Joe Gore Porkolator - Distortion, Fuzz, Harmonic Percolator

They say:

BUZZY, FUZZY, AND TOTALLY BADASS
Inspired by the1970s Interfax Harmonic Percolator - a weird distortion pedal, and several manufacturers have created near-exact clones. But Porkolator isn’t one of those. Yeah, it swipes some ideas from the original circuit, but it sharpens the core tone and vastly expands the range.

VARIANCES

The Percolator’s distortion was edgy and aggressive, and the note attack stays crisp and defined, even at high gain. It sounds like overdriving the input of a funky tape recorder. The tones also have sharp resonant peaks, perfect for cutting through onstage or in a mix. Because the pedal emphasizes a guitar’s particular resonant peaks, the Porkolator’s color varies from instrument to instrument.

The two-transistor circuit is bizarre: It’s got one negative-ground silicon transistor and one positive-ground germanium transistor. Joe Gore kept that basic architecture, but took it in new directions. There are also two gain stages, one at the input and one mid-circuit. They’re highly interactive, and they’re scaled to yield great tones throughout the entire ranges of their knobs. The IN knob sets your input capacitance — think of it as a “fat vs. crisp control.” GAIN slathers on the distortion. OUT is a master volume control.

Instead of a passive volume control, there’s a JFET-driven gain stage. At low settings, you get something like the original output, but with airier highs and clearer low-mids. When you crank it, you get Götterdammerung. But you can also get tough tones at modest levels.

Despite all its gain, Porkolator has extraordinary dynamic response. If you’re the sort of guitarist who uses your volume control to get varying shades of distortion, you’ll be in hog heaven.

POWER: 9-volt batteries or power supplies.
CREATED: San Francisco, CA by Joe Gore
BUILT:  Michigan, USA 
It comes with a lifetime warranty.