This Bron-Y-Aur Stompbox brings back the classic Tone Bender sounds of the '60s and '70s
NAMM 2020: For us mere mortal it is not so easy to sound like Jimmy Page. Somehow the raw, instinctive fire of his playing always feels just over the horizon. Maybe, then, just maybe, SolidGoldFX's new Communication Breakdown dual fuzz pedal will get us there.
With a two switchable fuzz circuits each dedicated to recreating the classic dirt of vintage Tone Bender fuzz boxes, the Communication is the latest in a long line of pedals that promise that Page sizzle – or at least a good time in trying to find it. What makes the Communication Breakdown interesting is that it has two channels that can be used independently or stacked together for added heat.
There is a lot going on with the enclosure. There are two footswitches for fuzz A and fuzz B. Each channel has two switches for adjusting input attenuation and color. The input attenuation ensures the pedal complements your wah, if needed, while the three-way color switch selects between dark and smoother voicings and those with a little more hair and treble bit.
Controls-wise, you've got six dials, adjusting volume, bias and fuzz for each channel. Fuzz and volume are self-explanatory. The bias control allows you to tweak how much voltage is sent to each circuit. Turn it clockwise for "beefy and bold" fuzz, anti-clockwise for those choked gated fuzz tones.
The Communcation is handmade in Montreal, Canada, and it takes a 9V of DC power to get it going.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
