Hudson Electronics Pretty Flamingo

The Hudson Electronics Pretty Flamingo is a fuzz pedal that takes the MKII fuzz circuit as its starting point and opens it up: by trimming low end and gain, it reaches overdrive and distortion territory that a typical MKII fuzz does not. Hudson describes the result as "all of that thick, chewy fuzz the MKII circuit is loved for", but with tones that are "less dense than your typical MKII"¹. Premier Guitar's press release described it simply as "Fuzz 1967 style"².

The Weight control

The pedal's named control is the WEIGHT knob. Hudson explains that it "regulates how much low end is added to the circuit", and that its effect is twofold: it makes the Flamingo brighter while also reducing the overall gain of the pedal¹. In practice, that means rolling back the Weight both tightens the bottom end and pulls the pedal away from full fuzz density, which is where the less dense overdrive and distortion tones come from¹.

Transistors and circuit

The Flamingo is built around the MKII fuzz circuit, and Hudson obtained a strictly limited number of new old stock Mullard OC42 transistors for it, hand selected and matched to sound their best¹. Germanium-era parts like these are a large part of why limited MKII-style builds are sought after, since the supply of usable vintage transistors is finite.

Availability and production run

The Pretty Flamingo was a small-batch release: Hudson stated that only 20 units would be made available worldwide¹. It was announced in April 2015 alongside the Broadcast and a revised FUZZ pedal, with all three reaching authorized Hudson Electronics dealers in the USA in early May 2015².

It shared that 2015 announcement with the Hudson Electronics FUZZ, and sits in a Hudson line of fuzz and drive pedals that also includes the Buzzard, another limited germanium fuzz run. For other circuits of this kind, see the site's Fuzz Pedals page².

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