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Detailed Operating Instructions
The Percolate side (or perc for short) is a unique fuzz circuit, combining a silicon transistor
and a germanium transistor to emphasize even-order harmonics. To activate it, use the
right footswitch. The
Harm
knob controls the gain at the input. Lower settings produce a
fuzzy and dynamic overdrive, higher settings become increasingly overloaded with blocking
distortion and a blooming effect at maximum. Strongly interactive with the guitar’s volume
knob if there are no buffered pedals in between. The
Balance
knob sets the output level of
the fuzz. The perc is designed to cascade into the Tube Voice side and is first in the signal
chain. It has a very low input impedance and will react differently when used first in your
signal chain versus after a tuner or other buffered pedal. Rumor has it that a buffered tuner
or noise gate before the percolator will get you closer to “the” sound, but I prefer feeding it
straight from guitar pickups. Of course, it’s all personal preference.
The original IVP was a full-featured preamp with two input channels, an active Baxan-
dall EQ stack for highs and lows, a four-band parametric EQ for mid frequencies, clean and
overdrive channels, and multiple effects loops for patching in external effects. The
Tube
Voice
side of the Dude Incredible has been stripped down to just the input stage, Baxandall
stack, and overdrive circuit. In the IVP, the EQ is placed before the drive circuit, allowing
for unique tone shaping. Rather than shaping the final tone, the user can choose which fre-
quencies become distorted. Boosting highs brings forth not just treble content, but midrange
and presence as well. Boosting the lows can add heft at lower settings or overwhelm the
drive circuit in a musical fashion. The Tube Voice circuit uses discrete transistors and a
small transformer to generate clipping, which responds in a very smooth manner at lower
gain settings but becomes fuzzy and aggressive at higher settings. The
Gain
knob sets the
signal level going into the drive circuit in tandem with the
Hi/Lo
toggle. The
Treble
knob
boosts mid and high frequencies (centered around 3kHz) and is useful for adding crunch and
presence. Even at higher settings, the harshness is tamed by the transformer which has a
natural high frequency rolloff. The
Bass
knob boosts low frequencies at around 100Hz. Cut
to reduce mud, or boost to add some thickness. At max it will produce a pronounced sag
when hit hard, especially at high gain. Use judiciously! The
Level
control is self explana-
tory. Be warned, it has a substantial amount of volume on tap! You’ll quickly find that the
IVP side does way more than clang and screech! It’s a very respectable drive in its own right
with a clear sound and lots of dynamics.
With both sides turned on, the Dude Incredble achieves its maximum potential. Here
you will find some of the most unruly fuzz sounds possible. You may achieve feedback even
at moderate volume levels. The lightest fret noise or pick slides can turn into delicious,
screeching noise. Picking hard can cause the sound to duck out entirely for a moment as the
Tube Voice circuit struggles to recover. In short, it’s a delight!
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