All posts by MasonorousFX

Buffer

Artifact Buffers

MasonorousFX Artifact Buffers

(Check out our Shop to see the Artifacts that are currently available.)

The Outside

Spice up your pedalboard with something more interesting than a black box! MasonorousFX Artifact Buffers are built into unusual tins, salvaged artifacts found on the back shelves of antique stores, or any custom item you want that fits the guidelines.

Typewriter ribbon tin
Typewriter ribbon tin

The Inside

The Artifact circuit is an improved version of the “legendary” Kl0n buffer. Compared to the original, the Artifact Buffer features:

  • Additional power filtration and protection components
  • A second buffer section stacked in parallel with the first for additional current drive capability and even lower output impedance
  • A larger output capacitor for no loss of bass even when used with vintage pedals.
Inside the ribbon tin
Inside the ribbon tin

Custom enclosures

You can send us any tin or enclosure you want a buffer in, but it must:

  • have walls strong enough to support the jacks when you plug in
  • be drillable (no pure glass or ceramic, although a glass jar with a metal lid for the jacks might work)
  • be no smaller than 2.5″ x 2″ x 1″
  • Things that work really well: metal tins, small wooden boxes or wood objects that can be hollowed out, etc.

Price: Varies, $45-70+ because of differences in enclosure cost, difficulty, etc. Check out our Shop to find Artifact buffers in stock or contact us for a custom enclosure quote.

Gallery of Past Artifact Buffers

Boost, Buffer

Buffaboo Prototype

Like the character of your rig but wish you had a “more” switch?

Snag this hand-painted boost at a killer price.

Buffaboo is a discrete JFET buffer/boost pedal sure to scare your amp into overdrive. Disengaged, it buffers your signal. Engaged, it provides over 14dB of boost. It can be used at the beginning of your signal chain to buffer your guitar and push your pedals into new territory, or at the end as a solo boost and output buffer before your amp.

Why discrete JFET?

Many buffers and boosts on the market are made with op amps. On the surface, they have some real advantages: they buffer at unity rather than a JFET buffer’s slight volume drop*, they keep the circuit simple, and they provide lots of boost. The cost is in the feel. The most common adjectives used to describe op amp buffers and boosts are “hi-fi” and “sterile”, while many guitarists find a JFET boost to add character and fullness to the sound without losing transparency. In fact, you might find that Buffaboo becomes an “always on” preamp for your guitar.

Specs:

Standard 9VDC center-negative power; no internal battery snap
4.4″ X 2.4″ X 1.1″

Price:

$99 $89 with free expedited shipping. Check out the Buffaboo product page to purchase.

Customization:

Buffaboo is highly customizable. Want a tone control or impedance control? A different look? True bypass instead of buffered? We can do all of that and more—contact us for a custom quote.

Every MasonorousFX pedal is hand-built with excellent components & close attention to detail and tested thoroughly to ensure that it’s ready for you.

Overdrive

Black Glass Germanium Hybrid Overdrive

The Black Glass Germanium Hybrid Overdrive uses a NOS black glass package Germanium transistor to drive multiple clipping stages.  Its highly usable controls craft sounds ranging from a warm, creamy boost all the way to raucous, almost fuzzlike tones. In between, you’ll find dynamic overdrive tones perfect for pushing lead lines up out of a mix and adding color and interest to your sound.

This circuit lived on the Masonorous pedalboard for months being tweaked and tested. It’s way more versatile than a normal germanium boost or treble booster and way more interesting than most transparent overdrives. It also consistently plays nice with other pedals, whether it’s being driven hard into fuzz territory by a preceding boost/overdrive or adding color and sustain to a following pedal.

Demo videos:

This video demonstrates the huge variety of tones available from the Black Glass and shows which settings will let you get dirty boost, bright boost, light to heavy overdrive, and even fuzzy tones, all from one pedal.

The Germ switch is especially useful, as the different positions not only determine the amount of boost, but also change how much the Germanium transistor influences the sound:

Center = low gain, rounded sound, more diode clipping character, good for overdriven chords (0:55) when Gain knob is around noon, or a slightly dirty, warm boost (0:25) when Gain knob is low.

Down = medium gain, slight bright boost, harder diode clipping, good for brightening up chords or adding texture to leads (3:25)

Up = high gain, bright boost, Germanium transistor clipping, good for fuzzy leads or awesomely blatty chords. When the gain knob is low, this setting sounds really glassy and fuzzy, letting the transistor clipping shine through (3:42). When the gain knob is high, that fuzziness gets rounded off by later clipping into a great heavy overdrive sound for more compressed leads or thick chords (2:54).

Also check out the Tone control settings shown in 2:00-2:40. It has a wide range, but it’s usable across that entire range instead of getting muddy or harsh at its extremes.

Specs:

Standard 9VDC center-negative power; no internal battery snap
4.75″ X 2.6″ X 1.4″

Price:

$189 with free expedited shipping. (To purchase, visit the Black Glass product page).

The online shop is brand new, so please contact us if you experience any issues using it.

Every MasonorousFX pedal is hand-built with excellent components & close attention to detail and tested thoroughly to ensure that it’s ready for you.