Fuzz lovers who can’t make up their minds on whether to buy a silicon or a germanium fuzz should take a look at the Spaceman Charon, a fuzz with a hybrid circuit that includes diodes with both elements, including a NOS germanium transistor.
The careful balancing of these components allows this device to produce a remarkable variety of tones with just three knobs, from subtle crunch to fuzztidious gnarliness all the way up to the wall of sound we all deserve.
You can get all of that through the interaction of the Level and Gain knobs, while the Tone one is a low-cat filter that will tighten your tone to taste.
Check out how the Charon sounds in the videos!
Spaceman Charon Fuzz, Builder’s Notes
Seek and Destroy
The Charon is a germanium/silicon hybrid fuzz with vintage vibes inspired by classic circuits from the golden age of guitar effects. Mirroring that primal simplicity, the Charon’s concise three control layout is capable of a wide range of instantly gratifying results. You can easily traverse from low-gain crunchy overdrive to a menacing aggressive wall of sound – all the way to total signal destruction. Within this expanse lies an endless amount of smoky drive, fat saturated distortion, and belligerent fuzz as your swirling harmonic overtones flicker like waves of merciless flames around your smoldering tone. Immerse yourself in the Charon and experience an infinite journey of sonic discovery.The Charon is a cutting and intense germanium/silicon hybrid fuzz. This stripped down, raw design features an intuitive control layout with an eye towards simplicity. A surprising range of tones are quickly accessible, making the Charon a highly enjoyable pedal capable of immediately satisfying sonic results.
The GAIN control regulates the signal level into the circuit. Lower gain settings have a crunchy and smoky tone with a well-defined note attack. Transitioning into medium gain settings, you’ll begin to notice an increase in compression and beautiful bloom that gives way to shimmering harmonics. At full tilt, the Charon is a rude, belligerent fuzz with accentuated sag and heavy beating intermodulation that mercilessly cuts through the mix.
The TONE control reduces bass content as it is turned up, allowing the Charon to remain tight and defined even at high gain settings. This can be crucial to cultivating a tone from clear and articulate to a bombastic wall of sound. Input impedance is moderately low at 100K ohms, making this pedal sensitive to signal-chain placement. The Charon will perform best when placed first in line, where it will seamlessly couple with your guitar, making for an extremely dynamic and touch-sensitive experience. To manage the overall output volume, the Charon’s LEVEL control has plenty of cut and boost on tap.
The Charon’s design and execution was inspired by vintage fuzzes from the golden age of guitar effects. Careful attention was paid to mirror the primal simplicity of early fuzz classics while implementing an updated approach to noise reduction, bypass switching, and taking advantage of modern production techniques. Flickering harmonic flames smolder and dance around your chords, menacingly stagger behind your palm-muted riffs and scream with a buzzsaw voice into the black abyss of space.
FEATURES
- All analog signal path
- Hybrid germanium/silicon fuzz
- NOS germanium transistor
- Bass cut tone control to keep your tone tight and defined at high gain
- Wide range of crunch to all out fuzz destruction
- True-bypass relay switching with a soft-touch footswitch
TRULY HAND CRAFTED
Built and hand-wired in Portland, Oregon, the Charon features true-bypass relay switching with a soft-touch footswitch. On top of the cast-aluminum enclosure sits a durable, engraved vinyl faceplate and jewel indicator light. This pedal is built to last a lifetime, both on Earth or in the vacuum of space.
