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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>FAUSTONE Amplifiers & Effects</title>
<meta name="author" content="Fausto Pérez">
<meta name="description" content="Faustone electric guitar tube amplifiers and effect pedals are hand built in Toledo, Spain. Faustone.com features pictures and schematics of the Valve Klipper and Fuzz Unit pedals and the Dirty Teen 18W amplifier.">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/normalize.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/styles.css">
</head>
<body class="vk">
<header class="clearfix">
<nav>
<ul id="nav">
<li><a href="dirty_teen.html">Dirty Teen</a></li>
<li><a href="valve_klipper.html" class="current">Valve Klipper</a></li>
<li><a href="fuzz_unit.html">Fuzz Unit</a></li>
<li><a href="other_projects.html">Other projects</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
</header>
<article class="clearfix">
<hgroup>
<div class="wrapper">
<a href="index.html"><h1>Faustone</h1></a>
<h2>Valve Klipper</h2>
</div>
</hgroup>
<div class="wrapper">
<p class="intro">The Valve Klipper is a 100% tube pedal based on the early '70s Laney Klipp and late '60s Marshall Plexi preamps.</p>
<section class="description clearfix">
<img src="img/valve_klipper_intro.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKII">
<p>The <strong>Valve Klipper Distortion Unit</strong> started as a project developed for the <a href="http://stompboxes.co.uk/forum/index.php">D*A*M forum</a>. The ambitious goal was to capture in a pedal one of the ingredients in the signature sound of Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath: the distortion circuit of the Laney Klipp amplifiers he played in the early '70s. I can't really tell if I succeeded, but what resulted was a peculiar stompbox with a sound that stands on its own.</p>
<p>The <strong>Valve Klipper</strong> is effectively two circuits in one: '68 Plexi-ish preamp (boost) and Klipp circuit (overdrive—distortion), in a pedal format and adjusted to drive the front end of other amps. Technically speaking, it adds two more gain stages to the existing preamp on your amplifier. This might not sound like much but it's actually <em>a lot</em>.</p>
<p>Unlike other tube pedals, it works at real tube voltages and has a dedicated power supply that feeds the preamp's plates with the correct 300V, as in the original Klipp amplifier. All the saturation comes from real tube circuitry. The unit is powered directly from the AC line and a 115V/230V switch on the pedal allows worldwide mains compatibility.</p>
<p>Two incarnations of the <strong>Valve Klipper</strong> exist, but the differences are only cosmetic, the electronic circuit and sound are identical on both:</p>
<p>The <strong>MKI version</strong> is big and chunky and takes a lot of pedalboard real estate, and it's the one I still play. MKIs were built using carbon composition resistors and ERO signal capacitors and feature huge Orange-style knobs.</p>
<p>The <strong>MKII</strong>'s design is more polished and comes in a smaller and more professional looking enclosure. Among the changes in the radical makeover, the Klipp toggle switch became a footswitch, and LEDs were added. Also, the tubes were relocated inside a dedicated compartment, isolated from the rest of the circuit and accessible by removing a screwable lid at the top of the unit. The MKII version took me many months to develop, in which I tried many power supply configurations and built <a href="other_projects.html#prototypes">at least half a dozen prototypes</a>.</p>
<aside class="features">
<h3>Valve Klipper Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Point to point <strong>hand wired.</strong></li>
<li>2x <strong>ECC83</strong> tubes.</li>
<li>1.5mm steel <strong>custom chassis</strong>.</li>
<li>Custom <strong>toroidal transformer</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>115V/230V</strong> voltage selector.</li>
<li><strong>True bypass</strong> switching.</li>
<li><strong>LED</strong> annunciation.</li>
<li><strong>Mallory 150</strong> signal capacitors.</li>
<li><strong>F&T</strong> electrolytic capacitors.</li>
<li><strong>Ceramic</strong> tube sockets.</li>
</ul>
</aside>
<aside class="schematic">
<h3>Valve Klipper schematic</h3>
<a href="pdf/Faustone_Valve_Klipper_schematic.pdf"><img src="img/valve_klipper_schematic.gif" alt="Valve Klipper schematic thumbnail"></a>
<p>Valve Klipper <strong>schematic</strong> and info. <em>For educational purposes only. Please note that I'm not offering technical support if you want to build yourself one.</em><a href="pdf/Faustone_Valve_Klipper_schematic.pdf"><button>Valve Klipper schematic .pdf</button></a></p>
</aside>
<aside class="distributors">
<h3>Former distributors</h3>
<p>You may still find Faustone pedals in stock in the following <strong>distributors</strong>. Please contact them!</p>
<dl>
<dt>USA:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.retrofret.com">Retrofret</a></dd>
<dt>Europe / UK:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.joespedals.com/">Joe's Pedals</a></dd>
<dt>Japan:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/ninevolt/">Ninevolt Japan</a></dd>
<dt>Spain:</dt>
<dd><a href="http://www.stringsfield.es">Stringsfield</a></dd>
</dl>
</aside>
</section>
<section class="gallery">
<div class="small clearfix">
<figure>
<img src="img/vk/faustone_valve_klipper_prototype.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKI prototype">
<figcaption>Valve Klipper MKI prototype.</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure>
<img src="img/vk/faustone_valve_klipper_mki.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKI">
<figcaption>Valve Klipper MKI with sloppy silkscreening job.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<figure>
<img src="img/vk/faustone_valve_klipper_mkii_1.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKII full frontal">
<figcaption>Valve Klipper MKII full frontal.</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure>
<img src="img/vk/faustone_valve_klipper_mkii_2.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKII Klipp controls">
<figcaption>Valve Klipper MKII Klipp controls.</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure>
<img src="img/vk/faustone_valve_klipper_mkii_3.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKII silkscreening detail">
<figcaption>Valve Klipper MKII silkscreening detail.</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure>
<img src="img/vk/faustone_valve_klipper_mkii_4.jpg" alt="Faustone Valve Klipper MKII tube compartment">
<figcaption>Valve Klipper MKII tube compartment.</figcaption>
</figure>
</section>
</div>
</article>
<footer class="clearfix">
<div class="wrapper">
<img src="img/fausto_profile.jpg" alt="Fausto Pérez of Faustone.com">
<section class="about">
<h4>About</h4>
<p>My name is <strong>Fausto Pérez</strong>. I live in Toledo, Spain.</p>
<p>This website features some of the guitar amplifiers and effect pedals I've built over the years under the <strong>Faustone</strong> name.</p>
<p>Building electronic equipment for <strong>Faustone</strong> was once a full-time occupation for me but —unfortunately— it's not anymore.</p>
<p>Please email me at <strong>info -at- faustone -dot- com</strong>.</p>
<!-- <p><a href="https://twitter.com/faustone_com"></a></p> -->
</section>
<section class="links">
<h4>Links & friends</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://stompboxes.co.uk/forum/index.php">D*A*M forum</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guitarrista.com/phpbbforum/">Guitarrista.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.pisotones.com/">Pisotones.com</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.elmusicoloco.com/">El Músico Loco FX</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/faustone">Effects Database</a></li>
</ul>
</section>
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