Estimators of the vintage Harmonic Percolator now have a new option to get that venerable fuzz sound in their sonic arsenal: the Vaderin Pedals HP-X.
Deceptively simple, this pedal offers the traditional two controls of the original plus a 3-way clipping switch. However, the two knobs (Harmonics/input and Balance/output) have been finely engineered to be highly interactive and to deliver usable sounds in any setting.
The three clipping options are:
Left: Asymmetrical Germanium Diode Clipping
Center: Diode lift for all transistor distortion
Right: Symmetrical Silicon Diode Clipping
The HP-X uses a Silicon transistor in the PNP position instead of the temperature-unstable Germanium found in the original, but the builder guarantees that no sonic compromises were made because of this:
We A/B’d a ton of silicon transistors to replace the germanium transistor from the original circuit. Yes, this percolator has a silicon transistor instead of a germanium transistor in the PNP position. Both of the silicon transistors that make up the circuit are measured and carefully selected so the circuit biases right every time. There are no compromises in sound here. In fact, we like this version the best!
This guarantees a consistent tone independently from the external conditions it’s used in. Its clear and present sound was achieved also through the use of a selected combination of silver mica/poly film/ceramic capacitors.
Hear the sound of the Vaderin HP-X in the video below. We added it to our article about the Best Harmonic Percolator-inspired Fuzz Pedals.
No Bullshit Rock Machine
The HP-X is a harmonic percolator designed to capture the circuit’s signature even-order harmonic saturation without compromising stability or volume. It is designed to sound great on any setting anywhere in the signal chain and provide a super solid distortion/fuzz tone for any application.
Stick to the Basics
While other versions of the percolator circuit have a ton of knobs, switches and other options, the HP-X sticks to the basics and offers the traditional two controls plus a clipping selection switch. Despite its simplicity, this pedal is extremely versatile with a wide variety of tones that range from overdrive to distortion to fuzz with many versions of each in between. Whatever the settings, the HP-X always sounds aggressive, punchy and has plenty of output.
Silicon and Silicon
We A/B’d a ton of silicon transistors to replace the germanium transistor from the original circuit. Yes, this percolator has a silicon transistor instead of a germanium transistor in the PNP position. Both of the silicon transistors that make up the circuit are measured and carefully selected so the circuit biases right every time. There are no compromises in sound here. In fact, we like this version the best!
The good news is you don’t have to worry about all the weirdness that might come with germanium and know this pedal is going to sound the same every time you kick it on regardless of temperature and playing conditions.
Still Has the Mojo
The HP-X features a specially selected combination of silver mica/poly film/ceramic capacitors that just get that clear and present but warm sound that we were going for with this percolator.
CONTROLS:
Left Knob: Harmonics
The left knob is the input level, turn left for less and right for more. Turning the knob to the right increases the compression, distortion and overall gating of the pedal from nice even=order overdrive to totally squished out gated fuzz. Adjust this knob to work with the pedal that comes before the percolator if it is later in the chain.
Right Knob: Balance
The right knob is the output volume, turn left for less and right for more.
Both knobs are highly interactive!
Clipping Options switch:
There are 3 clipping options on the HP-X:
Left: Asymmetrical Germanium Diode Clipping
Center: Diode lift for all transistor distortion
Right: Symmetrical Silicon Diode ClippingThe two diode clipping options were tweaked to have a similar volume output to one another while still retaining their unique clipping characteristics.
