Milestone Effects Laegjarn Fuzz MK3 Bender Style Germanium STC CV7001 ACY31 7001 R.01 Lægjarn Tone MkIII Tonebender

The Lægjarn Fuzz is a classic MK3-bender-style 3-transistor fuzz circuit with a revised, more usable tone section. This batch of the Lægjarn Fuzz features:

• STC CV7001 germanium transistors
• Allen Bradley S-level carbon composition resistors
• Philips, Mial, and Sprague capacitors
• Alpha, Switchcraft, and CIC hardware
• Powder-coated and UV printed enclosure

Each pedal is hand-crafted in Portland, OR in small batches and will vary slightly in appearance. I make sure all pedals from the same batch sound and perform as close to each other as possible.

This batch uses my "R.01" recipe, powered by trio of new old stock STC CV7001 germanium transistors, resembling the transistor setup of the original units. It's my take on the MK3 sound tweaked to my taste with a very unique fuzzy texture. While staying true to the original circuit's topology, the tone control was updated to produce a more usable range across the sweep.

Power Source

Use 9V battery or isolated 9V DC power supply with negative center (standard polarity).

Do not daisy-chain with other effects. Doing so may damage the power supply and/or the pedal. Keep the input jack unplugged when connecting or disconnecting the power source.

Controls

Fuzz: Adjusts the gain. It will completely cut off the sound when turned fully down.

Vol: Sets the output volume.

Tone: Balances the high and low ends after the fuzz stage, going from bassy at clockwise to trebly at counterclockwise. Start at noon and explore.

If possible, keep the Lægjarn Fuzz first in the signal chain directly connected to the guitar. Placing it after a buffer may cause oscillation or negatively impact the sound. The Lægjarn Fuzz is biased and tuned to achieve its unique texture. As a result, it does not clean up well when the guitar’s volume knob is turned down, and the sound gets more gated with a weaker signal from the guitar. The reworked tone control covers a slightly narrower range compared to the stock MK3 circuit. It eliminates the most trebly end of the travel of the original that many players find not so useful and also provides a better balance in volume, making the entire sweep more usable and consistent.

The Lægjarn Fuzz is powered by three germanium transistors, which are notoriously temperature-sensitive. Use the pedal at room temperature for optimal performance. Compared to other germanium-based fuzzes, the MK3 circuit tends to be more resilient to moderate temperature swings, however the pedal may not sound good at extreme temperatures.

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