The Vaderin SAF / HP-X Percolator Distortion / Fuzz is a fuzz and distortion pedal from Vaderin Custom Audio Machines, built in the style of the Harmonic Percolator, the oddball distortion and fuzz design that recording legend Steve Albini helped popularise. Guitar Pedal X listed it at $169 USD as of 13 May 20241.
What it does
The pedal follows the percolator formula: a distortion and fuzz voice shaped by a small set of controls and a clipping selector. The controls are Harmonics, Balance, and a Clipping switch with three positions: germanium (Ge), no clipping (None), and silicon (Si). Switching between germanium and silicon clipping, or taking the clipping out of the circuit entirely, changes the character of the drive from the pedal's softer clipped voicing to a more open, unclipped push1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Harmonics | Sets the amount of drive and harmonic content |
| Balance | Sets the output level |
| Clipping | Three-way switch: Ge (germanium), None (no clipping), Si (silicon) |
Controls as listed by Guitar Pedal X1.
The two variants
Guitar Pedal X describes Vaderin as offering two variants of the percolator: the slightly louder enclosure SAF variety, and the more minimalist HP-X. Both come in numerous different colourways1.
The SAF and HP-X are two enclosures of the same percolator circuit family, not two different pedals: the SAF is described as the slightly louder enclosure variety, while the HP-X is the more minimalist one1.
Where Vaderin sits
Vaderin Custom Audio Machines builds a range of fuzz-oriented pedals alongside this one. The maker's other circuits covered on Tonebox include the Vaderin Laser 1, a frequency multiplier fuzz, and the Vaderin Super Ram Fuzz, a modified Ram's Head fuzz with Super Fuzz characteristics, an octave-up blend and an adjustable gate. Players comparing percolator-style drive with more conventional clipping circuits may also want to look at the site's pages on distortion pedals and overdrive pedals1.
Videos
Noise Generator
collector//emitter
ambienttrash
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-05-13
