PIGPILE
Harmonic Porkolating Fuzz
So…what is this thing?
This pedal is not a clone. Like the Interfax Harmonic Percolator, at its heart the PIGPILE has a very strange and unique configuration of two transistors (which we’ve cheekily dubbed the Harmonic Porkolating Pair, or HPP) not found in any other type of fuzz or distortion - however, the similarities pretty much end there. We used the old Percos as a jumping-off point and - with our ears to guide us - we analyzed, explored and experimented. We made dozens of prototypes, tried hundreds of ideas and tweaks, and then smashed all the best circuit bits together in a tiny box until they made friends. The end result is this flexible maniac of a fuzz pedal - huge, weird and gnarly when unleashed but tweakable enough to be house-trained. There are whole unexplored worlds of tone in this thing, waiting to be discovered. We hope you’ll enjoy finding them as much as we have.
controls
Boost: Toggles an optional pre-gain boost, available in either a bright or flat configuration. Adds more gain and nastiness into the mix.
GE: Toggles optional Germanium clipping diodes that can be moved around the circuit for different fuzz flavors.
Hi-Cut: Roll off your highs. This is like the tone knob on your guitar, but backwards - the further clockwise you go, the more highs you cut.
Blend: A standard clean blend, handy to balance out your signal at some of the more extreme settings. Great for bass players as well!
Level: Standard-issue volume control.
Brutality: This is the weird, highly technical, and magical heart of the Pigpile. Turn this clockwise to make the fuzz behave in a more traditional fashion. Turn it counterclockwise to get progressively weirder. The footswitch at the bottom-left of the pedal increases the counterclockwise range, allowing you to get into glitchy, octavey madness.
Harm: The gain control for this pedal. Clockwise means more grit, nastiness, and sustain.
Note: The Harm and Brutality controls are interactive - tweak ‘em both, see what you can find in there!
Instruction Manual (pdf)