Wampler releases Germanium Tumnus with Klon diodes

January 9, 2024 · 3 sources

Wampler released the Germanium Tumnus, a limited edition of its Tumnus overdrive pedal, in December 2023. Delicious Audio, which published its write-up on January 9, 2024, reports that it is the third variant of the Tumnus, a device voiced after the Klon Centaur¹.

The Germanium Tumnus is a mini pedal that keeps the Gain, Treble and Volume control layout of the standard Tumnus, according to Guitar World, and uses a germanium diode of the same kind found in the original Klon². MusicRadar reports that the original Tumnus uses silicon diodes and that the limited edition uses the germanium kind reportedly used in the Klon³. Delicious Audio writes that the diode was dubbed "unobtanium" for its unavailability from Bill Finnegan, the creator of the original circuit, and that company owner Brian Wampler was able to obtain a stash of them¹. Guitar World reports that Wampler founder Brian Wampler found a small stash of the diodes after "a massive hunt"².

Guitar World reports that the pedal has a new Alien Silver chassis that pays closer homage to the silver enclosure of the original Klon, and that it was priced at $180, compared with the $5,000+ price tags of the original unit². MusicRadar reports that the first batch had already sold out at Andertons, which was taking preorders for the next, and that the pedal carried a higher price where it was in stock at Thomann and Sweetwater³. Guitar World reported that the Germanium Tumnus had already sold out, and quoted Wampler: "Once they're gone, they're gone."²

MusicRadar reports that in an Andertons video comparing the Germanium Tumnus with Klons and the gold Tumnus, Danish Pete said the Germanium version sounds more like the Klons to his ears, and Lee Anderton said he thought there was a bit more gain in the gold. The Andertons duo concluded that the Germanium Tumnus is the closer of the Wampler pedals to the real thing, according to MusicRadar³.