Transistors: Philips AC128/OC76
The Tarkine is our take (sort of) on the VOX V828 Tonebender.
The Tarkine is one of the worlds last prehistoric rain forests. It's teaming with fauna and flora that is not seen anywhere else on this planet. The Tarkine is largest temperate rain forest in Australia and second largest in the world. The 477,000 hectares of uninterrupted wilderness include myrtle, leatherwood and pine trees that are living links to Gondwanaland. It's wild, it's untamed, it's raw and it's unique which we think is the perfect namesake for this fuzz.
The Van Diemens' Tarkine is a fuzz based on the classic 2 transistor VOX V828 Tonebender with a couple of twists. This version of the Tonebender should not be confused with the MK1.5 as it's coupling caps are much smaller values than what's standard in a Coloursound Tonebender. It is a sharper, brighter, sizzling fuzz that will really cut through the mix. The components are all hand picked for optimum quality and performance and are fitted point to point to a eyelet board assembled in house.
The Tarkine features a set of transistors that I tried to make as close as possible to the original VOX Tonebender. After trialing and auditioning of different sets, we settled on a mix of an AC128 and an OC76. We think they sound amazing.
We also modded this circuit a little by changing the resistance value of the volume pot, removing a resistor on the fuzz pot and adding most importantly, a filter, that winds a little more bottom end into the signal. This gives you the option of a slightly thinner or thicker sound. It's great for balancing single coils and and humbuckers.
Added to all this are
A hand crafted 60's phenolic board.
Mullard OA91 Diode
Allen Bradley and Piher resistors.
Philips and WIMA capacitors.
Alpha pots.
Cliff jacks.
Dailywell Footswitch
Green LED
Lumburg 2.1mm DC power socket
This pedal is finished in hammered Green powdercoat, depicting the beautiful rain forests it was named after as well as offering durability on the road. It is not available in a hand painted finish.
