Toneslut Custom Amplification

I was asked by my friend in Oz “Do you think people would like something that compresses  and  boosts?”

I thought “Of course they would!”  and then I realized he was talking about an effects pedal. But that works too, and the pedal that compresses and boosts was born.

Der Wünderbra — pronounced like “Voon Der Brah” with the sort of German accent you might hear in  Hogan’s Heroes — is a Ross compressor feeding a Performance Enhancer boost. Each is independent and switchable, but the client wanted them both in one convenient package for his small acoustic gigs, where he doesn’t want to bring the giant pedalboard.

Oh, with a name like Der Wünderbra, you KNEW there had to be cleavage on the graphics.

Posted in: Products, Stomp Boxes by Moose /
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What’s in a name? A paean to Pink Floyd, even though the circuit has absolutely nothing to do with Syd Barret, or anything else Floyd. It just seemed like a cool name for a pedal with a spacey theme. And, a good description of what you get. Pure, clean boost to overdrive your amp for a tone that’s out of this world? Well, maybe “interstellar” is hyperbole, but this boost circuit is in the one pedal I am NEVER without, acoustic or electric.

Functionally, the Interstellar Overdrive is the  same as the Double Boost version of the Performance Enhancer that inspired the theme. However, I now powdercoat my boxes under the graphics, and finish with a super-durable top coat (either clear powder-coat or automotive finish suitable for rough use).

This one is the first of a limited edition run I’ll be doing for a few friends and loyal customers. The new owner is Justin Froese, one of my favorite local guitarists. Be sure to check him out solo, or with his band Taming the Fox.

If you want one for yourself, don’t worry! I won’t do more of this exact graphic theme, but I will gladly make the circuit with different graphics. Or you can even get a standard, single-button Performance Enhancer, like the one pictured here, for less. Just drop us an email and we’ll sort out the best solution for you.

With little further ado, the Interstellar Overdrive posing with the black and blue color scheme Performance Enhancer:

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I can’t believe I haven’t posted this yet!

Last Autumn, I was asked if I could make a Buzzaround. I’d heard of them, and even heard a clone once, but it didn’t click what a special pedal it was at first. Then I remembered, this was the box used by Robert Fripp of King Crimson and a few others.

Alas, it was made by Baldwin-Burns for only a very short time in the mid-’60s, and is extremely rare on the open market.  Luckily, schematics and photos of originals are available, and some good friends of mine even sent me some of the hard-to-find transistors used in the originals.

One last challenge was the artwork. I asked the new owner if he had a preferred theme and he shot me some artwork by the same artist who did the cover of their vinyl-only EP.  I dug the critter so much I did the box in white powdercoat and matched the font and border to the colors, then gave it maximum area on the box.

See the results for yourself:

It now wears blue knobs to match the font, but I unfortunately took pictures before I had them on hand.

The sound? I love it. It’s everything a fuzzface wants to be, running from gently pushed distortion to full on grind.

The response I got was:

Hey Chris. Your pedal is kicking my fuzzface's butt, and I really dig my
fuzzface. The buzz is a lot creamier and smoother, but again much more
dynamic then i thought it would be with the volume knob. getting really
nice harmonics out of it also. have regulated my fuzzface as more of a
hairy rangemaster and using the buzz as my full on fuzz.
cheers!
T

Good to hear that it has found a spot on that pedalboard. I feel good when I know I’m making something that works for the musician above all else.

If you enjoy vintage tones like this, definitely check out Tony’s band, The Mag 7 and keep an eye out for their shows in the Chicago area. They’re evolutionary, improvisational, emotional,  and powerful — the type of Rock and/or Roll that’s best heard live. The way Rock and/or Roll should be.

Posted in: Effects, Products by Moose /
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I couldn’t post this when it was done because it was sent as a gift to my good friend Conrad in Belgium. He’s a certified Whiskey taster, as well as a certified good person, and probably certifiable in general.

I can’t remember when I’ve ever hit it off so well with another person in regards of shared interests and musical tastes. One night we found ourselves listening to his music collection and raiding his stash of single-malts, so I used the occasion as inspiration for a Conrad Special version of this wonderful clean-boost pedal.

Posted in: Effects, Products by Moose /
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I’ve been putting together some pedals with custom graphics for folks before Exmas.

This one’s for Don Kohinga in Melbourne, Australia. His company is Southern Cross amplification, so I chose a stellar theme and imposed the southern cross over it.

The pedal is a two stage clean boost based on the Performance Enhancer. The problem was that Don wanted to run his performance enhancer all the time, but he still wanted to have two volume levels — a boost for leads and a lower volume for rhythm sections. The performance enhancer can add something really nice to an acoustic guitar tone, so this is a common conundrum.

This configuration allows the user to run the pedal all the time, dialing in the higher level of boost with the Volume control, and a lower level of boost with the gain control. A kick of the High/Low switch turns the gain control on and off — switching between the higher and lower volumes.

Click on the images for a closeup of the artwork. The graphics are applied over a hand-painted box, so bad masking and rattlecan errors are obvious, but I’m pretty happy with how this one came out.

Posted in: Effects, Products by Moose /
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I have added Rhythm Boxes here or you can see them from the Products section in the menu bar.

These are a very simple tool. They are a small box made of tone woods with a pickup inside. Plug it in to an amplifier or your mixer board, tap them with your foot, and the thump is delivered to the world via your PA.

So, give one a try!

Several styles of rhythm box

Posted in: Products, Stomp Boxes by Moose /
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Unfortunately, I won’t be able to stock transformers for a while.

For the trainwreck types, hitting up Pacific or Heyboer directly might be a good idea. Heyboer is also extremely good about custom orders if you want something special. When we are able to stock the iron, we’ll announce it here, first.

Meanwhile, you can find transformer diagrams from the products page on the right, or by clicking this link.

Posted in: Products, Transformers by Moose /
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Well, it’s time to start a blaahhhhhhg.

The goal? To present the products we currently have available,  update customers on new products, and to show some of the work I’m currently doing.

Mostly, the blog format will be used to provide a central point for information that’s easy to update and mantain. ToneSlut’s going through a lot of changes. Until all the dust has settled, the last thing we want to spend time on is fancy web design!

So, with little further ado, welcome to the new ToneSlut website!

TonSlut Custom Amplification

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