Earlier Versions

I originally started by building these in 1590LB enclosures. This format was fun, but too cramped to easily accomadate new features. Ultimately I redesigned this to fit into the 1590A as seen below.

I did enjoy this design phase. The perfectly square enclosure is oddly satisfying, and the sheer density of internal parts gave it some real weight. It also makes for nicely symmetrical photos, as you can see:

• Handmade from start to finish

• Point to point wiring; true bypass

• Each pedal is individually optimized (retrospectively tedious)

• Input snubber shunts excess highs to ground

  • This is a big part of why Ge sounds different - lower bandwidth

• Switchable tone shaping - push-pull pot

• Very compact - two inches square

Recorded through a clean Fender 5F6-A style combo amplifier, coupled with a Stratocaster and run directly into the Butter Booster.  Some delay can be heard in some takes, this is an MXR Carbon Copy in the effects loop. The combo amplifier also features valve-driven spring reverb.

I quickly tired of wiring things point to point, and the teeny tiny 1590LB enclosure made assembly extra difficult. So, I designed a slightly larger version, utilizing printed circuit boards.

As it turns out, this was also difficult to build, and still involved lots of fiddly wires. Even so, designing PCBs opened up a new door. The added real estate also allowed for additional tone switching options, and some extras like internal voltage regulation and an indicator LED.

I also improved the "butter" color by using pigments in the polycryllic finish, as opposed to just burning them slightly in the toaster oven. This was much more consistent, even if it still wasn't exactly the right shade. As it turns out, it's rather difficult to reproduce the delicate, slightly muted yellow shade of butter without using powder coating. So, that's exactly what we've done for the latest version.