Return of the Zap Machine

extra special pedals handicrafted in lovely Akron, Ohio <earthquakerdevices.com>

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Bassus Sanguinis
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Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Bassus Sanguinis »

You still remember the Zap Machine?
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The Zap Machine is back! We released the original Zap Machine as an exclusive limited run item for the now defunct Fat Tone Guitars in 2010, there were fewer than 25 made. It was always a favorite around the shop but it used a very specific, hard to find germanium transistor and various NOS parts that were integral to the sound. We recently found about 350 of these transistors and set to work updating the circuit for a larger limited release exclusively for Prymaxe! Each Zap Machine is dated and numbered and comes with a hand signed certificate of authenticity

The Zap Machine V2 is a dual channel, silicon/germanium hybrid dirt device. It has an extremely wide and dynamic range from near clean boost with the gain at minimum on the low gain Green Channel through gigantic overloaded distortion tones with gain at maximum on the high gain Red Channel. The Bass control adjusts the low frequencies coming into the Zap Machine and the Treble control adjusts the high frequencies coming out. This unique tone arrangement allows for different flavors of boost, drive, distortion and fuzz that are not commonly heard from transistor based dirt devices. It is very "amp-like" in response to picking dynamics, saturation and clean up. With two foot switchable channels of dirt available, the Zap Machine can easily take over the duties of at least 2 or 3 pedals on your pedal board! Leave it on the green channel for your overdrive/boost needs and kick on the red channel for your distortion/fuzz tones. Just like the first version, the Zap Machine V2 features a more rugged, vintage amplifier inspired design with NOS carbon composition resistors and big high voltage caps along with a NOS low gain germanium transistor. We tried to build it with our standard parts but it just didn't sound the same. The Zap Machine is true bypass, all discrete analog circuitry and handmade one and a time in wintery Akron, Ohio.
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skullservant
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by skullservant »

Cool that they found more germaniums! Looks rad. I still want to make a Zap
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by rhargis14 »

If only I could afford it...
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by sovtek50 »

I still love my Zap. It looks like you can't cascade the two channels on the new one, which would have been really great.
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by earthdevice »

sovtek50 wrote:I still love my Zap. It looks like you can't cascade the two channels on the new one, which would have been really great.


The switch actually changes the gain structure of a single channel. There are not 2 circuits inside.
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sovtek50
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by sovtek50 »

earthdevice wrote:
sovtek50 wrote:I still love my Zap. It looks like you can't cascade the two channels on the new one, which would have been really great.


The switch actually changes the gain structure of a single channel. There are not 2 circuits inside.


That sounds pretty cool. Since buying my Zap at Fat Tone when they were released, I've never played a more versatile pedal.
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Almonds »

omfg i want this bad. almost just pulled the trigger. gonna wait until tomorrow to see if i can resist
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by t-rey »

I was always slightly bummed that I missed out on the original run. Glad to know I can have a two channel version now :animal:
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colin
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by colin »

Looks awesome, I'd love to hear a demo of this new version.
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Almonds »

yeah i totally caved and ordered one of these...will demo when i get it if nobody else does
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by walkerrn »

Snap ordered.

Because of the rarity of the parts, does that pretty much guarantee that this pedal will never go into full production?
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Uncle Grandfather
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Uncle Grandfather »

why no 15% discount code work :(
oh well :!!!:
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Casavettes »

prymaxe is still calling them discounts?
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Uncle Grandfather »

Casavettes wrote:prymaxe is still calling them discounts?


:lol: its been there for ages it seems.
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Re: Return of the Zap Machine

Post by Uncle Grandfather »

its here...... :!!!:


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