crazy tube circuits
venus
In 1975 Brent Butler created a tube driven OD. It sold under his own company and later chandler who had a higher manufacturing capacity. That failed to work out and he went back to making his own. Over the tears the tubes changed. Nearly all guitar amps use a 12AX7 for this purpose. However their are variations with lower outputs. The 12AT7, 12AY7 and 12AU7. The Venus uses a hybrid tube half 12AX7 and half 12AU7. The hottest mixed with the weakest? The layout is much the same as the original. You get Volume, BIAS and Gain. Treble, Mids and Bass.
$330.00 USD
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CONCLUSION __
I have tried a few times using tube type OD's but they never could blend in with transistor OD pedals. It is like the perfect vinyl jacket passes to all but a fashionista as leather unless you had on real leather jeans not denim contrasting with it.
Tube OD's are near impossible to tweek the EQ to what you want.
Dave Gilmour tried it and gave up and went back to transistor pedals.
The denim of OD's.
Let me say the obvious. Dave always has great tone. If your only dirt
pedal is this it could work out really well. Big but!!! if it doesn't you
have spent some serious money on a dead end. Add to that the
choice of tube used for this pedal is rare in a time when
ALL good tubes are not easy to find.
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What do you think of the GUPTech Donut that is supposed to be a Crowther Hotcake. I also found this on Aliexpress. https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005008025887407.html . Which one would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteThe GUPtech Donut is an OK, OD but the guys personal take but only loosely in the ballpark. The Lilt Hotcake does noy have any videos for me to hear it. Add to that I bought a pedal years ago from Lilt that was meant to be a Dumble. I hated it. Its a paper weight.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback. I'm going to avoid Lilt. There are some GUPtech Donuts on sale for St Patrick's Day, I wonder if I won't buy one...
DeletePaul, out of curiosity, was that the Lilt Gladiator?
DeleteYES!!! Yes it does what it sets out to do but has a very synthetic one dimensional sound without following the dynamics of your playing. it makes you feel like you are miming to a recording.
DeleteWhew, I dodged a bullet then! I went hunting for one after reading your initial review here a few years ago. I was probably waiting for the (constantly fluctuating) price to get below $100 bucks, by which time (shortly thereafter) it was off the market altogether.
DeleteThe GUPtech are built like a tank using good parts. I do love the bite the Donut has. There are few pedals with that much bite. I feel it is there best OD.
ReplyDelete👌
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