Silktone USED Fuzz + Black

This is a used Silkton Fuzz+ with unique features.

Used item on consignment. Works and looks in good condition. Box and simple English manual included.

At the heart of the Silktone Fuzz+ are two germanium transistors that can be tweaked to deliver a wide range of tones and eliminate all the common issues that typically occur with germanium fuzzes. We wanted to recreate the great tone you know and love when these transistors are biased in their sweet spot, but also when they're not. The unique bias control makes it all easy to achieve.

Want that sweet spot? Set it at 4.50.
Prefer a fat, sticky fuzz? Set it to 7.50 or higher.
Want some spitting gate fuzz?
Okay, me too - I'll set it to 1.00.

■What on earth is the "CLEANUP" knob?
Turning this knob up will clean up the fuzz, and it works in conjunction with the pickup simulator by mimicking the guitar's volume knob, so when you back off the guitar's volume knob a bit, you get the cleaner, sparklier boost/light overdrive tone that's characteristic of a good germanium fuzz.

■Why is a "pickup simulator" included?
Many fuzz pedals have very low input impedance, so placing a high-impedance guitar before a fuzz produces a very pleasant high-mid bump and roll-off, maintaining a relatively gentle and musical sound. Connecting a low-output-impedance buffer or other pedal before a typical low-impedance fuzz pedal results in a very unpleasant squealing and vibration, completely losing musicality and nuance. Anyone who's ever placed a buffered Tube Screamer or wah before a fuzz pedal knows this all too well. Silktone Fuzz corrects this problem with its onboard pickup simulator, so no matter where you place the pedal in the chain, it behaves the same as if you plugged your guitar directly into it. I like using it after a cooked-back wah for its cool Q filtering.

■What is “bias”?
Bias is the operating voltage of the transistors, determining how they distort and clip the audio signal. There are a few common approaches most builders take to achieving adjustable bias in a Fuzz Face circuit. One is to make both transistors adjustable. This can easily complicate things, as the transistors interact with each other and the first transistor is very sensitive to changes. This can make it difficult to achieve a consistently good tone, especially with temperature-sensitive germanium. Another approach (one I see more often) is to make only the second transistor adjustable. This approach narrows the tonal range, but works better, unless, again, germanium is used and temperature-driven. In that case, there's no compensation for the first transistor, which can go completely out of sync.
We take a slightly different approach to both of these. The beauty of the Fuzz Face circuit is that the two transistors are directly coupled, so changing the value of one automatically affects the value of the other. We take advantage of this by carefully biasing both transistors internally to get them where we want them, with an external bias control giving us a wide range of easily accessible tones. All of these tones are characteristically great-sounding and can be recalled at any time (or temperature) without any hassle.

Why is an LED bias meter used? Germanium fuzz is so sensitive to temperature that even adjusting the bias knob on other pedals becomes completely meaningless if the temperature fluctuates significantly, forcing you to adjust it by ear every time, which isn't always easy. Let's say you only have a traditional bias knob with no display, and you set it to about 10 o'clock in a 21°C room and it sounds great.
Then, if you go play outside at 32 degrees, or into a basement at 10 degrees, your previous 10 o'clock position will sound completely different, and you'll probably get a gating effect or something, forcing you to find a new spot you like every time. This has always been a pain for me. The SilktoneFuzz+ Active Bias Monitor takes all the guesswork out of it. Just remember the number that matches the tone you're going for, and the meter will reflect any big temperature changes, so you can quickly and easily get it back to where you like it and never have to worry about it again. No need to constantly shift; it's just a big temperature fluctuation. It also doubles as an on/off indicator, and it looks really cool.

The Silktone Fuzz+ has been updated with more gain than its predecessor and some cool new features:
Tone Controls - These are part of the cleanup circuit and shape the tone before the fuzz. The bass shape goes from tight and forward when turned down to fuller and rounder when turned up. The treble shape subtly rolls off the high frequencies, creating a softer fuzz tone. This shape is more pronounced even in clean settings.
Second Footswitch - RAW Mode bypasses the Cleanup knob and Tone control and returns you to a full RAW fuzz sound, creating a dual fuzz-like effect for versatile sonic possibilities.
The updated taper of the "Cleanup" control is much smoother than in the previous version, and the "Fuzz" control is also much easier to use, allowing you to set post-gain to shape the sound a bit, as well as set a maximum fuzz level when Cleanup is bypassed in Raw mode.
With a higher output volume than the original Fuzz, it can deliver a powerful punch to your amp, whether it's full fuzz or a cleaned-up, colorful germanium boost.
The power supply has been improved, eliminating the need for an isolated power supply. Fuzz+ accepts 9VDC power (center negative) and can be daisy-chained with other pedals.

Power supply: 9VDC (center negative), daisy chainable.
Current consumption: 35mA
Controls: Vol, Fuzz, Cleanup, Treble Shape, Bass Shape, Bias