Although it’s presented in the name as an update, the Cat Box Customs Bean Machine V2 is actually a “deluxe version” of its older sibling.
A variant of the Harmonic Percolator fuzz, the original featured a Volume and Fuzz knob, a 3-way diode clipping selection with Germanium/none/Silicon options, and two more toggles for extra sonic options: “pseudo octave up/down” and more/less intensity.
V2 keeps all that, although the intensity switch is here a Bias knob (bottom center) and a few extra knobs (and one footswitch) were added to expand the pedal’s sonic palette.
First of all, the Bean Machine V2 keeps the two original Volume and Fuzz knobs on the top left and center.
A new Feedback circuit activates a feedback loop that will make the pedal go haywire. The crazy noises generated when the Feedback (left) footswitch is on can be changed in pitch through the Feedback knob (bottom right).
There is also a Volts knob (top right) that allows you to starve the circuit, producing gated, spitty sounds.
Finally, the bottom right knob, called Germ, only works when the Germanium voice is active and subtly affects the tone.
Cat Box Customs Bean Machine V2 Fuzz, Builder’s Notes
The Deluxe Bean Machine! All the features of the v1 with upgrades/modifications! One of the bias toggles became a knob, added a voltage sag knob, feedback loop footswitch and control knob and lastly a GE clipping diode bias pot.
