Pigtronix Disnortion OFO

Pigtronix — Futuristic Analog Technology
Disnortion
http://www.pigtronix.com/wp-content/...UserManual.pdf

$210 zZounds.com

(Downgrading my review level on this one after using for several months.)
While I really like the Octavia section, I find myself only moderately amused w the overdrive at lower gain, and not so much with the Fuzz at all. The "Disnortion" of all 3 is perhaps a weird tone but not so much musically useful for me these days. At any rate, a decent unit, quality build, nice value for the bucks. If you have no other pedals, might be a good mix for you. I find the octavia perhaps a 9, overdrive an 8 and fuzz maybe a 7. (11/2012)


PIGTRONIX States:
"Pigtronix Disnortion sports parallel Fuzz and Overdrive circuits, allowing you to pile on the gain without sacrificing clarity, dynamic response, punch or low end. It’s like double tracking your guitar inside the pedal! The Pigtronix Disnortion features three elements: a touch sensitive Overdrive, Fuzz with 6 different filters, and a frequency doubler named Octava. Each effect is an original analog design and can each be used independently or in combinations to forge a tremendous range of musically responsive distortion sounds.

Overdrive – The Pigtronix Overdrive responds to the dynamics of your playing using a unique, 6-stage gain architecture that retains the natural tone of your instrument, adding tube style breakup as you play louder. This circuit is so touch sensitive, you must play it to believe it! From Clean or Gritty Boost right up through Plexi roar, the Pigtronix Overdrive is the definitive musical overdrive."

Fuzz – Massive Gain, Full Bodied Sustain and Flexible Tone Shapes define our fuzz effect. Pigtronix’s unique diode-clipping architecture provides plenty of compression and controllable feedback while preserving the dynamics of your playing style. The rotary tone control switch provides 6 musical EQ curves.

Octava – This frequency doubler effect makes the notes you play sound one octave up. A Filter control allows you to achieve singing octave up tones without adjusting your guitar’s tone control. Stable intervals such as 4ths and power chords result in knarly, tweezed out grind, while other intervals create ring- modulator textures in all registers. The Octava is wired in series before the Overdrive and Fuzz, allowing the pedal to produce uniquely devastating & gnarly tones."

Pigtronix Disnortion OFO –“Overdrive-Fuzz-Octave” or more accurately penned as “Parallel Fuzz&Overdrive w/Octave Up”

Overview:
I had been curious about this pedal for some time as well as several pedals in the Pigtronix line which seemed to be cutting edge technical marvels on a level above the general cheese. They bill their designs as “Futuristic Analog Tone” indicating there is no digitial tech going on here. I cannot wait to get my hands on more of their pedals after trying this one. The EnvelopePhaser and others just seem rather fascinating to pedal mavens like me who are looking for something more than vintage cheese. I believe I have stumbled across my newest source of pedal coolness for some time to come.

The price of the OFO was very affordable which further drew me to it plus having 3 effects in one just sealed the deal. And it does not disappoint in quality or tones. The OFO is extremely light when you first get a hold of the large box, so much so you wonder if it is empty. The pedal is roughly 5x7 in size, well made quality enclosure, nice stiff but easy turning knobs, a feel of quality. It is exactly the size of three average effect pedals side by side at a price of around $60 per effect, a serious bang for the buck.

Being leery of overdrives and constant copies of the old TS circuit I naturally pondered if this was a basic empty box full of simple diodes for low end OD and Fuzz. Despite not seeing the warning “not to open the bottom or void your warranty” I had to see what lies beneath the box. Apart from not telling what the chips are, which I am sure is the issue in opening the box. Just let me say I hope they overlook my stupid in not seeing the warning before the screws came out. Probably why the cover seemed sealed and required a little pop on the edge to get it to let go. Inside is array of complex chips and circuit board with indeed sets of diodes for OD and Fuzz but a lot more wicked tech than you are going to see in most pedals much less for this price. By the way this pedal is not true bypass as Pigtronix related it was not possible to render the circuit as quality and quiet as it is without using a buffered circuit which they indicate is a high end buffer. This is a higher voltage pedal no batteries and recommends you use the supplied wart for best results. Wart is an 18v 300mA, if you dual combine (using custom double plug feed)2 brick feeds for this pedal make sure they are your 200mA feeds (or 1-100mA and 1-200mA).


Overdrives:
Now I am one picky fickle snob when it comes to overdrives and typically I am sick of the usual 3 knob OD.

First up trying out the overdrive portion: Right off the bat at the first setting, impressed by the transparent feel and tone of the drive and it has a range of totally clean to nasty which I find to be lacking in a lot of drives. Another reason why I use the Wampler. Despite being a 3 knober it does the deal and does it well. The tone is not a typical tone but a high end roll off, full up CW it is not there. Gain down and tone up a total clean boost or roll off the overt highs. I just loved this drive from 10:00-1;00 great tones and feel. Gets that very cool cleaner toney Hendrix/SRV type of sound as well as some gained up tube tones.

Distortion/Fuzz section:
Even more picky on my high gain tastes than overdrive, few survive my board for long. Honestly I have not had a fuzz in many years nor any of the new offerings these days. So the OFO has been my first excursion into Fuzz land for some time.
A nice circuit here of 6 band options to alter the fuzz from bright, scooped to bass. (Full Range, FAT -mid boosted, Smooth, Treble, Mid Scoop, Bass) what the EQ is on each of these, I have no idea but each has their use and no doubt one can locate a tone which fits the need.
It is musical and useful, lot of Billy Gibbon’s nasty gains in there. And the best feature of all that perhaps no other pedal affords, the Fuzz and Overdrive circuits are wired in parallel not series which allows for the creation of some rather intense gained out fuzz renderings while retaining control and feel. Zero noise on this pedal better than most I have used. Buffer seems rather transparent, as it should be and obviously allows the parallel circuit of all this gain to have a low noise floor and retain articulation.


Octave or “Octava”:
Again, a newer area for me from the days of the old Octavia sound. And here it is in all its glory. Once again tone control like on the OD (no tone cntrl on Fuzz), full CW open-not there, dial back any harsh highs to taste. Any one knows Octave up pedals of this nature are fickle and require a lot of practice and dialing in to get the sound you might want. Tracking is good on this circuit, no really bad burble or glitch out as most suffer. Will even hold major interval chords like majors and 5th power chords pretty well. As is the case with octave splitter circuits simple dividing or multiplying a signal. Certainly not a polyphonic tracking circuit, despite what the POGs and various detune pedalsare able to do on a std guitar signal. So chords, yeah but let's not push that too far, basically tracks single note runs and the occasional double stop harmonic. Will hold a 5th power chord but let's not count on a whole giant riff holding tight, one of the cool things about an Octavia circuit is their somewhat wild notion to hit odd timbers and ring mod tones. Cool effect and this one is as good as it gets. (Better effect w this effect using neck pickup and rolling off tone or volume a little as the use might suggest.)

Good tones, going above the 9th fret range and using the neck pickup, turn down a little on the guitar volume and tone and it usually sounds better and tighter, some rather inspired Hendrix type madness when engaging all three units which using Fuzz mode 2 they call the “Disnortion tone”.

The Pig disconnects the Ocatva volume when used with the Fuzz or OD but is there when used alone. Another great feature is the 3 independent circuit ability, use any or all, the exclusive parallel blend of the Fuzz and OD with the Octava ranges a sound that perhaps no other pedal or pedals can muster.

The winner for me on this pedal is the Octavia, I would have loved to have it as a stand alone pedal. Overdrive is good, Fuzz is OK but not all that intense but I am not a fuzz owner outside this unit. A good pedal buy for users who lack a lot of pedals, for me the octavia is a real winner.