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 a collection of Tone Models of my custom-made take on the old Shin-Ei Companion FY-2 fuzz pedal. By far the most disgusting pedal in my collection, it easily ranks among my top three. Like most fuzz circuits, this one is simple and crude, with every single component making a noticeable difference.

Compared to the original Companion, my version features an additional Tone control that blends the very scooped equalizer circuit in and out, offering a wide range of sounds—from midrangey, nasal tones to extremely scooped ones. The key to this circuit is that it’s meant to sound like it’s broken.

This collection includes six different Tone Models. Circuits like this are captured using a half-drained 9V carbon-zinc battery, as I feel this gives the pedals their authentic tone. This pedal features a Structure control that, similar to the Fuzzrite, blends between two out-of-phase gain stages. The Tone Models are created for different positions of the Structure control, as well as varying positions of the Scoop control.

The Structure control on the Companion is not as sensitive as on the Fuzzrite, meaning the sweet spots occur when the pot is fully off or fully on. With these Tone Models, you’ll transform your guitar into an insect-like sound.