ThorpyFX splits Germanium Veteran into two Secret Projects pedals
November 9, 2023 · 2 sources
ThorpyFX released the two pedals as the first entries in a "Secret Projects" division, according to Guitar Pedal X, which reported the launch on November 9, 20231. The Have Blue is a germanium boost and the Tacit Blue is a germanium Fuzz Face1.
The original Veteran, a combined Fuzz Face and Rangemaster, was a limited run in 2017 of which only 100 were made, populated with AC128 germanium transistors1. Guitar Pedal X describes that run as still the rarest proper Thorpy production model to date, excluding one-off specials1. The new pedals use NPN-type transistors and an audio transformer in each, which the report says allows freer placement on a pedalboard1. The same germanium transistor type is used in both, described as the same kind of military-spec transistor of a similar sort used on the Boneyard Multi-Bender1.
| Pedal | Circuit | Controls | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have Blue | Germanium Rangemaster boost | Boost, Range | $249.991 |
| Tacit Blue | Germanium Fuzz Face | Volume, Fuzz, Smooth (Impedance), Bias | $299.991 |
On the Have Blue, the Boost knob acts as a sort of master volume affecting both output and gain, while the Range knob focuses on specific frequency clusters across its sweep, at its peak a treble booster1. The Tacit Blue adds Smooth and external Bias knobs to the Fuzz Face controls1. Guitar Pedal X reports that only a few hundred, low hundreds, of each will be made, and that both are available from the ThorpyFX webstore and imminently at international dealers via MAS Distro1. The Tacit Blue was originally Secret Project #1 and the Have Blue Secret Project #21.
RockBoard's PedalPedia lists the Have Blue as part of ThorpyFX's "Vintage Reimagined" series, with a circuit based on a highly modified Rangemaster boost circuit, running on 9V DC center negative2.
"this is simply an extraction / extrapolation from the original Veteran, while Thorpy has made some slight enhancements to those circuits - utilising NPN Type Transistors on this occasion, and also deploying an audio transformer in each pedal"