STACKING WITH OTHER PEDALS
You’ve already discovered that the Formula No.5 has plenty of gain all on its own, but for those who want more
(and let’s be honest - you know you do) there are a few combinations we can endorse that sound great with the
Formula No.5:
Treble Boosters:
Running one of these into the Formula No.5 will add gain and focus the midrange even
more for soloing or can tighten up the attack of a neck humbucker at high gain settings. Our Naga Viper is a
perfect mate even if we do say so ourselves.
Compressors:
These can sound fantastic in front of the Formula No.5 to add even more singing sustain and
soften the attack even further. Using a hard pick attack, power chords will swell like a balloon and get bigger
sounding as they decay. Rad!
Fuzzes:
Certain fuzzes can add a unique character to the Formula No.5 - Tonebenders, Fuzz Faces, almost all of
the ‘60s style fuzzes work well boosting it like our Merkin Fuzz for example. Most Muff-based fuzzes have too
much low end to run in front of the Formula No.5, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t place those type fuzzes
AFTER the Formula No.5 and use it to boost the fuzz and add midrange.
Clean Boosts:
Another nice option for bumping the gain and compression level of the Formula No.5 without
imparting a radically different EQ flavor. Depending on how much boost is used you can get the Formula No.5 to
crunch up a bit, or crank it and completely obliterate it for ‘OMFG my amp is melting!’ tones. Save hundreds in
blown speakers! Lol
Placement of various effects in the signal chain isn’t an exact science, but it certainly pays to experiment as the
resulting combinations can have MAJOR sonic differences. As far as the Formula No.5 is concerned, it should be
treated as though it were your ‘preamp’ – so most boosts or fuzzes should be placed before it in the signal chain.
Modulation effects can go either side, though they will certainly have an impact on the feel and attack character-
istics if placed before it.
GOING DEEPER
If you’re curious, now would also be a great time to experiment with the power source. Try it on a battery first – it
will have the greatest amount of looseness to the attack and compression to the sound at max gain. A 9vDC
power supply will give you a little more oomph and definition. At 18vDC the Formula No.5 takes on a much
bigger sound – more volume on tap, more headroom before clipping, a faster pick attack, and a wider EQ spread.
It’s still in the tweed family, but now it’s moved past the lower wattage 6V6 tones and headed more into the
cranked 6L6s with multiple speakers type sounds – more punch to the attack and a beefier sound overall with
less compression happening.