The Stomping Stones Haxan is a vintage-voiced distortion/fuzz pedal, a hybrid that sits between the distortion and fuzz families. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as "a vintage-voiced distortion/fuzz with some unusual controls," and the unusual touches are the point: a two-way clipping toggle, a built-in boost with its own footswitch, and a circuit built around NOS military can opamps1.
Controls and clipping options
On top of the regular volume and gain knobs, the Haxan carries a clipping toggle switch with two positions1:
| Control | Position | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Volume and gain | Knobs | Standard level and drive controls1 |
| Clipping toggle | Left | Standard silicon diode clipping1 |
| Clipping toggle | Right | Jumbo double LED clipping, described as brighter and more saturated1 |
De Gregorio read the LED clipping option as characteristic of the maker: it "reflects the builder's unconventional approach"1.
The boost
The Haxan is not a single-circuit pedal. It includes a boost circuit alongside the main distortion/fuzz, and "the boost circuit has its own separate footswitch"1. That means two footswitches in total, so the boost can be kicked in or out on its own, the way a player might use a standalone boost pedal in front of a drive.
Circuit
The pedal's gain stages run on NOS military can opamps, according to Delicious Audio's review, a detail that stands out against the ordinary opamp choices in most drive pedals1.
Hearing it
Delicious Audio's post points to a demo video by Collector//Emitter, the channel that has also demonstrated other Stomping Stones pedals such as the Virus Fuzz1.
Videos
Stomping Stones - Audio Devices
collector//emitter
Pair of Pandas
Questions
What clipping options does the Stomping Stones Haxan have?
A toggle switch selects between two clipping choices. To the left is standard silicon diode clipping. To the right is jumbo double LED clipping, which Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes as brighter and more saturated than the silicon option. He notes that the LED clipping choice reflects the builder's unconventional approach to the circuit.
Does the Haxan have a separate boost?
Yes. The Haxan's boost circuit has its own separate footswitch, so the boost can be engaged independently of the main distortion and fuzz circuit. That gives the pedal two footswitches in total, one for the main effect and one for the boost.
What chips does the Stomping Stones Haxan use?
According to Delicious Audio's review, the Haxan's circuit uses NOS military can opamps, a less common choice than modern integrated circuit packages and one that fits the pedal's vintage-leaning character.
How many footswitches does the Haxan have?
Two. One footswitch operates the main distortion and fuzz effect, and the second operates the boost circuit, which can be switched on its own without touching the main effect.
Sources (1)
- Stomping Stones, Delicious Audio, 2020-03-20
