The Center Street Electronics Drone Station Fuzz is a fuzz pedal built as a 2-stage gain pedal, covering a broad range of tones from overdrive to a ballsy fuzz, according to Pedal of the Day's review by Mike B1. Two separate gain channels sit in one enclosure, and a footswitch moves between them with a click. A Voltage knob in the middle of the pedal controls the voltage being supplied to the circuit, which is where the pedal gets its more unusual sounds.
Two gain stages from overdrive to fuzz
The Drone Station Fuzz carries two separate Gain stage controls that can be dialed in independently. At the low end of its range, the review describes a pretty killer overdrive; pushed further, it reaches a ballsy fuzz1. The footswitch selects between the two gain channels, so the pedal works as a 2-in-1: set one channel as a drive and the other as a fuzz, and move between them mid-song1.
The shared master controls sit on top of that. The Volume and Tone controls are applied to whichever channel you happen to be in, so each channel keeps its own gain setting but shares the same output level and tone shaping1.
The Voltage knob
The knob in the middle of the pedal controls the voltage being supplied to the pedal. Fully cranked, the pedal sounds normal. Dialing it back starves the circuit, and the review describes getting all sorts of breakup and glitch-y sounds emanating from your amp, in video game fuzz territory1. That makes the Voltage knob a performance control in its own right: the same two gain channels sound very different depending on where it is set.
"you get all sorts of breakup and glitch-y sounds emanating from your amp"
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's verdict was strongly positive: "the Drone Station is a beast, and an awesome 2-In-1," with the reviewer adding that Center Street Electronics are making incredible gear overall1. The same review calls the pedal "this little black beauty," describing a black enclosure1.
Related Center Street Electronics pedals
Pedal of the Day reviewed the Drone Station Fuzz alongside other pedals from the same maker in the same month of 2015:
- Center Street Electronics God Hates Fuzz, a fuzz oscillator pedal with interactive controls1
- Center Street Electronics Rasputin Fuzz, a fuzz with Silicon and Germanium transistors1
For more on the effect type, see Fuzz Pedals and Overdrive Pedals.
Videos
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Questions
What does the Voltage knob do on the Drone Station Fuzz?
The Voltage knob controls the voltage being supplied to the pedal. Fully cranked, the pedal sounds normal. Dialing it back starves the circuit, and Mike B at Pedal of the Day describes getting all sorts of breakup and glitch-y sounds from the amp, reaching video game fuzz territory.
Can I use both gain channels at the same time?
The pedal has two separate Gain stage controls that can be dialed in independently, but the footswitch switches between the two gain channels with a click rather than running them together. The Volume and Tone controls are applied to whichever channel you happen to be in.
Does the Drone Station Fuzz make glitchy, video game sounds?
Yes, when the Voltage knob is dialed back. Pedal of the Day's review says you get all sorts of breakup and glitch-y sounds emanating from your amp, describing the territory as video game fuzz. With the Voltage fully cranked, the pedal sounds normal.
Do the Volume and Tone controls affect both channels?
They affect whichever channel is active. As Pedal of the Day puts it, the Volume and Tone controls are applied to whichever channel you happen to be in, so each gain channel shares the same master Volume and Tone settings.
Sources (1)
- Center Street Electronics Drone Station Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2015-04-09
