Mini Maxi Tone

Project overview

Mini Maxi Tone takes inspiration from the Mini pedal by Smallsound/Bigsound.

The Mini is the revamped little version of the Fuck Overdrive, with the same extremely unique crackling, disintegrating effects but with some additional features that make it a unique gem on its own.

Introduction

If you ever feel like hearing experimental melancholic music that perfectly depicts decay and degradation, give William Basinski’s The Disintegration Loops a try. But this series of compositions is not just great music but also the inspiration for a fantastic pedal. Fuck Overdrive (yes, I’m not kidding). 

Brian Hamilton, the proprietor of Smallsound/Bigsound, set out to bring the sound of “The Disintegration Loops” to life in the form of a pedal. And I can confidently say he was successful. The Fuck Overdrive is an incredibly unique effect that stands apart from all others, offering tones reminiscent of overdriven tapes, compressed distortion, shredded speakers, and overloaded tubes or amp “sag”.

The warm-toned overdrive is powered by multiple JFET gain stages, offering a wide range of sound options from clean boosting to gritty drive to thick fuzz. Not only does it sound fantastic on its own, but it also pairs exceptionally well with other pedals, delicately altering your signal to produce surprising and intricate results.

But what has all to do with the Mini? Well, this second pedal came to be when many musicians started asking for a smaller version of Fuck Overdrive. The outcome is an amplified, distinct iteration of the original. To enhance its appeal, the circuit was reinforced with additional bass, making it an attractive option for bassists and keyboard players, and the controls were simplified to make it more user-friendly.

With the Mini, you have access to the same remarkable JFET overdrive at its core. The bias knob is a simple yet effective tool that allows you to adjust your tone from a saggy, lo-fi, low-watt amp tone to a clean, bright, hi-fi tone. The added bass and bass cut knob offer even more versatility, allowing you to create clean, sparkling treble boost tones or massive low end for a bass overdrive or full-range boost.

So, do yourself a favor, listen to some demos, and check for yourself what this pedal can do. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

Controls

Potentiometers

• Bass
• Bias
• Treble
• Volume
• Gain

For further analysis on this circuit take a look at this thread on Free Stomp Boxes Forum.

For any technical questions regarding this build don’t forget to check out our Facebook Group and our forum at Free Stomp Boxes.

Mini Maxi Tone – Building Docs

Mini Maxi Tone – Drilling template