The Slightly Technical ToneX captures are tone models of gear from my personal collection. These amplifiers and pedals are not commercially available and are either original designs, designs inspired by famous units, or uniquely modified pieces of equipment. Each piece of gear was crafted with carefully selected components, meticulously measured, and calibrated to achieve the desired tonal qualities.

This is one of those pedals that took me years to build, as I was a true believer that ICs suck when it comes to fuzzes. At some point, I built it just to have it in my collection, but, man, I started loving this pedal. It is different compared to the “standard” Big Muff Pi circuit, but I find it extremely useful. There is a tightness about it that I love, and it really works well for live performances, with very rich harmonic content.

Now, this pedal is called the Pumpkin Muff, as it is practically my take on an EHX Big Muff, but the Opamp version, which was famously used by the Smashing Pumpkins. Obviously, many other bands used this sound throughout history, as most of them never knew it was an Opamp version – for them, it was just another Big Muff.

This unit was built using the Aion FX PCB, if I’m not mistaken, with just a few minor tweaks to the circuit to satisfy my OCD. This one has a Tone Bypass switch, which bypasses the Tone circuit and results in a classic midrangey fuzz sound, which is, again, a very good sound. I got that option captured as well.

This collection includes 10 different Tone Models. I made sure to capture this pedal with various settings so you can enjoy the full range of sounds it provides. In the description of the presets, you will find the settings at which each model was captured. Some captures are sizzly and bright, while others are dark and distant, with varying levels of gain. The Gain control inside the ToneX app is your friend here—it works well with this type of circuit.