The Mountainking Electronics Frequency~LSD is a fuzz and partial distortion pedal that does several other jobs besides. Pedal of the Day described it as "kind of a fuzz, and a partial distortion, but it's also a tone-shaper, ring mod, oscillator, cosmic sitar and more," placing it somewhere between a conventional fuzz pedal and the stranger end of filter and synth effects1.
The reviewer's overall verdict was that it stands apart from other pedals:
"A truly unique pedal in a sea of effects"
The same review called it "a cunning sonic shape-shifter destined to destroy anything and everything in its path, but leave a smile on the faces of" anyone who goes near it, and described the pedal as a "truly psychedelic music-making machine, full of cosmic-sitar vibrations, consciousness-altering oscillations, and mind-expanding timbral experiences"1.
Controls
The Frequency~LSD's controls shape the character of the sound rather than its level, and the reviewer's advice was that "it's all about experimentation"1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Feedback | Controls the depth of the internal feedback loop, and can go into oscillation with the right pickups |
| Sag | Lets you starve the voltage the pedal receives, getting "nice and glitchy and spastic and delicious" |
| Color | Similar to a high-cut tone knob, but you have to play around with it to figure it out |
| Frequency toggle | Adjusts the low end frequency content the pedal puts out |
The Frequency~LSD has no overall volume control. Pedal of the Day put it plainly: "Out is the overall volume control. Done."1 Level control has to happen elsewhere on the board.
The Frequency switch: guitar or bass
The Frequency toggle has two positions, and the reviewer found each suited a different instrument1:
- Position 1 seems to suit guitar players.
- Position 2 is a must-use for bassists.
Since the switch adjusts the low end the pedal puts out, bass players get the setting that keeps the low frequencies intact, while guitar players get the other balance. The site's wider bass pedal coverage covers comparable pedals for bass.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's 2016 review is the published account of this pedal, and its picture is of an instrument that resists tidy description: a distortion and fuzz at heart, but one that can ring-mod, oscillate and reshape tone in ways a standard distortion pedal does not. The reviewer summed up the enclosure as "this little orange beauty," a beast in disguise1.
Mountainking Electronics published information on the Frequency~LSD at http://www.mountainkingelectronics.net/frequencylsd.html, the address given in the review1.
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Questions
Does the Mountainking Frequency~LSD have a volume control?
No. Pedal of the Day notes that the pedal leaves out an overall volume control entirely. Players who need to set a consistent output level will have to handle that elsewhere on the board, since the pedal's controls are aimed at shaping the character of the sound rather than its level.
What does the Sag control do on the Frequency~LSD?
Sag lets you starve the voltage the pedal receives. According to Pedal of the Day, this takes the sound into glitchy and spastic territory, adding unstable, broken-sounding textures on top of the fuzz and distortion character.
Can the Frequency~LSD oscillate?
Yes. The Feedback control sets the depth of an internal feedback loop, and Pedal of the Day reports that it will go into oscillation if you use the right pickups. That makes the pedal usable as an oscillator as well as a fuzz and distortion.
Which Frequency switch position is meant for bass?
Position 2 of the Frequency toggle switch. Pedal of the Day calls it a must-use for bassists, while Position 1 seems to suit guitar players. The switch adjusts the low end frequency content the pedal puts out.
What does the Color control do on the Frequency~LSD?
Pedal of the Day describes Color as similar to a high-cut tone knob, but says you have to play around with it to figure out what it is doing. Like the rest of the pedal, it rewards experimentation more than a fixed setting.
Where can I find the Frequency~LSD manual?
Mountainking Electronics published information for the Frequency~LSD at mountainkingelectronics.net/frequencylsd.html, the address given in Pedal of the Day's review. That said, the reviewer suggests the pedal is all about experimentation, so the manual may matter less than time spent turning knobs.
Sources (1)
- Mountainking Electronics Frequency~LSD, Pedal of the Day, 2016-09-26