#Blackstrap Electrik Co.

[fuzzkaizer]

Blackstrap Electrik Co. - B.E.C. HOUSE ENCLOSURE

"It's taken me like three years, and after many false starts and abandoned prototypes, I've finally realized my dream enclosure.

This stylish box is based on my favorite vintage enclosure: the rare, cast-aluminum Zonk II. Like the early Sola Sound produced Marshall Supa Fuzz, this Zonk II enclosure was designed and built by Olivetti S.p.A, an Italian firm (founded in 1908 by Camillo Olivetti in Ivrea, Italy) that produced sleek, Atomic-age enclosures for adding machines and other desktop apparatuses.

Early on, Sola Sound built Tone Bender MKII circuits into these hammered blue, Zonk II boxes for John Hornby Skewes. To my knowledge, only one of these has been recovered. After this partnership ended, JHS began stuffing the enclosures with their own silicon Zonk II circuit.

I consider this my house enclosure. It is available for Focus and Old Pal builds only."

cred: blackstrapelectrik.com

[fuzzkaizer]

blackstrap electrik co

"~1950 rebuilt treadle-action wedge. OC81D premium Old Pal. Virtually every part refitted, re-machined. New parts aged to match old parts. New switch works on treadle. Premium '60s Radiohm pots and Rendar seahorse jack. Power cord replaced with Mogami/Neutrik input cable, tension plug remains. No knobs or controls on sides--always disliked that look. Tuned dark, with a satisfying scratch in the attack. Sustain for ages until the gating subtly quiets idle."

cred: instagram.com/blacstrap_electrik

[fuzzkaizer]

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Blackstrap Electrik Co - Green Despot

" No switch, circuit-mount volume so Zonk goes straight to in/out jacks. Like a Fender Esquire, this Zonk bypasses any extra stuff so you get direct injection. Hard biased for extreme performance: this one is ruder and crustier, with copious crackle and sputter in the decay. Thank the 381 for the over-the-top behavior. Tuned to work w/ mains power: no battery needed! Reclaimed military mini wedge. Cast aluminum. Indestructible. No stops inside. MKI-esque transistor compliment: 2G381(!), OC75, big G 2G374 for most extreme Zonk sounds. Rare chocolate '60s Vero; Piher volume trim and resistors; AB early resistors; correct RS and Mullard box caps; etc."

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik

[fuzzkaizer]

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"Blackstrap Electrik Co. - Sola Sound Tonebender Mk 1.5 in a fuzzbug enclosure

"A replica of a very rare Sola Sound-produced MK1.5. Tiny, stubby cast-aluminum enclosure. An attractive, ghostly foam green that's semi-gloss and lightly hammered like original. The very best, private-stock parts inside. Real '60s UK vero with correct pitch; OC75; Iskra star, Philips, and WIMA caps; AB and Piher resistors; bright NOS UK wire; white shielded cable with brown sleeves; Cliff enclosed jacks; etc."

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik

[fuzzkaizer]

Blackstrap Electrik Co. - The Third Policeman

"Reserve-series very verdant, very one-off Irish OC44 effect I mean, those guts. I mined my stocks for very rare, very high end, and very green caps and resistors. Save the filter caps, all other components are the only ones I had. One and done! Almost every wire is a different piece and shade of old unbranded green. Did I roll through dozens of transistors to find one that biased up to 6.66v with my green resistors' values? I didn't not 🤦🏻😁☘️😍💚🥦 The motor is a special NOS Mullard OC44 in very high gain for a self-saturating, very power tubey effect. Full range tone control too. Bring this and yer Vox to yer next concert performance, and you'll look totally stylish Brit House, but sound like a green bull beating its sylvan bullocks. Based on the titular Irish novel about . . . Bicycles"

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik

however, it might be also dedicated to "At Swim Two Birds":

"It is important to remember that he reads and writes only green books. (...) All colours except green he regarded as symbols of evil ... Although a man of wide learning and culture, this arbitrary rule caused serious chasms in his erudition. The Bible, for instance, was unknown to him and much of the knowledge of the great mysteries of religion and the origin of man was acquired from servants and public-house acquaintances and was on that account imperfect and in some respects ludicrously garbled. It is for this reason that his well-known work, Evidences of Christian Religion, contains the seeds of serious heresy." - Flann O'Brien, At Swim Two Birds

cred: librarything.com/topic/313902

[fuzzkaizer]

Blackstrap Electrik Co. - Lonely Hunter Treble Booster

with NOS OC44.

cred: facebook.com/Greg Kemp

[fuzzkaizer]

blackstrap electrik co. - Greenleaf Zonk

"Greenleaf Zonk in blue-hammertone Fuzzbug w/ correct TI can, OC75, and--surprise--a white OC81D. said white-jacket just kills in that spot. An assortment of old resistors carefully selected for, yes, looks--check out those gorgeous stripes and textures. Neat old white/green molded Mallory electrolytic, and two rare box RS caps as found in OG. Correct real '60s UK Vero board in dark chocolate. Salvaged correct braided, lacquered oxblood sleeve on correct UK red ceramic input cap. Cliff jacks. Lightly aged. Tuned just like a good old one: darkish yet clear, slightly compressed, searing, saturated, squelchy attack, long sustain, musical crackle and crumble in decay. A good one, in short. Loves singles and humbuckers."

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik

[fuzzkaizer]

blackstrap electrik co. - Dayton industrial footswitch

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik

[fuzzkaizer]

BLACKSTRAP ELECTRIK CO. - The Big Brierly

No. 500

"Replica of my 1967 black-bar Sola Sound (Vox commercial sample) MKII Tone Bender. A bit emotional releasing my 500th unit. Lots of parts in here I'll never have again, particularly that correct Iskra weenie in the middle. Feels, sounds, smells, and looks like the real one."

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik

[fuzzkaizer]

BEC - blackstrap electrik co. -

"sold the first fuzz in my new house enclosure. Can't tell y'all how excited I am about these. Over two years trying to find the foundry and get it right. OC81D premium MKII in the style of my favorite version of this pedal. Sand-cast aluminum, NOT CNC. My take on my favorite enclosure ever: the Zonk II. Smooth curves at top and bottom; sharp, dramatic angles on the sides. Some of you may notice its uncanny resemblance to the early Sola Sound-made Supa Fuzz. That's because both of these enclosures were commissioned to Olivetti, an adding machine manufacturer; hence, the mid-century desktop appliance looks. I find the mixed bag of curves and angles stunning; hope you do too! These will be available for certain high-end projects via my site. $900 USD."

cred: instagram.com/blackstrap_electrik