DOOM Fuzz | Damn Dragonfly Hybrid Silicon Germanium Fuzz | Limited Edition of Three

Description

Description of Product

DOES IT DOOM?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

This pedal came about while building and experimenting with the Damn Dragonfly fuzz circuit for the Hello Sailor Effects YouTube channel.

The idea was fairly simple. Take a fuzz circuit, experiment with the transistors, and see just how far we could push it.

What came out of that experiment is the Hello Sailor DOOM Fuzz.

A hybrid fuzz built around two very different transistors. One high gain silicon transistor and one NOS germanium transistor.

I have always found these combinations interesting. Silicon and germanium behave differently, and putting them together gives you another set of variables to work with. But the important thing isn’t what is written on the transistor. It’s what actually comes out of the amplifier.

And for this particular build, the question was always the same.

Does it doom?

The Finish

The enclosure is finished in hammered black paint over fluorescent yellow.

The yellow underneath gives the finish another layer of character, while the textured black surface makes the whole thing look rather more industrial than most of my builds.

I’ve fitted traditional Bakelite knobs, keeping the controls simple and giving the pedal a proper old fashioned feel.

But the detail I particularly like is the badge.

Mounted on the front is a limited edition badge featuring a floppy disk from the original DOOM computer game.

It’s a small reference to the game that started the whole idea, and a fitting detail for a pedal built around making an awful lot of noise.

Only three of these pedals will be made.

Each belongs to this original DOOM Fuzz series.

Serial Number 001: The Video Experiment

The first pedal in the series is a little different.

Serial number 001 will be supplied with transistor sockets and every transistor used during the original YouTube video.

Rather than committing you to one particular transistor combination, the sockets allow you to revisit the experiment yourself.

You can try the different transistors, compare their behaviour and hear what actually changes when you swap them.

Some combinations will work better than others. That’s rather the point.

The video shows the experiment, but number 001 lets you carry it on.

Every transistor used in the video will be included with that first pedal.

There will only be one number 001.

The remaining two pedals complete the three pedal edition.

Description of Sound

This isn’t a fuzz I built with subtle background drive in mind.

The DOOM Fuzz is about thick, heavily distorted guitar sounds, with the silicon and germanium transistors working together to produce the character of the circuit.

The high gain silicon transistor provides plenty of gain to work with, while the NOS germanium transistor introduces its own characteristics into the way the circuit behaves.

What interests me most is how the two devices interact.

A transistor’s gain is only part of the story. Its operating point, leakage and the way it behaves in the circuit all matter.

That’s why we spent time experimenting with different transistors in the video rather than assuming that the highest gain combination would automatically sound the best.

The result is a fuzz intended for the heavier end of things.

Thick riffs, sustained notes and the sort of sound where you find yourself playing the same low string for rather longer than necessary.

But as always, the amplifier, guitar and way you play all have their part in it.

The real test isn’t the specification.

It’s whether you like what comes out of the speaker.

And, of course, whether it dooms.

Limited Edition Details

– Circuit: Damn Dragonfly fuzz
– Transistors: One high gain silicon and one NOS germanium
– Finish: Hammered black over fluorescent yellow
– Knobs: Bakelite
– Badge: Original DOOM game floppy disk design, limited edition
– Production: Three pedals only
– Serial number 001: Socketed transistors, supplied with every transistor used in the YouTube build and experiment
– Builder: Joe Halliday, Hello Sailor Effects, UK

Availability

I’ve made three of these.

Number 001 is the special one, with the socketed transistors and the complete selection from the video.

Numbers 002 and 003 complete the limited edition.

Once all three have gone, this particular DOOM Fuzz edition is finished.

There won’t be another run.

If you’ve watched the build and fancy finding out whether it dooms through your own amplifier, these are the three pedals that came out of that experiment.