Woodchipper Bass Octave Fuzz 2023, one-off DIY - clearance priced

Last one available from me. Price reduced for clearance.
I built this when I was an authorized VFE Reseller, but VFE has since discontinued its reseller program so I can't build them for sale anymore.

Features:

• Orange sand powder coat
• charge pump for generating 18v power using a standard 9v power supply
• handmade in Indianapolis, USA
• UV printed graphics, with gloss varnish layer
• Soft bypass switching for greater footswitch longevity (a programmable momentary mode is also available)
• 10k:10k audio transformer for octave generation
• 3 large aluminum knobs (3 plastic)
• Top-mounted jacks

(The orange one has a very minor scuff on the bottom from bench testing, visible in last picture.)

About the Woodchipper:

The Woodchipper is an enhanced version of the classic 1974 Maestro Brassmaster bass fuzz. VFE Effects did his usual magic by adding active tone control circuitry, an improvement over the original's fixed notch EQ switches. Although it has increased gain, and lower noise, it’s the same circuit as the original and delivers a bass fuzz tone unlike any other. [See video demo from MrExcane.] It can also sound great on guitar, as demonstrated by Mike Hermans in the attached video.

The octave effect is analog and generated by an internal transformer and clipping diodes. The clean blend (like on the original) makes this useable on bass by blending back in the unaffected bass signal. The addition of the “bottom” knob brings in a filtered subfrequency for a deeper fundamental note.

I've built several bass fuzz clones including popular circuits from Darkglass and Zvex. This is by far my favorite so I built an extra to share with the world. They seem to be fairly uncommon and don't come up for sale often. [Edit: as of April 7, 2024, VFE has them for sale again on Reverb, so you can buy one built by Peter if you prefer.]

This is VFE's latest, improved “SPS series” version, but I've used 3 smaller knobs as an homage to the earlier edition. Let me know if you have any questions about this item.