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Announcing the ‘Mercury’ Vacuum Tube Fuzz

The new ‘Mercury’ fuzz pedal will be available in limited quantities by mid-December. This very special limited edition fuzz is based on a N.O.S. (new old stock) Philips subminiature tube and vintage N.O.S. point contact germanium diodes. These little tubes represent the absolute pinnacle of vacuum tube technology and feature double getter mounts for very low microphony. Additionally, we select only the best, lowest noise tubes from a batch and each tube is given a 24 hour burn-in, electrical and audio test by Phil (the designer).

Here’s a quick rundown on some of the outstanding materials utilised in the construction of this pedal.

The knobs are totally unique to Effectrode and custom manufactured in U.S.A. from phenolic using the original 1940s Dakaware, Chicago moulds.
All mounting hardware is brass plated with nickel (no mild steel).
The pots are custom manufactured in Great Britain by Omeg.
Felt washers (just like on the old tube radios) are inserted underneath the knobs.
The footswitch is manufactured by Carling U.S.A.
The sockets are manufactured by Neutrik (metal, not plastic).
The diecast aluminium alloy enclosure is finished in custom pastel-yellow gloss powdercoat with stoved epoxy graphics – a very, very tough and resilient finish which will look good for many decades to come.
Each pedal has a metal plate with it’s unique serial number stamped on.
A unique design 100% made in Great Britain by Effectrode!

As for the sound – classy, rich, warm fuzz tones with fantastic depth and dimension… legendary!

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26 COMMENTS

Jeff December 11, 2014 at 06:45:10 Log in to Reply

Youtube sound samples .. please! Mine comes in mail Monday, but can't wait to hear it.Metal

Phil December 11, 2014 at 10:49:34 Log in to Reply

Hi Jeff, Sound samples and video will be online in January.

Ben December 2, 2014 at 05:43:40 Log in to Reply

How much will they be sold for?

Phil December 2, 2014 at 09:11:58 Log in to Reply

Hi Ben, The 'Mercury' tube fuzz is priced at $319 including power supply.

Matthias November 30, 2014 at 10:50:19 Log in to Reply

Hi Phil, That's really good news as I missed the Helios batches! I'll preorder one. How does the Mercury/Helios and Fire Bottle would react with a buffer at the beginning of the chain? And what about a good quality buffered pedal in the middle of the chain? Thanks, Matthias

Phil December 1, 2014 at 08:30:45 Log in to Reply

Hi Matthias, The 'Mercury' works best without a buffer. A solid-state buffer will not improve the tone and possibly not interact well either.

John Bruns November 22, 2014 at 07:19:49 Log in to Reply

Phil,Should the TubeVibe go after the Helios or before?Thanks, John Bruns

Phil November 22, 2014 at 08:17:54 Log in to Reply

Hi John, I would place the the Tube-Vibe after the Helios.

RyanGallagher November 22, 2014 at 04:00:42 Log in to Reply

I'm so happy to hear about the Mercury. I've got my name on the pre order list and I hope to god I get one of these. I read something about David Gilmour buying three of the Helios pedals when they came out and I couldn't get one. I've been checking the website every other day since then and finally news of another run of this most amazing fuzz circuit. I've had a long love affair with fuzz pedals and ever since I heard the Helios all other fuzz pedals have been ruined for me. Hats of to Effectrode for making a tube driven fuzz pedal. It's taken sixty years for someone to finally come up with a true fuzz circuit that is tube driven. I can not wait until this is out. Thank you Effectrode. My life has become very bleak and this pedal will seriously give me a reason for getting up in the morning. All of your pedals really. You guys have a great grasp on what the electric guitar should sound like!!!!!!!!!

Phil November 22, 2014 at 10:43:18 Log in to Reply

Hi Ryan, Thanks do much for your comments on Effectrode pedals. It really means a lot to me to receive feedback like this and has made my weekend! Thankyou, Phil :)

Wolfgang von Bockenheim November 20, 2014 at 03:36:32 Log in to Reply

But seriously, since the MERCURY uses exactly the same circuitry as the HELIOS, and since it is strongly recommended to place the HELIOS first in the signal chain, I presume this applies to the MERCURY as well, correct?Now, where do I place my FIRE BOTTLE? It makes a lot of sense to place the FIRE BOTTLE first, and for the same reasons, but now it competes with the MERCURY..... Would it make sence to place the FIRE BOTTLE after the MERCURY? This is particularly interesting because I tend to leave the FIRE BOTTLE "aways on". Some fuzzes do not agree with a low-impedance input signal and sound way better with the high-impedance signal from a passive guitar pickup. How does the MERCURY react to a buffered input signal? Does it lose its magic, like some other fuzzes?And once that order is sorted, where do I place my PC-2A in relation to the two others? Normally, I would lean towads placing the compressor before the dirt pedal, and after the buffer, but that would push the MERCURY back to position three.....Please advise. Thanks in advance.

Phil November 20, 2014 at 04:29:36 Log in to Reply

Hi Wolfgang,The Mercury fuzz really does like to be first in the chain - it is very demanding that way. The order I have my small Effectrode pedals in is: Guiar -> Mercury -> PC-2A Compressor -> Fire Bottle. That's not to say that there are other combinations that might work better for you. If you place the Fire Bottle before the PC-2A Compressor you'll might find it's being pushed too far into comrpessing. If you place anything before the Mercury then the noise will be amplified. Some players are okay with this, so please don't let me dictate which is the 'best' order of effects. It is just my recommendation.

Wolfgang von Bockenheim November 20, 2014 at 04:55:57 Log in to Reply

Hi Phil,Thanks very much for your reply. I fully understand your recommendation about placing the FIRE BOTTLE after the PC-2A. I forgot to mention that I use the FIRE BOTTLE at unity gain, strictly as an "always-on" sound-improving buffer, so it is not so bad running it into the PC-2A, but if I used it as a volume boost, I would obviously place it after the compressor.So about the general recommendation that the Fire Bottle should be placed first in the signal chain to allow the input circuitry to interact with the guitar magnetic pickup? If you place it in position three, this interaction will only occur as long as the other two pedals are bypassed, correct?Thanks again.Can't wait to use those three pedals together!

Phil November 22, 2014 at 10:25:13 Log in to Reply

If you're using the Fire Bottle at uniuty then you'll have no problem running it into the PC-2A Compressor. You may also get away with having it first in the chain and running it into the Mercury fuzz but even at unity gain the Mercury may pick some noise up because of the nature of it's design. The germanium point contact diodes can act like a radio and demodulate higher frequencies to create audible noise. The best thing is just to experiment and see what works. I tend to be a little paranois a bout noise these days :)

Shawn Smalley November 20, 2014 at 02:31:33 Log in to Reply

I always liked the sun decal on the Helios, but other than that what are the main tonal differences between that and the new Mercury fuzz?

Phil November 20, 2014 at 10:02:23 Log in to Reply

Hi Shawn, The 'Mercury' fuzz uses exactly the same circuitry as the 'Helios' but uses a USA manufactured Philips double triode tube instead of the Russian tube. There may be subtle tonal differences because of interelectrode capacitance, however this should be minimal.

James Mahaffey November 19, 2014 at 01:00:45 Log in to Reply

How do I get on the list for one of these? I would love to buy one!

Phil November 19, 2014 at 02:42:42 Log in to Reply

Hi James, To get on the waiting list please send an email to Sam at our sales address. Thankyou, Phil

James November 22, 2014 at 02:20:12 Log in to Reply

When do you think you will have some sound clips of the Mercury? It would help pass the time while we are waiting for the pedal to become available. Thanks. And thanks for your passion. You guys have some of the best products I've ever heard.

Phil November 22, 2014 at 03:26:59 Log in to Reply

Hi James, We'll probably go straight to making a video which will be early January. In the meantime check our the 'Helios' samples and 'The Endless River' by Pink Floyd which should give you a good indication of what the 'Mercury' sounds like.

Miguel November 19, 2014 at 12:54:22 Log in to Reply

Hi Phil, Great News for the Fuzz lol How can I be sure to have one? Is there a preorder list?I already play with 4 of your effects PC-2A, Fire Bottle, Tube-Vibe and Tube-Drive and thés are all fantastic. I also hope to find one of your Phaseomatic lol And waiting 2015 for the Delta Trem The Mercury Will be a fantastic Christmas gift Miguel

Phil November 19, 2014 at 02:45:02 Log in to Reply

Hi Miguel, Thankyou for your comments on Effectrode pedals. Please send an email to Sam at our sales address and she'll reserve a Mercury fuzz for you. Am working on the Delta-Trem right now and it should be shipping in spring. Best regards, Phil

Alex November 18, 2014 at 06:27:00 Log in to Reply

Hi, this is great. I am looking for buying one. Have already the Helios Fuzz and really love it!! Just emailed you for putting my name in the preorder list :-) Does the graphic / color are the definitive one? Or will we have something more "Mercury" kind of?

Phil November 18, 2014 at 06:32:34 Log in to Reply

Hi Alex, This picture is the real thing. The colour is a special custom job we had done a few weeks ago. I hope I've managed to capture it properly in the photo. More pictures coming soon!

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