Get the Funk Out - Cloning the Legendary Mu-Tron III

The Mu-Tron III envelope filter possibly more than any other pedal created the funk sound of the 1970's. Classic units are in high demand and cost in excess of $600 for units in good shape. The circuit itself is another one that is hard to clone because there are some specific parts required. Madbean pedals used to make a couple of PCBs - the Naughty Fish and Nautilus - that captured the sound of the original pedal. Unfortunately both of these are currently out of production. However, Fuzz Dog now offers the Moo Tron (see what he did there?) board which combines the features of the original Madbean boards to  replicate the effect of the original Mu-Tron III. 

How Many Parsecs?

So my latest project is something a little different - the Aion Parsec. The Parsec is based on the Systec Harmonic Energizer from the mid-70s. It's a nifty little filter/equalizer pedal that lets you get some really interesting tones if you want to mess around with it. It will take your guitar tone anywhere from very growly bass to fairly tinny treble. You can also do some basic boost with it if you play around with it. This is another one of those long out-of-production pedals that the "real thing" will cost you north of $1000 (I recently saw one on ebay for $1495), but building your own is far cheaper, and a heck of a lot of fun!