The Apollo Approved Steam Roller is a two-knob fuzz pedal made by Apollo Approved, an Indonesian company. It is built around the OC140 germanium transistor, a component Delicious Audio describes as "rather expensive," which places it among germanium fuzz designs rather than the more common silicon ones1.
What it does
The Steam Roller is a fuzz in the germanium tradition: the OC140 transistor does the clipping, and the two-knob control layout keeps the pedal to the essentials of level and fuzz character. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, profiling the pedal, summed up the reception it has had among the small number of players who have come across it1:
"this is a high-quality pedal with a tone appreciated by the few YouTubers that got to try one"1
How it is ordered
The Steam Roller is not a pedal you will find on a typical store shelf. Delicious Audio notes that it "can only be ordered by messaging the Indonesian company via their Instagram page"1. For players used to buying pedals from retailers, that means reaching out to the maker directly and arranging the purchase through social media rather than a checkout page.
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Questions
How do you buy the Apollo Approved Steam Roller?
According to Delicious Audio, the pedal can only be ordered by messaging Apollo Approved, the Indonesian company behind it, through their Instagram page. It is not sold through the usual retail channels, so players interested in one need to contact the maker directly.
What kind of fuzz is the Steam Roller?
It is a germanium fuzz pedal with two knobs, built around the OC140 germanium transistor, a component Delicious Audio describes as rather expensive. Germanium fuzzes are a distinct branch of the fuzz family, and the Steam Roller sits in the small-batch end of it.
Sources (1)
- Apollo Approved Steam Roller Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-07-31