have all of them?

 

[wingwalker]

Yeah, Mike has a lot of options...the 3 different NKT's, the 2 different BC silicon plus the standard Ge, of which he has 2 versions plus the UK/TI trannys...I need a few more!

 

[vhollund]

I've got a Voodoo1 one that I use for clean boost
And would like to try out the AM sunface NTK
Wich one is best for the clean dynamic side?

 

[sutherland]

Wingwalker said it best. At it's core, it's still very much a derivative of a Fuzz Face. If you follow the lineage of the Fuzz Face, it has a storied and diverse past as well. I think you find a little bit of each in every Sun Face, just like in any overdrive, you can find little bits of every pedal in each pedal....the core, does it do that one thing better than any other.

To me, the White Dot, cleans up much better...but can never get the smokey, dark tones of the Red Dot (yet the Red Dot can never clean up quite like the White). The differences in the High Gain are touch more complex, but really...how much wool do you want around the note (at least, that is how I interpret the sounds).

At the end, I still very much prefer a Silicon fuzz. The unrelenting snarl and bright snap, really is a complete sound.

 

[wingwalker]

I've got a Voodoo1 one that I use for clean boost
And would like to try out the AM sunface NTK
Wich one is best for the clean dynamic side?

The white dot NKT will get completely clean, even with humbuckers and has a beautiful sparkle to it's clean voice...I'd say if you want the Sunface wiht the best clean tone the white dot NKT is the ticket.

 

[wingwalker]

The unrelenting snarl and bright snap, really is a complete sound.

Yeah...getting into an Si Fuzz Face opens a whole new book!

 

[Aralok]

Which of them would you recommend for Hendrix stuff through a Fender amp?? I'm thinking stuff like "Red House", "Voodoo Child", and "Bold as Love"

 

[auratnik]

I had high gain AM NKT but I just prefer silicon fuzzes I guess and with the one I have I could get AM sound but not vice versa.

 

[doriangrey]

Here is a demo video of the Sunface Red Dot. You can definietly hear the Voodoo Chile tone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvEVmrjs0Zg

I'll be posting a video of the white dot very soon. It has more clarity and sounds better with cleaner playing. The video will allow you to A/B the differences.

 

[pold]

Here is a demo video of the Sunface Red Dot. You can definietly hear the Voodoo Chile tone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvEVmrjs0Zg

I'll be posting a video of the white dot very soon. It has more clarity and sounds better with cleaner playing. The video will allow you to A/B the differences.

sounds killer, do you like it better with a Super reverb or with a Marshall?

 

[Stormbringer]

I just got a high gain AM SF - I used to own an old NKT275 version and liked it but always thought it lacked a bit of gain.

The High Gain NKT SunFace is EXACTLY the Ge FF sound I was looking for. Kind of like my old SunFace but with just the right amount of extra gain. And it also cleans up great. It's a keeper.

 

[analogmike]

Here is a demo video of the Sunface Red Dot. You can definietly hear the Voodoo Chile tone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvEVmrjs0Zg

I'll be posting a video of the white dot very soon. It has more clarity and sounds better with cleaner playing. The video will allow you to A/B the differences.

Awesome demo! What other pedals were on?

 

[charmboy]

Wow, great playing and tone on that demo!

I Really want to pick up one of the red fuzzface enclosures and send it off to Mike for the high gain NKT's.

 

[JCM 800]

It appears that there are two different kinds of Red Dots? New and old? What is the difference?

 

[aaronweits]

I just picked up a white dot version, which I am quickly falling in love with...

BUT is there any way to compensate the darkness? just a slight roll off the volume knob? I don't wanna lose the fuzz too much.

 

[charmboy]

I just picked up a white dot version, which I am quickly falling in love with...

BUT is there any way to compensate the darkness? just a slight roll off the volume knob? I don't wanna lose the fuzz too much.

Rolling back the guitar volume a hair should brighten it and still keep a good amount of gain. If you find you prefer it like that, you can dial back the internal trimmer a hair, then you'll have that same tone when you max your guitar volume.

 

[HBob]

I just picked up a white dot version, which I am quickly falling in love with...

BUT is there any way to compensate the darkness? just a slight roll off the volume knob? I don't wanna lose the fuzz too much.

Like charmboy said, mess with the input trimmer inside or the bias which with some guitars might help. Also, stick an overdrive in front of it. Some of mine work with the Sun Face, others don't. When they do, it's freakin' great.

 

[doriangrey]

Awesome demo! What other pedals were on?

Thanks Mike, you make an awesome pedal!
Gear used in this video: Strat, Lovepedal Pickle Vibe, Sunface Red Dot, DL4, Vanamps Sole-Mate, Super Reverb.