Been a while since we had a HARMONIC PERCOLATOR thread, no?

[Champion Leccy]

Yeah I'll always buy A PCB. Sounds great.

Aye, just shoot me a message and I'll get you sorted.

[Snufkino]

I really like the Electadrian for an Electra variant. I have another Electra build that I don't play much because it's wooly in a way I don't like, with short-ish sustain. I keep on meaning to swap out some caps to see if that improves things, but I just end up pulling out the Electadrian (which is anything but wooly--rather it's quite "sparkly") instead....

Do you have a schematic for the Electadrian? I'm sure the version I built was the Greer Ghetto Stomp, which uses silicon diodes, and it doesn't sounds as wooly as a germ version. Personally I don't think either an Electra or Percolator needs a load of toggles and knobs since the mods I've tried only have subtle differences. Having said that I've not tried that big purple Zander perc with all the knobs.


We need an in-depth rundown from ck3...

Noice. And interesting to hear. After Albini dissed the Barge there seemed to be a chill on that one's rep--I've seen some of them go for real cheap lately. Anyway it seems really interesting from your description. Also--what's #1?

If Mr. Albini had taken the time to dial back and balance drive and harmonics levels, the BP-1 would have likely rivaled his #1 perc. My current #1 is the JDM Little Steamer, which can do musical overdrive and all-out blart textures equally well. The compact chassis and battery clip are other plusses compared to most of my other options.

Speaking of which, here's a group pic of the lot:

[Jero]

Do you have a schematic for the Electadrian?

It pops up readily on google. I bet I could tell you the entire thing off the top of my head ...Build the beavis audio schematic electra, swap the 47k from collector to power to a 10k, add a 1uf cap to ground off the emitter resistor, and change both input and output caps to 47n in stead of 100n...pretty sure that's right

[D Rock]

Interested: getting in on that tourbox

Shipping this out later this week. Super excited for you guys to try this out!

-Derek

[Dandolin]

Yeah, y'all are in for a treat--this has been a go-to for me since I got it. Very flexi; tonally goes places my more straight-up Perc never did. Swallows other gain sources and all your bass frequencies and emits the sweet smell of success (ie.,plays very well with others). Controls are very interactive, so get twistin'....

[ck3]

The MK Ultra tourbox landed 2 days ago. I'm currently in the process of conducting tests with various guitars and amplification sources and will post more detailed impressions before the conclusion of the week.

[Dandolin]

do tell, maestro

[ck3]

Harmonic Percolators continue to be one of my favorite dirt options, and the DRock MK Ultra is a fantastic example. I never removed the back plate, but assume the massive chassis must be filled with mystical grainy drive mojo. The amount of fine tuning possible with the onboard controls is perfect. It was possible to dial in textures that worked well with tube, solid state, and digital modeling amplification.

The MK Ultra seems to excel at producing various shades of fuzzy overdrive. It doesn't become quite as unintelligible when cranked compared to other perc variants in my collection, though is still capable of a sufficient amount of nastiness. Provided the starve knob is near or below 5:00 and the bias is at 12:15 or higher, there is always a bit of clangy edge on tap.

The amount of hiss that it produces is minimal, and there is plenty of sensitivity to playing dynamics. Additionally, oscillation produced with more extreme settings can be controlled by manipulating guitar controls or eliminated by starving the voltage. The output level can more than exceed unity gain, so volume loss from extreme voltage starve settings can be offset or significant amounts of boosting are possible.

If you are a fan of the classic Harmonic Percolator sound and enjoy useful bonus controls, the MK Ultra is a solid option. My 5 days of fun have officially concluded, so the pedal is packed up and will be bound for its next destination sometime tomorrow morning. Thanks again for making this possible, DRock.

Here's a clip:
https://soundcloud.com/charles-kirby-769745482/drock-mk-ultra-percolator-demo

The signal chain was as follows:

Schecter S-1 Elite Guitar (E standard tuning)>.PSHS Pdls. Piggy>Moog Minifooger Flanger>Drock MK Ultra>Atomic Amplifire (Dr. Scientist Bitquest in fx loop used for reverb, modulated delay, pitch shifting, and ring modulation)>Mackie Blackjack Onyx>Audacity

A 3Leaf Audio Proton and Mantic Flex XS also sat idle on the board and somehow didn't make it onto the recording.

We need an in-depth rundown from ck3...

Customeffects Harmonic Percolator: No-frills, bare-bones remake of the classic with all the characteristic clang and stank.
Champion Leccy Divvy: Comparable to other variants with clipping diodes disengaged, i.e., serves as a perc-flavored boost that can fuzz up whatever follows.
Land Devices HP-2: The darkest and bassiest of the lot and likely built for doom, though also quite gazey.
Zander Circuitry Cafetiere V3: The most feature-packed unit in the bunch that could be my #1 if the germanium mode were louder.
JDM Pedals Little Steamer: My prior top pick given its level of versatility, compact chassis, and streamlined control layout.
Zander Circuitry Cafetiere V1: 100% silicon and meaner than many of its kinfolk, complete with extra saturation and lower octave harmonics.
Barge Concepts BP-1: The current favorite as of this post given its form factor and level of versatility. I'm still kicking myself for selling my last one many moons ago.

[oldangelmidnight]

I've had my time with the D Rock and it's on the way to the next player.
I was able to compare it with a Fredric, a Dirge Evan Anguish, and a The Out Sound Pigpile.
It's certainly more variable than any of those. With the extra controls, you have more options. I especially liked the bass control. Other percs can kill lows but this one gives you as much as you need. The bias control is nice if you want to dial out some of the hissy fizz that can be annoying about percs.
vs the Fredric, it's more customisable and lets more bass through.
vs the Evan Anguish, it's not as noisy at high gain settings. The Dirge is raspier and wilder.
vs the Pigpile, it's low gain settings are smoother.

I played it with my Jaguar equipped with humbuckers and my electric tenor through a Bandmaster and a little Ampeg. I liked it better with the 15" speaker I have hooked up to the Bandmaster. Having the extra controls really let me find a setting that worked well with the tenor.

Turning them all on at once wasn't nearly as chaotic as I was expecting.

[D Rock]

Thanks for the reviews and kind words guys. Glad you guys had a chance to give it a go.

This was the lowest gain of the 5 knob percs I have built so far overall, I would much rather under-promise on a pedal than send out a high gain scorcher and then have someone disappointed that their germ transistor just wasn't the same. Cheers!

[ck3]

I gave the Catalinbread Ge Karma Suture another go earlier this evening with my modeling rig. Please disregard all prior remarks I made about it seeming "neutered.” This thing can roar as effectively as many of my gnarliest perc variants in my collection. It also has enough versatility to serve as a light overdrive or boost, though isn't quite as crispy around the edges as its brethren. I believe my prior Karma Suture was a V1, and the current one has ”V2" written on the PCB. Perhaps the internal components were altered between versions. Either way, I can't wait to let it rip through my real amps.

[dubkitty]

that Land Devices is the first HP i've heard that sounds like it would work for me.

[Chankgeez]

Mr. Gore's uploaded a demo:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2gog4fsrmc

[omarwhite]

yeah, im still feeling this...

[Jero]

Sounds fantastic