All-discrete pedal sings like a fuzz but is tight like a distortion.
The Katzenkönig Distortion Guitar Pedal loves both single coils and humbuckers, and sounds great in front of a clean amp or an overdriven amp (or pedal). The Katzenkönig combines the best elements of a Tone Bender MkII fuzz and a Rat distortion. The circuit is all-discrete, using a trio of silicon transistors in a modified Tone Bender MkII arrangement with the output section of a Rat, including its clipping section, filter, and output buffer. The result is a pedal that we tuned to offer a huge range of response - from a really beautiful singing tone, to tight, harmonically-rich crunch, all the way to fuzz mayhem.
A simple, four-knob control scheme allows you to dial in your sound quickly and without much fuss:
INPUT - Controls the input sensitivity. Turn it down when using higher output pickups and humbuckers or to dial in your wah sound (more on that later). Turn it up for lower output pickups or for when you want to go over-the-top! The input control can also be used to tune Katzenkönig's response to a wah plugged in front of it.
GAIN - Controls the gain of the second gain stage. It is not a conventional gain control, rather, it controls the amount of negative feedback in that stage. What does that mean for you? It means you get a wide ranging gain control that sounds great throughout it's entire rotation!
FILTER - Allows you to dial in your final tone from smooth and creamy all the way to bright and cutting. You can quickly find the sweet spot for your rig with this control. If you are familiar with the Filter control on a Rat then what you'll find is that this is an even better version of that idea!
VOLUME - Standard volume control. You'll find that Katzenkönig sounds great turned down quiet or cranked up and loud!
Where to put Katzenkönig in your signal chain
Katzenkönig sounds great all by itself, but we're pretty sure you probably have a few more pedals laying around that you're going to want to run with it. As usual, experimentation is your best bet, but here are a few guidelines to help you find the ideal spot for it on your pedalboard.
Being in the fuzz family of pedals, Katzenkönig, generally likes being towards the front of your signal chain. But you can put wahs, filters, and boost type pedals in front of it with great results. If you are using a foundation overdrive, such as a Dirty Little Secret, place Katzenkönig before it. Time-based pedals such as reverbs and delays usually will work best after Katzenkönig. Modulation and phaser pedals? Try it both ways to see what works for you.
Can be powered with a standard 9V battery, or a center-negative, regulated 9V-18V DC external power supply.
A simple, four-knob control scheme allows you to dial in your sound quickly and without much fuss:
INPUT - Controls the input sensitivity. Turn it down when using higher output pickups and humbuckers or to dial in your wah sound (more on that later). Turn it up for lower output pickups or for when you want to go over-the-top! The input control can also be used to tune Katzenkönig's response to a wah plugged in front of it.
GAIN - Controls the gain of the second gain stage. It is not a conventional gain control, rather, it controls the amount of negative feedback in that stage. What does that mean for you? It means you get a wide ranging gain control that sounds great throughout it's entire rotation!
FILTER - Allows you to dial in your final tone from smooth and creamy all the way to bright and cutting. You can quickly find the sweet spot for your rig with this control. If you are familiar with the Filter control on a Rat then what you'll find is that this is an even better version of that idea!
VOLUME - Standard volume control. You'll find that Katzenkönig sounds great turned down quiet or cranked up and loud!
Where to put Katzenkönig in your signal chain
Katzenkönig sounds great all by itself, but we're pretty sure you probably have a few more pedals laying around that you're going to want to run with it. As usual, experimentation is your best bet, but here are a few guidelines to help you find the ideal spot for it on your pedalboard.
Being in the fuzz family of pedals, Katzenkönig, generally likes being towards the front of your signal chain. But you can put wahs, filters, and boost type pedals in front of it with great results. If you are using a foundation overdrive, such as a Dirty Little Secret, place Katzenkönig before it. Time-based pedals such as reverbs and delays usually will work best after Katzenkönig. Modulation and phaser pedals? Try it both ways to see what works for you.
Can be powered with a standard 9V battery, or a center-negative, regulated 9V-18V DC external power supply.