The Basic Audio Nonts is a fuzz pedal from Basic Audio, the pedal company of designer John Lyons. It is a silicon version of the Baldwin Burns "Buzzaround" fuzz, a classic British fuzz circuit, rebuilt with five knobs that go beyond what the original design offered1. Lyons has been hand-building every flavor of fuzz pedal you can imagine since the early 2000s, according to Paolo De Gregorio's buying guide for Delicious Audio2.
Controls
Differing from the classic Buzzaround design, the Nonts carries five knobs: Volume, Tone, Fuzz, Starve, and Bias2. The Starve and Bias controls are the additions that set it apart from the original circuit, giving a player direct control over how the circuit is fed and how its transistors are biased, which is where much of a fuzz pedal's character lives.
Power
Basic Audio states that all of its pedals use a center negative 9V DC jack and have a battery snap, so the Nonts runs from either a standard pedal power supply or an internal battery1.
Pedal colors are subject to change, according to Basic Audio's product page, so the enclosure finish you see in listings may not match current builds1.
Where it came from
The Nonts is Basic Audio's silicon take on the Baldwin Burns "Buzzaround" fuzz1. Silicon transistors behave differently from the germanium parts used in period fuzz designs, and the added Bias knob lets a player adjust for the transistors in a given build. Basic Audio builds a wide range of fuzz designs alongside the Nonts, including the Scarab Deluxe.
Videos
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Questions
What circuit is the Basic Audio Nonts based on?
The Nonts is a silicon version of the Baldwin Burns Buzzaround fuzz, a British fuzz design from the 1960s. Basic Audio's maker page states this directly. Where the classic circuit used germanium transistors, the Nonts uses silicon, which changes how the pedal behaves with temperature and how it is biased.
Does the Basic Audio Nonts take a battery?
Yes. Basic Audio says all of its pedals use a center negative 9V DC jack and have a battery snap, so the Nonts can run on either a standard 9V power supply or an internal battery.
What does the Starve knob do on the Nonts?
The Starve knob is one of five controls on the Nonts, alongside Volume, Tone, Fuzz, and Bias. It is a voltage-starving control, a feature Basic Audio added that the classic Buzzaround design did not have, letting you lower the voltage to the circuit for saggy, degraded fuzz sounds.
What power supply polarity does the Nonts need?
The Nonts needs a 9V DC supply with center negative polarity, the standard for guitar pedals. Basic Audio states that all of its pedals use a center negative 9V DC jack, and each pedal also has a battery snap as an alternative power source.
Who designs Basic Audio pedals?
Basic Audio pedals are designed and hand-built by John Lyons, who works under the Basic Audio name. Writing in a Delicious Audio buying guide, Paolo De Gregorio notes that Lyons has been hand-building fuzz pedals of many kinds since the early 2000s.
Does the Nonts use silicon or germanium transistors?
The Nonts uses silicon transistors. Basic Audio describes it as a silicon version of the Baldwin Burns Buzzaround fuzz, which distinguishes it from germanium-based takes on the same circuit.
Sources (2)
- Nonts - Basic Audio, Basic Audio
- Best Burns Buzzaround Fuzz Clones & Evolutions In 2023, Delicious Audio, 2023-02-15
