la noise
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Warning: I am going to gush. No. Not like that. 
I am talking about me,
and how I am going to gush about a pedal I feel totally stoked to have on
my board now. It is the Basic Audio Zonk. Looks like this:
John recommended I try this one out. I sure am glad he did. Thanks, John!
It is far and away my favourite Bender-esque Fuzz. While not, technically,
a MKI Tonebender, it can be considered as being on that branch of the
Fuzz Family Tree. According to John he has tweaked the original Zonk
circuit, which was reportedly first made by Solasound for Hornby-
Skewes--a music retailer--in the mid 60's. You might notice that this is a
Silicon-based Fuzz. Not sure what the purists would have to say about
this. All I know is that whatever magic John has worked on his version of
the Zonk leaves me lacking for nothing from this pedal. I feel the Basic
Audio Zonk has addressed a few issues that I have had with many
Benders.
1) It stays tight in the low-register. There is no mush here. It does not
squish out or flub out. Not even into a dirty amp!
2) For a Si-based Fuzz the clean up is out of this world. It cleans up better
than any Si-based Fuzz I have ever used. In fact, I would put the
clean-up of the Basic Audio Zonk on par with some of the best Ge-based
Fuzzes out there. There is none of the thinning out of the tone you
normally hear with Si-based Fuzz.
3) Being a Si-based Bender it can be a bit "bright." However, it is not
"bright" in an ear-splitting way. There is nothing shrill about the "cut" of
the Zonk. In fact, the Tone on this pedal functions in an amazing way. It
does not seem to be a standard Tone that either brightens or darkens the
overall tone of the signal. It seems to be more of a mid-shift kind of tonal
adjustment. It seems to shift and attenuate the mids at the same time.
Using the Zonk with multiple guitars (SG, LP, Tele) I have found the Tone
adjustment on this pedal to be just perfectly and uniquely voiced for dialing
in the right frequency for whatever guitar I am playing.... or for what type
of tone I am striving for, based on the song I am using the Zonk in.
Perhaps John will chime in with more details on how the Tone works--from
a more technical perspective.
Ok.... how about a clip or two??
Here's a tidy little clip of an in-house live recording of the Zonk.
[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/lonesome-rust/basic-audio-zonk-1[/SOUNDCLOUD]
Here's a different clip, with another vibe going on. Added some Catalinbread Belle Epoch to this
track as well as some MXR Script Phase 90 on the outro. This is such a fun pedal to play!
[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/lonesome-rust/zoom1681[/SOUNDCLOUD]
I am talking about me, and how I am going to gush about a pedal I feel totally stoked to have on
my board now. It is the Basic Audio Zonk. Looks like this:
John recommended I try this one out. I sure am glad he did. Thanks, John!
It is far and away my favourite Bender-esque Fuzz. While not, technically,
a MKI Tonebender, it can be considered as being on that branch of the
Fuzz Family Tree. According to John he has tweaked the original Zonk
circuit, which was reportedly first made by Solasound for Hornby-
Skewes--a music retailer--in the mid 60's. You might notice that this is a
Silicon-based Fuzz. Not sure what the purists would have to say about
this. All I know is that whatever magic John has worked on his version of
the Zonk leaves me lacking for nothing from this pedal. I feel the Basic
Audio Zonk has addressed a few issues that I have had with many
Benders.
1) It stays tight in the low-register. There is no mush here. It does not
squish out or flub out. Not even into a dirty amp!
2) For a Si-based Fuzz the clean up is out of this world. It cleans up better
than any Si-based Fuzz I have ever used. In fact, I would put the
clean-up of the Basic Audio Zonk on par with some of the best Ge-based
Fuzzes out there. There is none of the thinning out of the tone you
normally hear with Si-based Fuzz.
3) Being a Si-based Bender it can be a bit "bright." However, it is not
"bright" in an ear-splitting way. There is nothing shrill about the "cut" of
the Zonk. In fact, the Tone on this pedal functions in an amazing way. It
does not seem to be a standard Tone that either brightens or darkens the
overall tone of the signal. It seems to be more of a mid-shift kind of tonal
adjustment. It seems to shift and attenuate the mids at the same time.
Using the Zonk with multiple guitars (SG, LP, Tele) I have found the Tone
adjustment on this pedal to be just perfectly and uniquely voiced for dialing
in the right frequency for whatever guitar I am playing.... or for what type
of tone I am striving for, based on the song I am using the Zonk in.
Perhaps John will chime in with more details on how the Tone works--from
a more technical perspective.
Ok.... how about a clip or two??
Here's a tidy little clip of an in-house live recording of the Zonk.
[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/lonesome-rust/basic-audio-zonk-1[/SOUNDCLOUD]
Here's a different clip, with another vibe going on. Added some Catalinbread Belle Epoch to this
track as well as some MXR Script Phase 90 on the outro. This is such a fun pedal to play!
[SOUNDCLOUD]https://soundcloud.com/lonesome-rust/zoom1681[/SOUNDCLOUD]
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