THUNDERBIRD- fuzz factory with even more noise.

thunderbird is a fuzz factory style noise making synth fuzz unit that was commissioned to be built.

what is the fuzz factory? A lot of people think it is related to a fuzz face, while it somewhat is, I would say it is its own thing. It uses one silicon transistor in the first stage, and 2 germanium transistors in the second stage.

what category of effect does this fit into?

synth fuzz- A synth fuzz is a specialized effect category that combines heavy, square-wave distortion with synthesizer-like characteristics, such as octave modulation, gating, and bit-crushing. It turns signals into "fuzzy" synth tones, often producing sub-octaves, octave-up harmonics, or gated, decaying sounds reminiscent of retro video games or industrial modular synths. Can self oscillate, meaning make pitches and wobbling frequencies on its own with no guitar string manipulation.

how would I describe the feel and texture?

this unit is sort of in a league of its own, there is nothing quite like it. Lots of unique textures and sounds to be discovered. One tiny turn of a knob one way changes what the other knobs do. No, your fuzz factory is not broken. It is interactive. There is truly a million sounds to be found in this box.

all the control labels are quite misleading. I cannot even explain what they do because each not interacts with one another and can change its function.

This unit can become a standalone synth or noise/frequency generator. While many settings can induce feedback and oscillation inherently in the circuit, this unit also has a toggleable on or off feedback loop for another layer of clashing and chaotic noise control.

The "feel" toggle has 3 positions. I can not explain exactly what it does in words but it most definitely has an effect on the units behavior.

So point being, dig in and explore. I can not really explain it in words.

what kind of player would like this stompbox?

A player who wants to have fun exploring every intimate corner of this fuzz box and finding some of the most unorthodox, unusual sounds possible.

Those who need a palette of synth fuzz textures to give layers to a song,

features

soft touch, relay based true bypass switching. these foot switches tend to be more resilient than standard mechanical switches, and are extremely easy to replace in the event of a failure.

compact, top jack enclosure. about 5 inches tall, and 2.7 inches wide, this effect can fit on any board with ease.

9v, center negative operation. around 50ma current draw.