Edge of Breakup
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I Helped Design This Guitar! | Losch Guitars feat. Built-In R2R Electric Treble Booster!
A very special guitar makes its channel debut — a co-designed collaboration with Chicago/Highland Park luthier Gabby Losch of Losch Guitars, born from a chance meeting at Fretboard Summit 2024 and debuting at Fretboard Summit 2025. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
This Losch Guitars co-design — semi-hollow, no f-holes, Mastery Bridge and Tremolo, Emerson Custom pots, caps, and Treble Bleeds, Sunbear Humbuckers with a Sunbear Sunbird (Firebird) middle pickup on a blender knob, and a built-in R2R Electric germanium Treble Booster with discreet switch placement — runs into the Cunningham Amps Custom 35 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The R2R Electric Ge Distorter Deluxe and Effectrode Tube Vibe both feature.
Gabby Losch builds by hand in Chicago/Highland Park, Illinois — known for incredible craftsmanship, unique designs, and inspiring tones that blend modern innovation with classic guitar tradition. After meeting at Fretboard Summit 2024, ideas traded over Instagram and text turned into this co-designed instrument, debuting a year later at Fretboard Summit 2025.
The build itself is packed with thoughtful detail: semi-hollow construction without f-holes for a cleaner look and different acoustic character than a traditional f-hole design. Mastery Bridge and Tremolo for tuning stability and intonation accuracy. Emerson Custom pots, caps, and Treble Bleeds throughout — explored in the volume knob cleanup from 08:27.
The pickup configuration is genuinely unusual: Sunbear Humbuckers in neck and bridge, with a Sunbear Sunbird — Sunbear's Firebird-voiced pickup — wired to a blender knob in the middle position, giving single-coil-esque tonal shading blended in on top of the humbucker voicing. Explored from 10:29, with the blend and volume knob interaction from 11:29.
The built-in R2R Electric germanium Treble Booster — with a discreet switch placement built directly into the guitar — gets extensive coverage from 12:44 through 22:36, including direct volume knob cleanup, tone knob interaction, gain reduction, and stacking with the Effectrode Tube Vibe from 20:14.
The R2R Electric Ge Distorter Deluxe closes out the demo from 23:59 — Chris Vincent's take on the same circuit as his Ge Distorter NKT, now with an added external Q2 Bias control and loaded with a set of Philips/Mullard AC107 black glass germanium transistors. Level, Attack, and the external Bias knob for dialing in the exact sweet spot of the Q2 transistor stage. Stacked with the guitar's built-in Treble Booster from 26:59 for a genuinely unique combination only possible with this specific instrument.
🎸 Losch Guitars: https://www.loschguitars.com
🎛️ R2R Electric: https://www.r2relectric.com
🎸 Sunbear Pickups: https://www.sunbearpickups.com
🔊 Cunningham Amps: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz
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🎸 Losch Guitars Co-Design | Semi-Hollow (No F-Holes) | Mastery Bridge + Tremolo | Sunbear Humbuckers + Sunbear Sunbird Middle (Blender) | Built-In R2R Electric Treble Booster | Emerson Custom Wiring + Treble Bleeds
🎛️ R2R Electric Ge Distorter Deluxe | Philips/Mullard AC107 Black Glass Ge | External Q2 Bias | Level / Attack / Bias | Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Cunningham Amps Custom 35 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live
The Best Mod for Your Jazzmaster! | Lollar Pickups Regal Wide Range Humbuckers for Jazzmaster
Lollar Pickups returns to the channel with the Regal Wide Range Humbucker Set for Jazzmaster — a specific format that opens up Fender's original Wide Range voicing to Jazzmaster-style offsets. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbucker Set is installed in the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The Hello Sailor Effects Abbey Road Fuzz, Reeves Electro ZO Professional Fuzz, and Effectrode Tube Vibe all feature.
The Lollar Regal is Jason Lollar's take on Seth Lover's original Wide Range humbucker — fuller and rounder than a standard PAF while retaining more single-coil-like clarity and articulation than a typical humbucker. Built here in Jazzmaster format for the Black Bobbin Phantone, giving the offset platform a genuinely different tonal option than the P90 or standard humbucker configurations covered in previous Phantone demos on the channel. Explored across clean tones from 01:48, with the Effectrode Tube Vibe adding low-gain modulation from 05:41.
The Hello Sailor Effects Abbey Road Fuzz gets its own section from 06:40 — Joe's heavily modified Fuzz Face circuit built specifically to work as well with humbuckers as single coils, tested directly against the Wide Range set's fuller output. Explored into the Benson Vincent's cranked Clean Channel from 09:45, with the Tube Vibe stacking in from 13:41.
The Reeves Electro ZO Professional Fuzz — Markus Reeves' Zonk Machine MKII homage with NOS TO98 Sprague 2N2926 Green Dot silicon transistors — takes over as the Vinny Dirt Channel gets progressively pushed harder into the already-cranked Clean Channel from 15:58, with the Tube Vibe layered on top from 18:14 and the highest gain settings explored from 19:32 through 20:57.
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-humbucker-pickups 🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago: https://blackbobbin.com 🎛️ Hello Sailor Effects: https://hellosailoreffects.com 🎛️ Reeves Electro: https://reeveselectro.co.uk 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone | Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbucker Set (Jazzmaster Format) 🎛️ Hello Sailor Effects Abbey Road Fuzz | Reeves Electro ZO Professional (NOS Sprague 2N2926 Green Dot Si) | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Sennheiser E906 | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12 with Push 3
The Best Zonk Machine Fuzz!! | Electric Machine Pro | R2R Electric
The R2R Electric Electric Machine gets a deep dive — Zonk Machine circuitry made famous by Jeff Beck, Mick Ronson, Marc Bolan, and early Jimmy Page, tested across clean and pushed amp settings. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The R2R Electric Electric Machine pairs with the Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star — Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbuckers — into the Greer Amps Mini Chief at multiple gain stages. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 16:44.
Get R2R Electric pedals on Reverb: https://linktw.in/bcndhr Join the R2R Electric email list: https://linktw.in/YIdkBQ
The Hornby Skewes Zonk Machine is one of the rarest and most sought-after British fuzz circuits of the 1960s — a close relative of the Tone Bender MKI, but with a distinct input capacitor value that rolls off low end before the fuzz stage, producing a more angular, midrange-forward, characteristically gnarly tone. The Electric Machine is Chris Vincent's take on the circuit, built in his Professional format with Texas Instruments, OC75, and OC44 transistors — the same NOS set found in the full-size wedge version — and Mustard caps throughout.
Two controls: Attack and Level. This demo runs the full range across a clean-ish amp first — bridge pickup at unity fuzz volume from 01:28, neck from 02:40, and extensive volume knob cleanup from 03:50 showing off the glassy, controllable cleanup that separates a well-built Zonk Machine from a muddier fuzz circuit. Pushing fuzz volume above unity slams the clean-ish amp from 05:25, with increasing compression as the level climbs from 06:53.
The amp is cranked from 10:45 with fuzz volume brought back to unity, and the Attack knob's sweep is explored in depth from 11:33 — lower Attack settings producing a more compressed, gated character, returning to max Attack at 13:56 for the fullest, most open fuzz tone available. Bridge pickup cleanup into the cranked amp from 15:23 shows how the Electric Machine's volume knob response holds up even when the amp itself is contributing significant gain.
The Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star's Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbuckers — Fender's original Seth Lover-designed Wide Range voicing — give the Electric Machine a fuller, rounder foundation than a standard PAF, with enough single-coil-like clarity to keep the Zonk Machine's midrange character articulate rather than muddy.
🎛️ R2R Electric: https://www.r2relectric.com 🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com 🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups 🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star | Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbuckers 🎛️ R2R Electric Electric Machine | NOS TI + OC75 + OC44 | Mustard Caps | Zonk Machine Topology | Attack + Level | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Mini Chief | 3W | Class A
Vintage 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb + Custom Shop Strat | Fuzz Face, Overdrive & Greenback Swap
Vintage 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb tone — one of the most iconic tube amps ever made — paired with a Custom Shop Stratocaster and two very different flavors of drive. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster — Righteous Sound Opal Road Set, Emerson Custom 5-Way Blender Prewired Kit with Treble Bleed — runs into a vintage 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Scumback S75-PVC speaker upgrade (8 ohm, 65W) while keeping the Vibrato Channel 1 bright cap intact. The JAM Pedals Black Fuzz Phrase LTD (OC44) and Greer Amps Southland Overdrive both feature.
The 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb needs no introduction — one of the most recorded and revered tube amps in history, its blackface circuit defining the clean-to-breakup sweet spot that shaped decades of recorded guitar tone. This unit has had a thoughtful speaker upgrade to a Scumback S75-PVC while keeping the bright cap intact on Vibrato Channel 1, preserving the vintage-accurate sparkle and breakup character while gaining the Scumback's more even response and higher power handling.
The Righteous Sound Opal Road Set — a hybrid combining Opal-voiced neck and middle pickups with either High Road or Opal-spec bridge — gives this Strat a range spanning '50s and '60s vintage character. The Emerson Custom 5-Way Blender wiring adds continuous blend combinations across all five positions on top of the standard switching.
The JAM Pedals Black Fuzz Phrase LTD is built around an ultra-rare stash of NOS OC44 Philips black glass transistors manufactured in 1969, individually tested and matched by ear — a genuine collector's piece from a run of roughly 100 units, delivering authentic Fuzz Face-style magic with exceptionally low leakage and quiet operation.
The Greer Amps Southland Harmonic Overdrive is built on the Lightspeed Organic Overdrive platform but pushed further — more gain, dual-stage clipping using different diode types at each stage, a focused midrange without the typical overdrive hump, and extended presence to help cut through a mix. Touch sensitive and highly responsive to pick attack, it pushes the Deluxe Reverb into soulful, dynamic sustain without sacrificing clarity.
🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com 🎛️ JAM Pedals: https://www.jampedals.com 🎛️ Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster | Righteous Sound Opal Road Set | Emerson Custom 5-Way Blender + Treble Bleed 🎛️ JAM Pedals Black Fuzz Phrase LTD (NOS OC44, 1969) | Greer Amps Southland Harmonic Overdrive 🔊 Vintage 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb | Scumback S75-PVC 8-Ohm 65W | Bright Cap Intact
The Best Stratocaster Upgrade! | Lollar Special Blonde Stratocaster Pickup Set
Lollar Pickups returns to the channel with the Special Blonde Stratocaster Pickup Set — Blonde neck and middle paired with the hotter Special bridge. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Lollar Special Blonde Stratocaster Pickup Set is installed in the Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The Keeley-modded Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.
Check out the Lollar Special Blonde Pickup Set: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-stratocaster-pickups/strat-blonde
The Special Blonde is a considered hybrid within Lollar's Stratocaster lineup — the Blonde neck and middle deliver the vintage-voiced clarity and chime that Lollar's Blonde series is known for, while the bridge swaps in the hotter-output Special Stratocaster pickup rather than a matching Blonde bridge. The result addresses a common Strat complaint directly: a vintage-voiced bridge pickup can sound thin and brittle when pushed, while the Special bridge brings more body and output to that position without sacrificing the neck and middle's classic character. Explored across clean-ish tones from 00:47, showing the balance between the three positions.
The Benson Vincent Clean Channel cranked with added treble from 04:40 pushes the Special bridge into its own natural breakup territory before any pedal enters the chain. The Keeley-modded Ibanez TS9 — Robert Keeley's famous modification opening up the tone-coloring caps and op-amp circuit for greater headroom — joins from 06:49, with volume knob cleanup explored from 08:27 and the Effectrode Tube Vibe stacking in from 09:32.
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-stratocaster-pickups/strat-blonde 🎸 Giordano Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/giordanoguitars/ 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Giordano Guitars '60s S-Model | Lollar Special Blonde Set (Blonde Neck + Middle / Special Bridge) 🎛️ Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer (Keeley Mod) | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live
Fix Your Les Paul Tone!!! | R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe
R2R Electric returns to the channel with a deeper dive into the Preamp Super Deluxe — Chris Vincent's take on the rare 1950s Höfner Preamp circuit, this time on the Les Paul. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe pairs with the Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic — Ron Ellis '50s LRP PAF Humbuckers, Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Prewired Kit. Effectrode Tube Vibe features from 15:15.
Get the EoB x Emerson Custom Les Paul Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/collections/prewired-kits/products/eob-les-paul-prewired-kit-premier-pro Join the R2R Electric email list: https://www.r2relectric.com/
The Preamp Super Deluxe is Chris Vincent's recreation of the rare 1950s Höfner Preamp circuit — a genuinely obscure vintage reference, built with NOS germanium AC107 transistors. Two gain modes, an adjustable EQ emphasis control, and a Gain knob that lets you balance drive coming from the pedal against drive coming from the amp itself.
The EQ emphasis control is the star of this demo — explored in depth from 02:21 through 06:38, sweeping from boosting the highest frequencies through the midrange down to a full-range boost with the lowest frequencies emphasized. This single control fundamentally changes what the pedal does to a humbucker — Ron Ellis' '50s LRP set, a replica of the exact PAFs found in Duane Allman's 1957 Goldtop, gets noticeably brighter and more cutting with the EQ emphasis pushed toward treble, and thicker and more amp-like with it pulled toward bass.
High Gain Mode is explored from the introduction through 09:30, with volume knob cleanup at 07:35 showing how the pedal interacts with the guitar's own dynamics. Low Gain Mode gets its own dedicated section from 11:24 through 15:15, offering a more subtle, touch-sensitive drive character. The Effectrode Tube Vibe adds modulation to the cleaned-up tone from 15:15, and the demo closes with both the amp and the Preamp Super Deluxe fully cranked from 19:36.
What kind of amp would you run this pedal into? With what guitar? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
🎛️ R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe: https://www.r2relectric.com 🎸 Ron Ellis Pickups: https://www.ronellispickups.com
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🎸 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic | Ron Ellis '50s LRP Set (Duane Allman '57 Goldtop Spec) | Emerson Custom EoB LP Kit
🎛️ R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe | NOS AC107 Ge | Höfner Preamp Circuit | 2 Gain Modes | Adjustable EQ Emphasis | Effectrode Tube Vibe
Fix Your Jazzmaster tone! | Lollar '63 Jazzmaster Pickups
Lollar Pickups returns to the channel with the '63 Jazzmaster set — a period-correct vintage voicing installed in the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone, now wired with Emerson Custom's brand new 1 Meg Premier Pro Pots. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Lollar '63 Jazzmaster Pickups are the focus this episode, installed in the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone and wired with Emerson Custom 1 Meg Premier Pro Pots and Treble Bleed, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The Hello Sailor Effects Abbey Road Fuzz and Effectrode Tube Vibe join for the second half.
Check out Lollar '63 Jazzmaster Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/63-jazzmaster Emerson Premier Pro Pots: https://emersoncustom.com/products/emerson-premier-pro-potentiometers?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG Black Bobbin Phantone: https://blackbobbin.com/collections/black-bobbin-phantone
The Lollar '63 Jazzmaster is Jason Lollar's vintage-correct recreation of the original Fender Jazzmaster single coil — wide flat coils, Alnico 5 magnets, and the specific coil geometry that gives Jazzmaster pickups their characteristic warmth and bloom compared to a Stratocaster or Telecaster single coil. Explored across lower gain tones from 01:21, showing off the natural clarity and dynamic response before any drive enters the chain.
The Emerson Custom 1 Meg Premier Pro Pots are the correct resistance value for Jazzmaster and Jaguar circuits — 1 Meg keeps the full frequency response of the pickup intact, where the 250K or 500K pots used in most other guitar wiring bleed off high-frequency content. Three years in development, fiberglass substrate, proprietary 20% audio taper designed to feel consistent in both volume and tone positions. Combined with the Emerson Treble Bleed, the volume knob cleanup explored at length from 04:56 is exceptionally responsive — full-range and musical no matter where the volume sits. The Effectrode Tube Vibe adds low-gain modulation textures to that same cleaned-up tone from 06:45.
Also featured: the Hello Sailor Effects Abbey Road Fuzz from 08:22 — Joe's heavily modified Fuzz Face built in Gosport, UK, specifically to work as well with humbuckers as it does with single coils. Fuzz cleanup versus full blast compared directly from 09:49, with the Tube Vibe stacking in from 13:04. The Benson Vincent's Dirt Channel (Vinny Gain) closes the demo from 14:27, with the Tube Vibe's Boost function pushing it further from 15:26.
🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/63-jazzmaster 🎛️ Emerson Custom: https://emersoncustom.com 🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago: https://blackbobbin.com 🎛️ Hello Sailor Effects: https://hellosailoreffects.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone | Lollar '63 Jazzmaster Pickups | Emerson Custom 1 Meg Premier Pro Pots + Treble Bleed 🎛️ Hello Sailor Effects Abbey Road Fuzz | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live
Expresso FX MKI.V Mini Fuzz | Tone Bender MK1.5 Greatness in a Small Package!
Expresso FX returns to the channel with the MK1.V Mini Fuzz — Sof's compact take on the dual-transistor Tone Bender variant that sits between a Fuzz Face and a full MKI. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Expresso FX MK1.V Mini Fuzz pairs with the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone — Lollar x Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickups, Emerson Custom Pots and Treble Bleed — into the Cunningham Amps Custom 35 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers and Echo Fix EF-X3 Tape Echo.
Reach out to Sof on Instagram DM for current inventory: https://www.instagram.com/expressofx/ Learn about the MK1.V Mini Fuzz: https://expressofx.com/product/fuzz-bender-mk-i-v-mini-grey-hammertone/
The MK1.V sits between a Fuzz Face and a full three-transistor Tone Bender MKI in character — thicker and wilder than a straightforward Fuzz Face, but less aggressive than the full MKI. This Mini format packs the same circuit into a smaller footprint. Transistors: two NOS Mullard OC75 and one NOS Mullard OC76 germanium, spanning new old stock from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. As with the standard-format MK1.V, the volume knob cleanup is the defining characteristic — glassy, articulate, and highly responsive, explored extensively from 02:55 across both bridge and neck pickup positions.
The Lollar x Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickup Set — a collaborative pickup voiced specifically for the Phantone platform — gets a genuine workout here against the MK1.V's dual-transistor character, with the Echo Fix EF-X3's analog tape echo adding depth from 03:56 and increasing further at 08:27.
🎛️ Expresso FX MK1.V Mini Fuzz: https://expressofx.com/product/fuzz-bender-mk-i-v-mini-grey-hammertone/ 🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago: https://blackbobbin.com 🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups 🔊 Cunningham Amps: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz
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🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone | Lollar x Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickups | Emerson Custom Pots + Treble Bleed 🎛️ Expresso FX MK1.V Mini Fuzz | NOS Mullard OC75 x2 + OC76 | Dual-Transistor Tone Bender Variant | Echo Fix EF-X3 🔊 Cunningham Amps Custom 35 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
The best vintage fuzz pedal?! | Jam Pedals Black Fuzz Phrase LTD
JAM Pedals returns to the channel with the Fuzz Phrase Black OC44 Limited Edition — a run of roughly 100 units, and a genuine collector's piece. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase Black OC44 LTD pairs with the Gronlund Guitars SC18 — TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons — into the Greer Amps Mini Chief and Greer Smallblock 1x12" with a pre-broken-in Scumback S75-PVC speaker. The Effectrode Tube Vibe features throughout.
In JAM Pedals' own words:
"Built entirely by hand in Athens, Greece, the Black Fuzz Phrase LTD is a love letter to the raw, expressive fuzz tones of the late '60s. At its core lies an ultra-rare stash of NOS OC44 Philips black glass transistors, manufactured in 1969 and individually tested and matched by ear. These legendary components are prized for their exceptionally low leakage, musical gain, and quiet operation — ideal for crafting a fuzz circuit that's both aggressive and articulate.
Each unit is point-to-point hand-wired on a turret board and wrapped in luxurious suede, staying true to our tradition of uncompromising craftsmanship. Vintage-spec carbon-comp resistors and tropical fish capacitors throughout the signal path. Thanks to the remarkable stability of the OC44s, the internal bias is factory-set to 4.5V — no tweaking needed, just plug in and go.
From wooly chords to singing leads, the Black Fuzz Phrase LTD delivers rich harmonics, smooth sustain, and that unmistakable vintage rasp."
Hand-wired, point-to-point construction. Individually ear-matched NOS OC44 black glass transistors, manufactured in 1969. Vintage-spec components throughout. True bypass switching. Positive ground circuit — requires an isolated power supply.
This demo runs the fuzz across a full range of amp gain settings and fuzz volume levels — low gain amp with fuzz at unity from 00:13, medium gain amp from 05:26, and pushed harder with the fuzz volume itself from 08:43 through fully maxed at 10:54. The guitar volume knob cleanup — the real test of any Fuzz Face-lineage circuit — is explored extensively from 03:04 and again at 11:21 with higher amp gain, showing how the OC44's exceptionally low leakage translates to a genuinely glassy, controllable cleanup sweep.
🎛️ JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase Black OC44 LTD: https://www.jampedals.com 🎸 Gronlund Guitars: https://www.gronlundguitars.com 🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Gronlund Guitars SC18 | TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons 🎛️ JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase Black OC44 LTD | NOS OC44 Philips Black Glass (1969) | Point-to-Point Turret Board | Suede Wrap | Positive Ground | ~100 Units | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Mini Chief | 3W | Class A | Greer Smallblock 1x12" | Scumback S75-PVC (Pre-Broken-In)
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12
The Best SG Upgrade! | Righteous Sound RAF Humbuckers | Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab SG
Righteous Sound Pickups returns to the channel with the RAF Humbuckers — this A4/A2 set is a specific and deliberate pairing. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Righteous Sound RAF A4 (neck) / A2 (bridge) set is installed in the Gibson Custom Murphy Lab SG with an Emerson Custom Prewired Kit and Treble Bleeds on both volume pots, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The Cunningham Amps MKI Fuzz and Greer Amps Lightspeed Overdrive both feature, along with the Effectrode Tube Vibe.
Get the RAF Neck: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com/product-page/raf-neck
Get the RAF Bridge: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com/product-page/raf-bridge
Follow Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.instagram.com/righteoussoundpickups/
The RAF (Righteousness Applied For) is a vintage accurate PAF replica — 49.2mm PAF replica butyrate bobbins, USA-made pole screws and slugs, custom fabricated nickel PAF clone covers with no copper undercoat, long-legged vintage accurate threaded baseplates, period correct 42awg plain enamel wire, vintage single braid wire. The A4/A2 combination pairs an Alnico 4 neck (~6.9K) with an Alnico 2 bridge (~7.5K) — the A4 delivering open, airy clarity in the neck, the A2 giving vintage warmth and slightly more output in the bridge without excessive compression.
Explored across the full range: clean tones from 01:12, the Benson Vincent's Clean Channel cranked for amp overdrive from 03:44, boosted with the Gain Channel from 06:02, and extensive volume knob cleanup from 07:42 showing off the double Treble Bleed wiring.
The Cunningham Amps MKI Fuzz gets its own section from 12:20 — the saggy, compressed Tone Bender MKI character against the RAF set's vintage PAF voicing. The Greer Amps Lightspeed Organic Overdrive from 15:34 offers a completely different flavor — transparent, low-to-medium gain drive that enhances rather than colors, with volume knob cleanup at 17:39 and the Effectrode Tube Vibe joining at 19:00.
🎸 Righteous Sound Pickups: https://www.righteoussoundpickups.com
🎛️ Cunningham Amps: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz
🎛️ Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Gibson Custom Murphy Lab SG | Righteous Sound RAF (A4 Neck ~6.9K / A2 Bridge ~7.5K) | Emerson Custom Prewired Kit + 2x Treble Bleed
🎛️ Cunningham Amps MKI Fuzz | Greer Amps Lightspeed Organic Overdrive | Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
If you like Vox, Marshall and Matchless 🔥 Greer Amps Thunderbolt30 Gen2 & Smallblock 1x12" Cab
Greer Amps returns to the channel with the Thunderbolt30 Gen2 head paired with the Smallblock 1x12" cabinet — a genuinely huge-sounding rig in a remarkably compact and portable footprint. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Greer Amps Thunderbolt30 Gen2 and Smallblock 1x12" pair with the Gronlund Guitars SC18 — TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons — via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander for light attenuation and added reverb. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 06:35.
Check out Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com/collections/amps-cabs Follow Greer Amps: https://www.instagram.com/greeramps/
Nick Greer builds in Athens, Georgia. The Thunderbolt30 is Greer Amps' best-selling head — 30 watts blending AC-type, JTM-type, and Matchless-type circuit character into one coherent voice. Two EL34 power tubes, cathode biased, Class A. Two 12AX7 preamp tubes. 5AR4 rectifier. Custom Mercury Magnetics output transformer. Hand-wired throughout. Gen2 brings a new logo and small circuit refinements from Nick.
Paired here with the Greer Smallblock 1x12" — a compact extension cabinet that punches far above its size, giving the Thunderbolt30 a genuinely gig-ready footprint without sacrificing the amp's full tonal range.
Explored across the demo: the core amp tones from 02:16, modulation and Univibe textures from 06:35, volume knob cleanup from 09:45, the interaction of cranked Volume with a lower Master setting from 12:00 (maximizing gain while keeping output manageable), clean tones from 16:50 with modulation layered in from 18:30, and everything fully cranked from 19:25.
The TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons in the Gronlund SC18 give the Thunderbolt30's blended British/American voicing plenty of clarity and chime to work with, particularly noticeable in the clean and lightly modulated sections.
🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com 🎸 Gronlund Guitars: https://www.gronlundguitars.com 🎸 TV Jones: https://www.tvjones.com
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🎸 Gronlund Guitars SC18 | TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons 🎛️ Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Thunderbolt30 Gen2 | EL34 Class A | 5AR4 Rect. | Mercury Magnetics | Greer Smallblock 1x12" | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
Essential Jazzmaster Upgrade! Lollar Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickups
Lollar Pickups and Black Bobbin return to the channel with their collaborative set — the Lollar Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickup Set. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Lollar x Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickup Set is installed in the Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The Keeley-modded Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer and Effectrode Tube Vibe feature throughout.
Get the Lollar Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickup Set: https://blackbobbin.com/products/lollar-black-bobbin-jazzmaster-pickup-set
This collaborative set is the result of Black Bobbin working directly with Jason Lollar to voice a Jazzmaster-format pickup specifically for the Phantone platform — a genuinely custom collaboration rather than an off-the-shelf part. Explored across lower gain clean tones from 01:29, showing the set's clarity and dynamic response before any drive enters the chain.
The Keeley-modded Ibanez TS9 is Robert Keeley's famous modification to the classic Tubescreamer — one of the most well-known boutique mods in pedal history, opening up the tone-coloring capacitors and op-amp circuit for greater headroom and clarity. Explored cranked from 04:05, with volume knob cleanup from 06:28 and the Effectrode Tube Vibe joining from 07:13.
The Phantone's Rhythm Circuit — with its own Emerson Custom Treble Bleed — gets its own dedicated section from 09:39, showing how the secondary circuit's tonal character differs from the main lead circuit with the Lollar Black Bobbin pickups.
🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago: https://blackbobbin.com 🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Black Bobbin Chicago Phantone | Lollar x Black Bobbin Jazzmaster Pickup Set | Rhythm Circuit w/ Emerson Custom Treble Bleed 🎛️ Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer (Keeley Mod) | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live
Essential Humbucker Upgrade! | Curtis Novak Humbuckers
Curtis Novak Pickups returns to the channel — this time with the Frank Brothers Arcade, all-Korina construction, and a guest appearance from the Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
Curtis Novak Humbuckers pair with the Frank Brothers Arcade (all-Korina) with Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz and Benson Preamp feature throughout, with Effectrode Tube Vibe joining from 10:35.
The Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz is a hybrid Germanium/Silicon circuit — four transistors and four diodes, based on legendary octave fuzz circuits from the 1960s and tweaked for modern use. Each unit is tuned by ear with individually selected components. Volume, Tone, and Mids controls give substantial tonal flexibility, and a 3-way Hi-Cut toggle reins in the octave content when it gets too unwieldy — center is the standard voicing, left and right positions give two levels of high treble attenuation to mellow the octave-up content. As with most fuzz circuits, it works best first in the signal chain, letting the pickups and guitar controls interact directly with the unit. Explored from 02:52.
The all-Korina Frank Brothers Arcade — Korina being the same tonewood used in the late-1950s Gibson Flying V and Explorer, chosen for its lighter weight and open, resonant midrange — gives Curtis Novak's humbuckers a particularly clear and articulate foundation. The Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds keep that clarity intact through the volume knob sweep, explored throughout the cranked amp tones from 06:21 onward.
The Benson Preamp slams the already-cranked Benson Vincent Clean Channel from 07:30, and the Vinny Dirt Channel set to low gain with cranked volume delivers a "dirty boost" character explored from 11:49.
🎛️ Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz/effect-pedals 🎸 Curtis Novak Pickups: https://www.curtisnovak.com 🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade (All-Korina) | Curtis Novak Humbuckers | Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds 🎛️ Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz | Hybrid Ge/Si | 4 Transistors + 4 Diodes | Volume / Tone / Mids | 3-Way Hi-Cut Toggle 🎛️ Also: Benson Amps Preamp | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
The Best Telecaster?! | Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star | Feat. Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbuckers
Tone Ranger Guitars returns with another Desert Star — this one loaded with custom Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbuckers and wired with 1 Meg pots and dual Treble Bleeds. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
This Desert Star is loaded with Lollar Pickups Regal Wide Range Humbuckers, customized with pickguard die-cut toppers from Decoboom, wired with 1 Meg potentiometers and Treble Bleeds on both volume pots, into the Greer Amps Mini Chief with Scumback S75-PVC 12" speaker. The R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe and Effectrode Tube Vibe feature from 19:13 onward.
Explore the Desert Star and other Tone Ranger creations at Malibu Music: https://malibumusic.com/search?q=tone+ranger Follow Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.instagram.com/tonerangerguitars/ Also watch: the full 6-model Tone Ranger Guitars showcase: https://youtu.be/p8X-BwI4pdw
Jeff Mark Leavitt's Desert Star is his take on the T-style, built with features uncommon to Telecaster designs — set neck construction and 24.75" scale rather than the standard bolt-on 25.5". This particular build features the Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbucker set — Fender's original Seth Lover-designed Wide Range voicing, known for a fuller, rounder character than a standard PAF while retaining significant single-coil-like clarity and articulation. The pickup covers use custom die-cut toppers from Decoboom, adding a distinctive visual detail on top of the tonal foundation. Wired with 1 Meg pots rather than the more common 250K or 500K values, keeping the full high-frequency detail of the Wide Range humbuckers intact, and Treble Bleeds on both volume pots for full-range cleanup no matter where the volume knob sits.
The R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe is Chris Vincent's take on the rare 1950s Höfner Preamp circuit — a genuinely obscure vintage reference that few builders have tackled. NOS germanium AC107 transistors. A very natural, amp-like sounding pedal with substantial gain on tap — explored in Low Gain mode from 19:13 and High Gain mode from 24:02, with the Effectrode Tube Vibe stacking in from 27:12.
Explored across the full range on the Greer Mini Chief: clean tones with amp gain at 9 o'clock from 02:25, through amp gain at noon from 07:28, cranked amp tones from 13:53, and extensive volume knob cleanup from 17:48.
🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars: https://www.tonerangerguitars.com 🎸 Lollar Pickups: https://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-pickups 🎛️ R2R Electric: https://www.r2relectric.com 🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Tone Ranger Guitars Desert Star | Lollar Regal Wide Range Humbuckers (Decoboom Die-Cut Toppers) | 1 Meg Pots | Dual Treble Bleeds | Set Neck | 24.75" 🎛️ R2R Electric Preamp Super Deluxe | NOS AC107 Ge | Höfner Preamp Circuit | Low/High Gain Modes | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Mini Chief | Scumback S75-PVC 12"
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
The Rarest Fuzz Face! | Analog Man Sun Face — NKT275 White Dot (Mid-2003)
Analog Man returns to the channel — this time with a genuinely rare piece: a mid-2003 Sun Face fuzz, White Dot NKT275 germanium transistor variant, dated April 24th, 2003. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Analog Man Sun Face (White Dot NKT275) pairs with the Gronlund Guitars SC18 — TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons — into the Greer Amps Mini Chief and Greer Smallblock 1x12" with a pre-broken-in Scumback S75-PVC speaker. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 10:18.
Huge thanks to Alex at ToneCraftFX for lending this unit for the shootout — give him a follow and subscribe.
The Analog Man Sun Face has been Mike Piera's flagship germanium Fuzz Face-circuit pedal for decades, and the specific era and transistor variant matters enormously to collectors. This unit is White Dot — referring to the white mark found on the NKT275 germanium transistors used inside, visible in the macro closeups of the pedal internals in this video. NKT275 transistors are widely considered among the best-sounding and most desirable germanium transistors ever used in a Fuzz Face-style circuit, and by 2003 they were already becoming difficult to source in quantity.
This unit also carries the 2.2uF input capacitor — a spec Analog Man later moved away from in favor of a 1.0uF input cap on subsequent production runs. The larger 2.2uF cap passes more low-end content into the fuzz stage, giving this specific era of Sun Face a fuller, thicker low end compared to later units. Between the White Dot NKT275 transistors and the 2.2uF cap, this specific dated unit represents a particularly sought-after and hard-to-find combination — genuinely difficult and expensive to track down today.
The Bias knob is explored extensively from 01:56 through 04:08 — colder settings tightening and gating the fuzz, hotter settings opening it into fuller sustain and bloom. Volume knob cleanup is explored across all three TV Classic pickup positions from 03:35 onward, showing the classic Fuzz Face glassy cleanup character that NKT275 transistors are famous for. The Greer Mini Chief pushed into its own natural breakup from 06:28 stacks with the Sun Face for compounded amp and fuzz sag — and the Effectrode Tube Vibe from 10:18 gives classic Fuzz Face into Uni-Vibe tones.
🎛️ Analog Man: https://www.buyanalogman.com 🎸 Gronlund Guitars: https://www.gronlundguitars.com 🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Gronlund Guitars SC18 | TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons 🎛️ Analog Man Sun Face | White Dot NKT275 Ge | 2.2uF Input Cap | April 2003 | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Mini Chief | 3W | Class A | Greer Smallblock 1x12" | Scumback S75-PVC (Pre-Broken-In)
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12
Killer Treble Booster tone! | Madsen Amps Ge Boost
Madsen Amplification returns to the channel with the Ge Boost — Maynard Madsen's germanium treble booster, inspired by the vintage Rangemaster but built to modern standards. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Madsen Amplification Ge Boost pairs with the Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic — Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Prewired Kit with Treble Bleeds, Ron Ellis '50s LRP Humbuckers — into the Cunningham Amps Custom 35 across both Tweed and Plexi channels.
Get the Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Les Paul Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/eob-les-paul-prewired-kit-premier-pro?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG Check out Madsen Amps: https://www.madsenamps.com/ Follow Madsen Amps: https://www.instagram.com/madsenamps/
The Madsen Amplification Ge Boost is Maynard Madsen's point-to-point recreation of the Dallas Rangemaster, hand-built in Camdenton, Missouri — NOS germanium transistors, carefully selected and hand-matched, with a three-way input capacitor selector for treble, mid-range, and full-range boost characters. Originally released as a numbered limited run of 30 units.
Into a pushed amp, the Ge Boost slams the front end for creamy sustain, gritty harmonics, and the classic British crunch that defines the Brian May, Rory Gallagher, and Tony Iommi treble booster lineage. Like all great Rangemaster-derived boosts, the guitar volume knob interaction is the real story — roll back for jangly sparkle, dime it for searing sustained leads.
Ron Ellis' '50s LRP Humbucker set — the replica pickup originally developed for the 2012 Gibson Lee Roy Parnell Signature Les Paul, modeled on the exact PAFs found in Duane Allman's 1957 Goldtop — gives the Ge Boost a genuinely vintage-correct foundation to work from. The Cunningham Custom 35's Tweed and Plexi channels both get explored, showing how the Ge Boost's character shifts depending on which amp voicing it's driving into.
Have you played a germanium treble booster before? Does the Madsen Ge Boost capture that vintage magic for you? Drop your favorite amp and treble booster pairings in the comments.
🎛️ Madsen Amplification: https://www.madsenamps.com 🎸 Ron Ellis Pickups: https://www.ronellispickups.com 🔊 Cunningham Amps: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz
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🎸 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic | Ron Ellis '50s LRP Set (Duane Allman '57 Goldtop Spec) | Emerson Custom EoB LP Kit + Treble Bleeds 🎛️ Madsen Amplification Ge Boost | NOS Ge | Dallas Rangemaster | 3-Way Cap Selector | Limited Run 🔊 Cunningham Amps Custom 35 | Tweed + Plexi Channels
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
The Boutique Pedal You NEED? | Kingtone Blues Power Deluxe | Jesse Davey
KingTone Guitar returns to the channel with the Blues Power Deluxe — Jesse Davey's expanded take on his own Blues Power design, with switchable clipping and a refined EQ section. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The KingTone Blues Power Deluxe pairs with the Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird — Tone Specific Bloombucker Humbuckers — into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 09:56.
The Blues Power Deluxe is Jesse Davey's expansion on his original Blues Power — the same transparent, amp-breakup philosophy but with more tonal range on tap. Switchable clipping modes let you shape the drive character from subtle sparkle through to fat, saturated sustain, while active Bass and Treble controls give genuine EQ sculpting rather than a fixed tone stack — useful for tailoring the pedal to single coils, humbuckers, or whatever amp is on the other end.
Clean amp tones explored from 01:06: glassy sparkle and subtle breakup with the transparency that defines the Blues Power lineage — the pedal enhances the amp and guitar's own character rather than imposing a fixed voice on top of it. Pushed amp tones from 06:24: warm midrange growl, edge-of-breakup drive, singing sustain.
The Boost function is a genuinely powerful clean boost — capable of sitting at unity for pure tone sweetening, or pushing an already cranked amp much harder. Explored slamming the Benson Vincent's cranked clean channel from 08:21, with the Effectrode Tube Vibe added from 09:56. Volume knob cleanup explored in depth from 12:47, showing how the pedal responds to guitar volume and picking dynamics across the full range of clipping and EQ settings.
Jesse Davey — formerly of The Hoax, one of the UK's most respected blues guitarists — designed the original Blues Power and its Deluxe expansion from decades of stage and studio experience with what an always-on drive pedal actually needs to do.
Have you tried the Blues Power or the Blues Power Deluxe? Drop your thoughts in the comments — does it beat your go-to transparent overdrive?
🎛️ KingTone Guitar Blues Power Deluxe: https://www.kingtoneguitar.com
🎸 Josh Williams Guitars: https://joshwilliamsguitars.com
🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird | Tone Specific Bloombuckers
🎛️ KingTone Blues Power Deluxe | Switchable Clipping Modes | Active Bass + Treble | Boost Function | Jesse Davey Design
🎛️ Also: Effectrode Tube Vibe
🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
Killer ‘60s Fender Amp Tone | Origin Effects Deluxe 61
Origin Effects returns to the channel with the Deluxe61 — the first pedal to faithfully recreate true power tube bias tremolo, paired with a Fender Brown Deluxe-voiced preamp and overdrive. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Origin Effects Deluxe61 pairs with the Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird — Tone Specific Bloombucker Humbuckers — into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers.
The Deluxe61 is a full circuit recreation of the sought-after 1961 Fender Brown Deluxe — one of the great amps of the early 1960s — built as an all-analog signal path with a Class A preamp, push-pull output stage, output transformer, and reactive load. This is not a simulation layered on top of a generic drive circuit; it's the actual Brown Deluxe topology recreated in pedal form, which is why the interaction between the Drive control and the guitar's own dynamics feels so much like playing through a real amp.
The Drive control behaves like the volume knob on a vintage non-master-volume amp — turn it up and the amp itself gets pushed harder into breakup rather than adding a distortion stage after the fact. Tone brightens clockwise, darkens counterclockwise, with the crossover point at noon.
The bias tremolo is the headline feature — the first time this specific circuit-level effect has been recreated in pedal form. Unlike optical or VCA-based tremolo, which attenuates the signal on top of your playing, bias tremolo modulates the bias voltage of the amp's own output stage — meaning it responds to how hard you play. Dig in and loud notes rise above the modulation; back off and the tremolo swells back in as the note decays. This "play through the tremolo" interaction is explored extensively from 06:45, and again into a cranked amp from 11:30 where the interplay between overdrive and bias trem becomes even more pronounced.
Intensity controls tremolo depth. Speed sets the rate, with a Multi switch offering x1, x2, or x3 multipliers. Two wave shapes: the smooth sine wave that makes bias tremolo so beloved, and a choppier full wave setting for more obvious modulation at slower speeds or with heavier overdrive. Tap tempo footswitch input for syncing to a rhythm.
🎛️ Origin Effects Deluxe61: https://www.originaleffects.com 🎸 Josh Williams Guitars: https://joshwilliamsguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Josh Williams Guitars Mockingbird | Tone Specific Bloombuckers 🎛️ Origin Effects Deluxe61 | Fender Brown Deluxe Recreation | True Bias Tremolo | Class A Preamp | Push-Pull Output Stage | Sine + Full Wave | Tap Tempo 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
Incredible Point to-Point Zonk Machine MKII NOS Silicon Fuzz | Reeves Electro ZO
Reeves Electro returns to the channel with the ZO — Markus Reeves' Zonk Machine MKII silicon fuzz, built from NOS components and voiced for exceptional touch sensitivity. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
The Reeves Electro ZO pairs with the Gronlund Guitars SC18 loaded with TV Jones TV Classic pickups, into the Greer Amps Mini Chief with a Scumback S75-PVC 8-ohm 65W speaker. The Effectrode Tube Vibe joins from 09:43.
The ZO is Markus Reeves' homage to the John Hornby Skewes Zonk Machine MKII — hand-built with a matched pair of NOS silicon transistors, period-correct resistors, and quality film and electrolytic capacitors in a minimalist, vintage-leaning circuit. True to the Zonk family lineage, the ZO sits somewhere between a fuzz and an overdrive — fast on the pick, rich in harmonics, animated in the upper mids without ever tipping into icepick territory.
Into a clean amp, the ZO delivers tight, articulate fuzz with a dry, percussive edge — chords stay separated, single notes have stringy bite, palm mutes thwack rather than flub. Roll the guitar volume back to 6-7 and it opens into a rawer, glassy drive that keeps the Zonk's characteristic rasp. Into a pushed amp at the edge of breakup, the ZO fattens into violin-like sustain with chewy compression — spit and snarl on attack that smooths as notes bloom, ideal for riff rock, proto-punk grind, and psychedelic leads.
Three controls, uniquely named: Drift (a fuzz/bias hybrid control simulating how original component values drift over decades — explored across its full range from 01:43 through 07:54), Texture (adds graininess and affects decay character — explored from 02:08 and returning as a favorite setting at 07:30), and Swell (output level, capable of pushing well above unity to slam the amp — explored from 04:47).
The guitar volume knob interacts with the ZO uniquely — not like a Fuzz Face, not like a Rangemaster, but its own three-channel-like sweep: saturated Zonk roar at 10, textured overdrive at 7, sparkly treble-tilted bite around 5. All three settings explored directly in the volume knob cleanup comparison from 04:09.
At the extreme low end of all three controls (explored from 08:42), the ZO produces crumbly, cracking, broken sound design textures — a genuinely different use case from the fuzz tones covered earlier in the demo.
Have you played a Zonk-style fuzz? Drop your favorite ZO settings and preferred amp pairing in the comments.
🎛️ Reeves Electro ZO: https://reeveselectro.co.uk 🎸 Gronlund Guitars: https://www.gronlundguitars.com 🔊 Greer Amps: https://www.greeramps.com
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🎸 Gronlund Guitars SC18 | TV Jones TV Classic Filter'Trons 🎛️ Reeves Electro ZO | Zonk Machine MKII Silicon | NOS Transistors | Drift / Texture / Swell | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Greer Amps Mini Chief | 3W | Class A | Scumback S75-PVC 8-Ohm 65W
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
The BEST Mod for your Les Paul - Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Les Paul Prewired Kit
The story behind the Edge of Breakup x Emerson Custom Les Paul Prewired Kit — years of chasing the perfect Les Paul tone led here. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
Get the EoB x Emerson Custom Les Paul Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/eob-les-paul-prewired-kit-premier-pro?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
Years spent documenting boutique guitar amplifiers, pickups, and every category of pedal from fuzz to Uni-Vibe to delay led to a genuine discovery: Emerson Custom's Les Paul Prewired Kit, built to '50s wiring spec with meticulously crafted wiring and top-tier components, was already exceptional on its own. But combining it with Emerson's Treble Bleed mod on both volume pots — rather than one or neither, which is how most players approach it — opened up something new entirely.
'50s wiring keeps the tone cap connected directly to the output lug rather than the volume pot wiper, which is what gives a properly wired vintage-spec Les Paul its open, resonant character even at lower volume settings. The Treble Bleed mod adds a frequency-specific network on the volume pot itself that preserves high-frequency content as the volume is rolled back. Combining both — on both the neck and bridge volume pots independently — means the guitar cleans up fuzz, overdrive, and amp gain all the way down to 1 on the volume knob without losing top-end definition or turning to mud.
The kit uses Emerson's new Premier Pro Pots — three years in development, fiberglass substrate for durability and rigidity, a proprietary 20% audio taper designed to feel and respond consistently in both volume and tone positions. Paired with the Treble Bleed mods, the resulting knob taper and top-end retention is the best Emerson has ever offered in a Les Paul-specific kit.
This is the exact specification now available as the Edge of Breakup x Emerson Custom Les Paul Prewired Kit — everything that changed how tone gets dialed in on a Les Paul, packaged as one order.
🎛️ Emerson Custom: https://emersoncustom.com
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🎛️ Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Les Paul Prewired Kit | '50s Wiring | Premier Pro Pots (20% Proprietary Audio Taper) | 2x Independent Treble Bleed