DESIGN NOTES
How two gain stages interact
The Twin is a dual gain-stage pedal built around interaction. There are two independent boost/drive stages, and the point is how they shape each other when you combine them.
Each side can be used on its own, stacked in either direction, or run in parallel.
Two stages, three ways to use them
Series (1 → 2 or 2 → 1)
You can choose which stage hits the other first. That changes both feel and tone:
1 into 2
A cleaner, higher-headroom boost going into the bias stage. Engaging the second stage lowers the “rails” and introduces clipping, compression, and fuzz-like textures.2 into 1
Set up a spluttery, gated sound first using the bias control, then use the second stage to add level, smooth the edges, or bring back some body.
In series, the first stage sets the gain structure. The second stage shapes the final output, volume, clipping, and overall character.
Parallel
Both stages run alongside each other and are blended together.
This is where it opens up:
Keep clarity and dynamics from the cleaner stage
Blend in texture, compression, or grit from the bias stage
Works well for lead tones where you want presence without losing definition
You can treat one side as your core tone and use the other as a layer.
The two stages
Boost 1 = Gain
A more traditional gain control. Works as:
Clean lift
Low-gain drive
Second stage into an already driven amp or pedal
Boost 2 = Bias
Instead of gain, this stage uses a bias control:
Bias up → cleaner, more open
Bias down → reduced transistor voltage → clipped, gated, spluttery, compressed sounds
This is where most of the character comes from.
Using them together
Individually, each side can be subtle, a lift or a bit of drive.
Combined, they start to do something more interesting:
Series gives you saturation, compression, and harmonic density
Parallel gives you contrast, clarity alongside grit
A practical example:
Set a dynamic, slightly driven tone in series that stays clean when you play lightly and compresses as you dig in
Or run parallel with a driven tone on one side and just enough bias texture blended in on the other
Controls for shaping
Attenuate switch
Both sides are boosts by nature. The attenuator pulls the overall level down so you can use the pedal more as a tone shaper rather than a high-headroom boost.
Treble / presence cut
A simple top-end roll-off to tame brightness and round out the sound when needed.
Feel
The Twin is less about max gain and more about response:
Light playing stays open and clear
Digging in brings compression and drive
The interaction between stages changes how it reacts under your hands
HFX Core
Purchasing a Core pedal (Twin or Embers) includes 12 months of HFX Core:
10% off all Hamilton Effects pedals
Early access to new releases
Design notes and occasional artefacts (sketches, sounds, ideas)
Optional involvement in future designs
The Twin is available now at hamiltoneffects.com.
Core Embers Now Available
The Embers low gain fuzz preamp is now available.
Core Embers is the first release in the Core line of Hamilton Effects pedals. It’s a fuzz designed around clarity.
I’ve always loved that sound when you roll your guitar volume down on a fuzz - the top-end sparkle you get and all those in-between settings where it becomes crunchy and dynamic but still keeps that added boost, sustain and clarity that fuzz can bring - that was the original idea.
After building the original version and releasing it just over a year ago, I spent time playing it and found a few ways I wanted to improve it. That’s how we got to where we are now.
Pickup Simulator
Core Embers features a built-in pickup simulator, so the vintage-style fuzz circuit that follows can go anywhere on your pedalboard. Traditional fuzz circuits are often fussy and want to “see” the impedance of your guitar pickups first in line. With the pickup simulator built in, Embers doesn’t need that.
Gain Control / Underdrive
Core Embers has Volume and Gain controls, as found on Faded Embers. The Gain control adjusts the input level going into the fuzz circuit. As you wind it back, it behaves in a similar way to rolling down your guitar volume. There’s also a secondary footswitch on Core Embers which bypasses that control and gives you the full fuzz gain instantly.
Bias Control - Clarity to Gate
Core Embers has a variable Bias control, so with the Bias turned up, the transistors receive the voltage they want to stay clean, clear, and open sounding, but ss you dial it back, more texture comes in. Turned all the way down, you’re starving the transistors and it moves into that velcro-style gated sound.
Body Control - Clean Low-End Blend
One of the most unique parts of Embers is how it interacts with your tone. The Body control takes your clean input signal and filters it so only the low-end content remains. That can then be blended back in with the fuzz signal. The result is retained low-end clarity without the harshness you’d often get from blending a full clean signal with fuzz. It works especially well on bass guitar, and also works really nicely on acoustic guitar.
Cut Control - Treble Taming
The Treble Cut control helps tame harsh top-end frequencies. This is especially useful into certain amps, particularly higher-headroom designs, though it depends on your setup and taste - the more you dial it in, the more treble and presence are reduced.
HFX Core
When you buy a Hamilton Effects Core pedal, you can register it for HFX Core.
HFX Core lasts for a year and includes a few different things:
Discounts on future Core pedal purchases
Early access to new releases
Input into future ideas and designs
Occasional direct updates and creative extras
It gives me a way to stay connected with the people who support Hamilton Effects, and a place to share ideas with people I know will care about them.
When you get your Core pedal, head to the website, find HFX Core, and register it.
Small Batch Build
As with all Hamilton Effects pedals, these are made in small batches, and I only have a few available.
A couple of weeks in
It’s been a couple of weeks since the release of the Faded Embers then the Faded Twin.
Releasing something new always comes with a bit of exposure. After spending a long time designing, troubleshooting, refining, making and tweaking, then it leaves the bench and becomes something people can use. I find that shift is pretty uncomfortable, even when I’m really happy with where they’ve landed.
I imagine most people reading this, being musicians and creatives, will recognise that feeling in some form. Making something and putting it out there always carries a question of whether it will actually resonate.
Why the Faded pedals
The Faded pedals started as a practical exercise really.
I wanted to see what the minimum version of these ideas could be without losing the parts that actually matter. Smaller enclosures, fewer controls, simpler builds, and a price that makes them easier to pick up without needing to overthink it. There’s also a reality to it in that selling more pedals at a lower price might be more viable than making a small number of expensive ones, so I wanted to explore that properly really.
With the Embers, that still centres around a low-gain, bias-y fuzz circuit that can move up into full fuzz, but most of what I find I actually use sits in that lower range or stacked with overdrives. With the Twin, it’s still two gain stages that can run in series or parallel, just reduced to the essentials which make it such a versatile, dynamic gain-staging pedal.
Where I’m coming from
I’m not particularly interested in the component side of things beyond what’s necessary to get the result - NOS never really interested me, nor did fancy laid out wiring (other than the fact it’s cool to look at).
I’ve always liked good guitar tones and what I’m doing is just trying to get closer to the kinds of sounds I actually enjoy hearing and using, to make pedals that hold up in that context, and which feel like something I (and those musicians I look up to) would want to play.
Why Hamilton Effects
Hamilton Effects started during a time where I needed something to get stuck into. It gave me something practical to work on and something that felt like it was moving somewhere. It’s still that, but now it’s a bit simpler - I want to keep making things that are worth using, and I want it to grow enough that I can spend more time doing it and push further in my creativity.
A small note
There are still a few of the Faded pedals available and if they go I’ll restock them.
Thanks everyone,
James
Hamilton Effects
Faded Twin
The Twin is a dual gain stage drive pedal.
It’s built around two boost circuits, with the option to run them in series or in parallel.
The Faded Twin
I designed the original Twin Boost when I was on paternity leave with my twins. Since then I’ve spent a lot of time refining the components and evolving the idea.
The Faded Twin is a more accessible version of that. It’s simpler to dial in, with:
Two knobs, a volume for each of the two internal boost circuits
One toggle, switching between series and parallel
Series
In series, Boost 1 runs into Boost 2. Boost 1 controls how much gain you’re feeding into the circuit, and Boost 2 controls the overall level and how much it starts to break up.
As you push Boost 1, you’re effectively driving Boost 2 harder. That’s where it starts to take on more saturation and compression.
The Two Boosts
The two circuits are voiced slightly differently. Boost 1 is first in the signal chain. It’s cleaner, and mostly stays clean unless you’re hitting it with really hot pickups. It’s also quite loud.
Boost 2 sits second and has more of a bias driven, gritty character.
Because of that, when Boost 1 is pushed into Boost 2, it can start to break up in a way that’s closer to a fuzz response. Vintage two transistor fuzzes often shape their character around that second stage, and you can get some of that same gated or spitty edge here if you push it.
Parallel
With the toggle the other way, the two boosts run in parallel. This lets you keep the clarity, top end, and attack from Boost 1, while blending in the grit, compression, and character from Boost 2.
That works well for rhythm parts where you want something that cuts through but still has a bit of weight behind it.
It’s also useful running into another gain stage, something more compressed, where you want to keep the clean attack but still bring in some texture.
In Use
The Twin works well as a lift for a solo sound, either staying fairly clean or bringing in some of that bias driven texture.
It also works well pushing into another overdrive or into an already driven amp. You can treat it like an extra gain stage, but with a bit more control over how that gain feels.
Faded Finish
Like the Embers, this comes in the Faded finish.
A burst of spray from the lower edge that fades upward, designed to wear over time and pick up its own character with use.
Faded Embers
Faded Embers
The Embers has always been a fuzz designed to be clear. Something that works really nicely at low gain, and sits closer to a preamp than a traditional fuzz when you want it to.
The original version had an underdrive toggle, which gave you that rolled-back clean-up feel on a footswitch. But over the last few months, as I’ve been reworking everything, that idea has been refined into something simpler.
This is the Faded Embers.
A simpler approach
Faded Embers strips things back to what actually matters.
There are just three controls: Volume, Gain, and Bias.
The gain sweep runs from clean, glassy, almost preamp-like sounds, all the way through to a full fuzz. It covers a wide range, but in a more direct way.
How it behaves
One of the things I’ve always liked about the Embers is how it stacks.
Running it before overdrives works really well. You can set your main drive sound, then bring in a bit of that bias-driven texture on top. Keeping the gain lower means it doesn’t oversaturate, but you still get the character of the fuzz.
It also works well on its own for adding texture to clean tones.
If you’ve got a clean amp sound that feels a bit too clean or sterile, setting the gain low on Embers adds a bit of grit and movement without taking over.
Bias
The bias control is a big part of that.
It shifts the feel of the circuit, introducing more texture and slightly unusual behaviour without needing to push the gain too far.
It’s a different way of getting character into the sound.
The Faded finish
The Faded Embers is finished with the Faded finish.
There’s a burst of spray at the bottom that fades away as it goes up, and it’s designed to age over time. The more you play it, the more your own imprint shows on it, in the same way a guitar with a nitro finish wears in.
Availability
The first batch of Faded Embers is available now.
It’s a small run, and once those are gone the shop moves to pre-order. After that there’ll be a short gap before they’re available again.
New pedals, same HFX
I’ve been running Hamilton Effects for just over a year now. I launched at the beginning of 2025 with the Twin Boost and the Embers Fuzz, and over that year I’ve been building pedals, doing custom projects, teaching guitar, and doing guitar tech work alongside it.
Coming into the new year, I’ve spent some time reflecting on where I actually want Hamilton Effects to sit. Not just how the pedals sound, but what they are at their core.
What people are actually buying
One of the things that’s become clearer to me is that when someone buys a pedal from a small builder, they’re not just buying tone or aesthetics.
They’re choosing to trust a person. They’re investing in a small company, in the decisions behind the circuit, and in the taste of the person who made it.
That’s made me rethink what the Embers and the Twin Boost should be.
Up to this point I’ve been working towards a kind of “do-it-all” version of each pedal. Something that can cover everything and work for everyone. And while I’m really pleased with what I’ve made, living with them over time has made it obvious that they could be better.
So about a year in, it feels like the right time to pull everything apart and rethink it properly.
Pulling things apart
Over the last few months I’ve been quietly taking the circuits apart, reworking them, and thinking more clearly about what I actually want each pedal to do. Not just in terms of sound, but in terms of how they behave and how people interact with them. The goal was that each pedal should be the best version of itself. This led to:
Core
The Core pedals are the full expression of what I think each circuit should be.
They have more control, more flexibility, and more room to explore. You can shape them, spend time with them, and find your own sounds within them. They use higher quality components, and I’ve worked closely with a designer to make sure they look as considered as they sound.
Alongside that, there’s also HFX Core, which is a way of saying thank you to the people who invest most in Hamilton Effects. It’s also a space for me to explore ideas that sit slightly outside of pedals.
Faded
Alongside Core, there’s Faded.
These are simpler, more accessible versions of the same ideas. More immediate, more utilitarian, and quicker to dial in.
Where Core invites you to explore, Faded is about getting to a sound quickly. They focus on the central identity of each circuit, with everything else stripped back.
They’re also finished in a way that will age over time, more like a guitar with a nitro finish. Not dramatically, but enough that each pedal develops its own visual character as it’s used.
The plan
The plan is to take the first versions of these pedals to the Noise Maker Market at the end of March, as the first place people can see and hear them.
After that, I’ll be releasing them in small batches over the following weeks.
Drives in Parallel vs Drives in Series
Drives in Parallel vs Drives in Series
This video compared drives in series with drives in parallel, using two Hamilton Effects pedals built from the same underlying idea.
The setup used the Twin Boost, the first pedal I designed for Hamilton Effects, alongside the Twin Parallel, which explores the same gain stages arranged differently. Both pedals use two boost circuits, but the way those stages interact changes the character of the sound quite significantly.
Everything was recorded through a stereo reverb setup, hard-panned left and right, and then into an HX Stomp for direct recording.
Why I made this video
I made this video for two main reasons.
Firstly, I had begun overhauling several Hamilton Effects designs, and during March I was clearing the last few pedals from the previous batch. By that point the Embers had already sold out, leaving just one Twin Boost and a couple of Twin Parallels remaining.
Secondly, I wanted to demonstrate what these pedals actually do. The name Boost can sound quite utilitarian, and it can give the impression that the pedal is simply there to make the signal louder. In practice these circuits are much more about gain staging and how different gain structures interact with each other.
In that sense they function more like tools for exploring signal behaviour than traditional boost pedals.
The Twin Boost
The Twin Boost contains two independent gain stages.
One side functions primarily as a clean boost, with enough output to push an amplifier into overdrive. Any distortion heard in that configuration is coming from the amplifier being driven harder.
The other side includes a bias control, which alters the transistor bias point. This introduces more unusual textures, including slightly gated and compressed sounds that can resemble certain fuzz behaviours, but within a relatively low gain circuit.
Stacking these two stages together is where the pedal becomes more interesting.
Drives in series
When gain stages run in series, one feeds directly into the next.
The first stage shapes and clips the signal, and the second stage receives that already-processed waveform. Rather than simply increasing volume, this usually results in greater saturation, because the signal is effectively being clipped more than once.
This is the same principle that applies when stacking typical overdrive pedals on a pedalboard.
The Twin Boost follows this approach. Its two stages can also be reversed in order, allowing different interactions between the gain stages.
Drives in parallel
The Twin Parallel explores the alternative approach.
Instead of feeding one stage into the other, both circuits run in parallel and are blended together with a mix control. This means each signal path keeps its own character.
One side can remain relatively clean and fast in its response, while the other contributes additional drive or texture. Blending the two allows the sound to retain clarity and attack, while still introducing more harmonic complexity.
This can be particularly useful for rhythmic playing where definition and articulation are important.
Closing thoughts
The comparison highlights two different philosophies of gain design.
Series stacking increases saturation by pushing one stage into another.
Parallel blending allows two different gain characters to exist simultaneously and be mixed together.
Both approaches start with the same building blocks, but the structure of the circuit changes the result.
A working day: Jazzmaster setup + new pedal work
March sale: 30% off remaining Hamilton Effects pedals (once they’re gone, they’re gone)
I’m turning 30 at the end of March, so I’m clearing the last of my current stock 30% off throughout March. What’s left is genuinely the final handful from the latest batch build:
Once these are gone, they’re gone, and I won’t be making any more of these exact versions.
A working day: Jazzmaster setup + new pedal work
Today was a mix of guitar tech work and Hamilton Effects pedal building, with a bit of playing and testing in between.
I had a Jazzmaster in for a setup and scratchplate swap, moving from 9s to 10s, plus a general clean-up and dial-in.
Jazzmasters are more involved than they look because so much of the wiring and hardware is mounted to the scratchplate — switches, pots, rhythm circuit controls, the lot — so it’s the kind of job where it pays to do it properly: clean work, careful reassembly, and a full check over afterwards.
After the swap and setup, I checked action, bridge height, tuning stability and pickup positions, and made sure it played comfortably and held tune. The output on this one is hot in a good way, and once it was set up, it absolutely came alive.
If you’re local to Crawley / West Sussex and you’ve got a guitar that needs a setup, restring, hardware install, wiring work, or general TLC, drop me a message, I love doing this stuff, and it makes a huge difference to how a guitar feels.
Pedal enclosure prep + a small early reveal
After the Jazzmaster, I drilled a new enclosure (planned out on Stompbox Layouts) and started testing a new finish idea for an upcoming range.
I also showed a pedal I’ve been working on for a while: an updated Embers in a smaller format — the goal has been refining the lower-gain, cleaner, tone-shaping side of Embers so it can work like a warm, characterful preamp as well as a vintage fuzz when you push it.
Last call: the remaining pedals are 30% off in March
If you’ve been thinking about grabbing one of my pedals, this is the moment. There are only:
2x Twin Parallel
1x Twin Boost
1x Embers
…left, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
Twin Boost: two independently switchable boosts for flexible gain staging (clean side + bias-driven side).
Twin Parallel: blends those two voices in parallel so you can keep clarity while adding gritty, bias-driven texture, plus controls to tame volume and top-end if you need it.
Embers: vintage-inspired fuzz with a switchable input level and a wide bias range.
Thanks for watching — more soon.
Mojo p90’s in my Epiphone Casino
This guitar was a wedding gift from Emily.
She got an Epiphone Casino and modded it before giving it to me — Bigsby, bone nut, upgraded tuners. It wasn’t an off-the-shelf thing; it had already been thought about. By the time all that was done, though, the budget ran out before getting to the pickups, so I received it with the stock ones still in it.
They were dark, muddy, and very high output. Everything felt pushed forward and compressed. That’s probably fine for some people, but it isn’t how I tend to play. My reference points are more Telecaster and Gretsch - clarity, space, a bit of resistance under the fingers.
Over time, that mismatch meant I didn’t pick the Casino up as much as I should have. Which felt slightly strange, given where the guitar came from.
I spent a while thinking about custom pickups, talking to a few people, going round in circles. Eventually I spoke to Marc at Mojo Pickups, and that conversation cut through things quite quickly. No overthinking, no chasing something unusual, just his Classic P90 dogear set, done properly.
While I was at it, I made a couple of visual changes. I went for black plastic dogears to shift the look slightly, and added a bound black scratchplate. I’d previously gone for the no-guard look, but this felt more settled, more intentional.
The difference once the pickups were in was, of course, immediate.
The guitar now sounds open and clear. It responds to how you play rather than flattening everything out - you can sit back and it stays calm, or lean in and it gives you more back. It works just as well for lead lines as it does for sitting on open chords. Mostly, though, it just feels easy now. There’s no sense of fighting it, compensating or just trying to get it to work. I find myself picking it up absent-mindedly and playing longer than I meant to.
The pickup swap didn’t turn the Casino into a different guitar, it just removed the last thing that was getting in the way, which, in hindsight, was all it ever needed.
Tone controls on a fuzz
A lot of people find fuzz hard to use in a rig, especially live with a band. When you add that much distortion and clipping, everything evens out. Things that normally poke through the mix get flattened. Fuzz can end up quite woolly and full, or really harsh and cutting depending on the amp.
I took the back off the Embers to access the internal bass cut switch and started experimenting. Gain almost all the way up, bias around three o’clock, volume down into a high headroom amp. Even with the input level pulled back, there was still that fizz sitting on top. Sometimes that sizzle is useful, sometimes it isn’t. I wanted the option.
Bias changes a lot of the character. Sweeping it changes the feel as much as the sound. As it comes down things get louder and fatter, and eventually loud and woolly. Any tone control has to work alongside that.
The internal switch on Embers changes the input capacitor. It’s subtle, but switching it tighter does change how the fuzz behaves, especially as you roll things back.
From there I tried a few post-fuzz tone controls. The first one was very extreme. It blanketed the top end, but it also killed volume and didn’t feel that nice. It did a job, but I didn’t love it.
The next option worked differently, but the taper wasn’t helpful and it felt like some mids were disappearing. Changing guitars made that clearer.
The third approach was simpler. A subtle low-pass using a variable resistor and capacitor. Increasing the pot value helped. This one started to feel usable. It took the edge off without smothering everything.
Thinking about it more, I realised the tone control couldn’t really be treated on its own. Working outside the circuit meant loading and impedance weren’t behaving the same way they would inside the pedal.
That led me back to low end. Embers already has a switch that changes how much bass hits the fuzz, but more bass also keeps things fuzzier as you reduce gain. I started experimenting with a filtered clean blend. The split happens before the fuzz, the clean path is high-passed, and it’s summed back in after the fuzz.
From there it goes into a buffer, a makeup gain stage, and the tone control lives as part of that stage. You can tame the high end, bring back some clean weight if you want it, and keep things usable when you underdrive it. It also makes it work on bass without needing external parallel routing.
It’s still a work in progress. Values will need changing once it’s properly inside the circuit. But it feels like the right direction.
Gain staging
This video looks at gain staging. It matters at every level, from what is happening inside pedal circuitry to bigger decisions like pedal order, amp choice, and pickups.
The Twin Boost is used as the main example. Although it is labelled a boost, it functions more like a gain staging pedal.
Setup
The board is kept simple for testing and explanation.
HX Stomp is handling the amp modelling. A Super Reverb model is used first for its high headroom, so distortion is not coming from the amp unless it is pushed hard. A small amount of reverb is added.
Pedals used:
Twin Boost
Modded Nobels ODR-1
RAT
Clean boosts
The Twin Boost contains two independent boost stages.
With the gain set fully down on the right side, it behaves as a clean level boost, expanding the available dynamic range.
The left side, with the bias control set high, can also operate cleanly. Each side has a slightly different character even when used this way.
Stacking gain stages
When multiple gain stages are used, limits appear at different points in the signal chain. Hitting those limits results in compression or clipping.
Stacking the two sides of the Twin Boost recreates this behaviour. The direction toggle changes which stage is hit first, and therefore where clipping occurs.
In this configuration, the volume control of the first stage effectively becomes an input gain, since it determines how hard the second stage is driven.
Gain and bias controls
The gain control limits the range in which the transistor remains clean.
The bias control alters the character and feel of the boost, changing how the signal is constrained at the top and bottom of its range.
Twin Parallel
The Twin Parallel runs both boost voices at the same time, with a blend control to balance between them.
Current versions
The Embers, Twin Boost, and Twin Parallel are being refined and updated. Stock of the current versions is limited, and these specific designs will not be remade in the same form.
Stacking with overdrive and distortion
With the ODR-1, clipping comes from inside the pedal itself rather than the amp. Increasing volume into an already clipping stage does not significantly increase loudness.
If a volume lift is needed after distortion, the boost must be placed after the drive stage.
The RAT demonstrates similar behaviour. Pushing into it increases compression and saturation rather than level, depending on settings.
Pedal order, amps, and pickups
Gain staging decisions affect pedal order and pedalboard layout, and similar decisions exist inside pedal design.
Changing amp models alters how boosts and drives behave. A Super Reverb and an AC30 respond differently to the same settings.
Pickup output also changes how gain stages interact. Humbuckers generally drive subsequent stages harder than single coils.
Closing thoughts
Gain staging happens everywhere, both at the micro level inside circuits and at the macro level of rigs and recording.
Reducing gain can be as useful as adding it. Rolling back volume or designing circuits to work well at lower input levels can produce sounds that feel dynamic and playable.
Fuzz Transistor Shootout
I did another deep dive into a basic Fuzz Face on a breadboard and swapped different transistors to hear what changed (gain, tone, feel).
The circuit had a big input cap at first (so loads of bass). I mentioned Embers has that internal toggle to tighten it up if it feels flubby.
I started with BC108C (high gain) and a big bias trimmer range, so there were loads of “unusable” bias spots… but it was fun for comparing.
The quick impressions
BC108C stayed the running favourite for most of the video.
2N2222A was interesting (I liked it for Twin Boost stuff), but for the Fuzz Face it felt a bit woollier at full guitar volume and less usable when rolled back at lower biases.
BC183L felt low gain and had a tiny usable bias window. I wasn’t sold.
BC549C also felt surprisingly low gain.
BC109C didn’t beat the 108s for me.
BC550C felt higher gain and interesting - made me think about mixing types rather than matching them.
Input cap swap
I tried a 22n input cap (the “tight” option like the Embers low-cut switch). Subtle but useful.
Where I ended up
After loads of swapping (and ear fatigue), I landed on:
Q1 = BC549C
Q2 = BC550C
I said I needed to listen back another day to be sure, but that combo felt like I was narrowing in on what I liked.
Wrap
I was pretty exhausted by the end, but I love this kind of experimentation, a lot of it is tiny differences and “feel”.
I said I’d expand it more later, build prototypes, and that the next couple of weeks’ content would be a mix of bits and bobs while I prep future stuff.
Twin Boost update work (first day 2026)
It was my first day back doing pedal stuff after Christmas/New Year (I’d been back teaching and doing bits in the evenings).
I’d been working on revised versions of the Twin Boost + Embers Fuzz (the two pedals I launched Hamilton Effects with just over a year ago).
After a year of feedback + living with the production models, I had a few things I wanted to revisit at the start of 2026.
A lot of notebook time went into switching headaches, especially on the Twin Boost (I didn’t want to spoil too much yet).
Revised Twin Boost — left side (bias side)
I demo’d it quiet first (volume low) so you could hear what the circuit was doing without it just being “boosted amp sounds nice”.
With normal bias (bias effect “off”) it was slightly gritty.
When I dug in, it had that squish — not quite compression, because it stayed really dynamic, but it was a feel thing (and that’s why I like bias control).
Compared to bypass it had less treble, still clarity, just less.
Turning volume up boosted an AC30 model, and obviously it sounded really nice… but that’s why I showed it quiet first.
In the new Twin Boost I said I was going to include the attenuation switch from the Twin Parallel, so you could get back down to pretty clean.
As I brought in the bias knob (starving the transistor of voltage):
volume lifted a bit
texture/crunch came from the circuit (not just the amp)
it added drive + compression but kept clarity
sharp attack stayed (T-style pickup transient still came through)
pushed far, it got quieter again so I compensated with volume
it didn’t feel like “overdrive/distortion”, but it was still gritty and fun
it was the kind of texture I listened for for rhythm parts
That was where I landed for the revised left side.
Switching / buffer bit (context)
I added a buffer before either boost because for parallel mode the split needs to be buffered.
That created some of the switching headache, because you can choose whether 1 goes into 2 or 2 goes into 1 — but I wanted both boosts to sound good after the buffer.
Revised Twin Boost — right side (classic boost side)
I rebuilt the right side around a few different transistors (I didn’t have any 5088s to hand, so I started with a 2N3904).
I tested input cap values:
22n set the high-pass before boost
I tried 100n (more bass through)
It was subtle, but I ended up leaning toward 100n so bass/baritone players could use it too.
I tried different transistors:
BC550C felt a bit hotter / biased differently (almost like “two layers” of drive / asymmetrical-ish feel), but I wasn’t convinced it was worth swapping for.
2N2222A was way higher gain and I preferred the tone — clearer, less muddy.
I found a resistor was limiting the top end of gain rather than the bottom end.
I added the same 22k input resistor I’d used on the left side, and that cleaned up the super low-gain “sizzle” nicely.
I also tested the clipping diode setup:
I preferred it how I already had it (with that extra diode to ground to soften it a bit) rather than straight hard clipping to ground.
Where I finished
I ended up happy with the right side using the 2N2222A, the input gain calmed similarly to the left side, and the same clipping diode layout as the left.
I didn’t have the right gain pot so I couldn’t test the full gain range, but it felt like a solid updated circuit plan for the next round of Twin Boosts.
Testing the Fuzz Face split-in-half
This video was another step in the Fuzz Face split-in-half experiment, this time with Pete playing it properly and reacting to it in real time.
Pete’s basically my unofficial Hamilton Effects R&D guitarist — he plays everything and gives honest feedback.
What we did
Pete played the Two-Face Fuzz (Q1, Q2, and both together)
We talked through how it worked in plain terms
We compared it to Embers Fuzz
We tried it into / alongside the Twin Boost (which is where the idea came from)
How it felt
Both on = proper fuzz, full and dynamic
Left side (Q2) = the favourite
“Fuzz Face but clean”
Big low end, clear top
Worked great into another drive
Right side (Q1) = gated, spitty, riffy
More extreme, more character
The dual volume pot changed the bias slightly as you turned it down, which felt musical rather than annoying.
Compared to Embers
Same general family
Two-Face felt:
clearer
less harsh
less full
Embers felt more finished
Two-Face felt more weird and characterful
Pete’s takeaway
Loved the look (copper hammered enclosure)
Favourite sound was the left side with that clarity on top
Right side was great for gated riff stuff
Felt creative and inspiring
Where it landed
This wasn’t meant to be a full release, but the response was strong enough that I said I’d build them to order if people want one.
Basically: a weird idea that turned out to be worth chasing.
I tried splitting a fuzz face in half
In this video I did a little experiment that followed on from the Twin Boost chat: a Fuzz Face is basically two transistors (Q1 into Q2), so I wanted to hear what each one did on its own.
So I breadboarded a Fuzz Face, then took “taps” so I could listen to Q1 only, Q2 only, and both together. Messy bench, barking dog, cup of tea - the usual.
The basic idea
If Q1 and Q2 sounded usable on their own, I thought: maybe this could be a pedal
Both on = “kind of” a Fuzz Face
Either one bypassed = two extra flavours
I also said in the video: the one-off pedal I ended up making from this experiment was for sale if someone wanted it.
Breadboard stage
I got the fuzz face working (it was noisy - breadboards always are)
I had one classic “wired it backwards” moment and fixed it
Then I started pulling the circuit apart to listen to each transistor
What Q1 sounded like
Super interesting but kind of woolly / weird
On the B and E strings it barely fuzzed at all
Very “pickup/string dependent” and finicky in a cool way
What Q2 sounded like
This was the one I actually loved
It was cleaner, had a nice sustain, and felt like a single transistor boost stage with texture
It was also the main thing causing popping/fading/rebiasing weirdness while I was troubleshooting
Building the one-off pedal
I moved it onto stripboard and into an enclosure over two days. The hard bit was basically: a stock Fuzz Face goes straight from Q1 into Q2, but if you want each half to work independently you need extra coupling/switching stuff… and the circuit is so sensitive that every little change makes it behave differently.
Also: I accidentally wired the gain control backwards. Silly.
Where I landed
Both on together sounded fun, biting, cutting, but not exactly like a Fuzz Face (extra circuitry changes it)
It didn’t clean up nicely when rolling guitar volume down - it cleaned up a bit but stayed noisy
Q1 alone was velcro-y and strange
Q2 alone was my favourite: textured, clean-ish, “overdrivey boost” vibes
The actual takeaway
The big win was discovering how cool Q2 was on its own. That sound felt like something I could actually build on for a future Hamilton Effects thing.
And yeah - if someone wanted the weird one-of-a-kind pedal from this video, I said to message me.
Twin Boost Notes
In this video, I did a little run-through of the Twin Boost and the different bits and bobs it could do.
The Twin Boost was the first pedal I designed. It was two single transistor boosts, and the idea was that when you stacked them and changed the direction, you could make a dual transistor, fuzz-face-ish overdrive/fuzz kind of thing. The original design had both sides quite clean, but I changed it up a little bit for more variety.
Clean Sound Context
I started with the clean sound, because it was helpful to contextualise what was happening. As soon as I pushed the volume, I started driving into the amp, so “unity gain” settings sounded quite subtle.
Right-Hand Side (Cleanish Boost)
The right-hand side was a fairly simple, cleanish boost.
With the volume levels kind of matched and the gain down low, it gave:
a bit of a bass cut
a bit of an upper mid boost
a little bit of texture
Pushing the volume drove the amp more
The gain knob gave gain from the pedal circuit rather than the amp
Combining gain + pushing into the amp was super dynamic
I put my modded Nobels ODR-1 in front briefly just to get a bit of texture
Overall it did that nice bluesy bit - simple and good fun.
Left-Hand Side (Fixed Gain + Bias)
The left-hand side didn’t have a gain knob in the same way - it had fixed internal gain.
With the bias knob all the way up, it got closer to the right-hand side sound (a bit more full range)
It still cut off some low end to help it cut through
The gain texture felt different: more grit, more texture, less “classic overdrive”
Turning the bias down starved the bias more
It got quieter, so I compensated with the level
Using the volume as a boost added that extra texture
It was like the biasy fuzz sound I liked, but on a cleaner platform. I liked it for an interesting rhythm part.
The Toggle in the Middle (Order / Stacking)
In the middle, the toggle determined whether internally:
the right-hand circuit went into the left, or
the left-hand circuit went into the right
When I did that, I ended up with roughly the same topology as a two-transistor fuzz (one going into the other). The volume control on the first stage acted like how hard I was hitting the second transistor, making it drive more.
The toggle pointed to whichever one was first.
Both On Together (Fuzz-ish Territory)
With both on together, I was stacking the two.
With the settings I had, the two low cuts added together, so even more low end got taken out
It got quite loud and quite gainy
The gain was coming from the pedal itself because the volume slamming into the other volume was quite high
It definitely got into fuzz territory
When the left-hand side was second, it retained the majority of its character.
Flipping the Order (Different Feel)
When I flicked the switch, the roles changed:
One side became the input gain control
The other became master volume
That put it more into high overdrive / distortion territory rather than fuzz, but the bias still flavoured the sound a lot - especially depending on whether it was second in the chain or not.
I also noticed it became a feel thing: the main sound stayed similar, but under the fingers it felt much more compressed because of what was effectively going into it.
Turning the volume right down proved what was clipping was the pedal circuit rather than the amp.
Takeaways
The right side was a simple, cleanish boost with a bass cut / upper mid boost / light texture
The left side was more about fixed gain and bias texture, from “normal” to starved/biasy
The toggle made it behave more like a two-transistor stack, fuzz-face-ish in topology
Switching order changed which side dominated and changed the feel under the fingers
It stayed super dynamic, and it covered a lot of ground depending on how it was stacked
At the end, I said I’d quite like to try one day building a Twin Boost where each half used the kind of layouts you’d see in a fuzz face setup - basically leaning even further into that two-stage idea.
Embers Fuzz Pedalboard Placement
In this video, I played around with my Embers fuzz and tried it in a range of different pedalboard positions to see how it behaved and what kind of sounds I could get out of it.
Vintage-style fuzzes can be quite picky about placement because they like to “see” the guitar’s pickups and respond dynamically. The Embers fuzz was designed to be very dynamic, so I wanted to explore how it reacted in different positions, both with and without buffering.
You might also hear the dog trotting around in the background.
Initial Pedalboard Setup
The board was slightly different from the previous week.
At the start, the signal chain was:
Guitar straight into Embers fuzz (its happiest, most classic position)
Twin Parallel
TC Electronic Third Dimension (Dimension C-style chorus)
Modded ODR-1
The Eight
HX Stomp
In the HX Stomp loop:
Dual delay (same setup as the previous video)
Short reverse room reverb
I was playing a Strat in C standard.
This setup represented the “best case” scenario for the fuzz — straight after the guitar, no buffers in front.
Embers on Its Own
With Embers first in the chain:
The fuzz was full, dynamic, and responsive
It reacted directly to the guitar’s pickups
Bias and gain changes were very noticeable
It behaved in a very classic fuzz way
This was the baseline sound.
Stacking the Embers Fuzz
Stacking with The Eight
One way I stacked the fuzz was by using The Eight to round it off:
Lower gain settings added roundness
Helped tame the harsher edges of the fuzz
Raising the input level pushed it closer to full fuzz
High input levels became very compressed
This worked well for thick, controlled sounds.
Using Embers as a Lead Texture
Another approach was using the Embers fuzz as a different flavour for lead parts:
Extreme bias sounds worked well for riffs or specific sections
Overdrive could stay on for most of the song
The fuzz became more of a texture or colour
Stacking with ODR-1
Using the ODR-1 before the fuzz:
Classic pop / rock overdrive tones
Higher gain into the fuzz caused the low end to swamp and compress heavily
Past a certain point, increasing volume only added more drive, not loudness
If I were stacking like this regularly, I would likely use the internal bass cut switch in the Embers to control low-end buildup. I normally left it off because I liked the full-range sound.
Bias & Gain Interaction
Adjusting gain and bias made a big difference:
Lower bias settings produced a very “woofing” low-mid sound
Lower gain with low bias exaggerated low-mid bloat
Pushing gain added more top-end sizzle to compensate
Pulling the bias back and pushing gain higher created more controlled, usable sounds.
Modulation Placement
There was also modulation on the board:
Chorus after drive was very audible and pronounced
It cut a lot of low end and added a sheen on top
That sheen wasn’t always desirable
I preferred modulation before the fuzz or drive, where the overdrive helped shape and tame the chorus character.
For riff-based parts, chorus after drive could still work, as it was more obvious and present.
Moving the Fuzz Later in the Chain
Next, I moved the Embers fuzz later in the signal chain, which is an unusual position for a fuzz.
Without the Companion
Sound became very harsh and brittle
Much noisier
Bias behaviour changed
Not unusable, but far from ideal
Adding the Companion
The Companion is a pickup simulator designed to help fuzz pedals behave more normally after buffers.
Placing the Companion immediately before the Embers:
Reduced noise significantly
Helped restore balance and dynamics
Allowed the fuzz to work later in the chain
It didn’t make it identical to being first, but it helped a lot.
Boosting Into the Fuzz
Using Twin Parallel into Embers:
Twin Parallel acted as a clean boost at one end of the blend
Attenuation was turned off to push the fuzz harder
Treble cut helped smooth the signal going into the fuzz
This retained the character of the fuzz while adding clarity, similar to underdriving but with more articulation.
Blending in the bias-starved side added grit on top of the clean layer underneath.
This combination worked especially well when not driving the amp too hard, letting the layers remain distinct.
Fuzz After Chorus
Running fuzz after chorus:
Created a very layered, multi-dimensional sound
Felt rich and complex at lower playing dynamics
Added depth and movement
This order was surprisingly enjoyable and inspiring.
Underdrive vs Full Fuzz
With Embers underdriven:
The sound was thick and controlled
Switching to full fuzz was dramatic and aggressive
Stacking with other drives lost some low end but remained very usable
Wah and Fuzz Experiments
I also tested wah and fuzz order, as both are sensitive to placement:
Wah before fuzz made the fuzz the dominant character
Wah after fuzz was interesting but less practical
Removing the Companion increased noise dramatically
Reintroducing the Companion restored balance
In general, having the fuzz last meant it defined the overall character of the sound.
Takeaways
Embers worked best first in the chain in a classic fuzz position
With the Companion, it could work well later in the chain
Boosting into the fuzz created layered, articulate sounds
Modulation placement made a big difference to feel and tone
Creativity in signal chain order was always valid
In the end, I liked the Embers fuzz later in the chain more than I expected. I joked about being the “hipster with the fuzz at the end of the pedalboard”, but it genuinely sounded great.
This video was as much about experimenting and listening as it was about rules. With something like the Companion, the fuzz could live almost anywhere - or without it, you could embrace the noise and different flavours that came with it.
How Many Overdrives?
In this video, I wired up a pedalboard from scratch and tried out a range of different overdrives to get a sense of what my overdrive preferences were at the time.
Pedalboard Setup
Started with a fairly blank board
Embers stayed on because I really liked the underdrive
Companion was left off to save space
Octave pedal wasn’t used this time
Added The Eight (with new knobs)
Twin Parallel and Broadcast were included
Dug out my old Blues Driver (over 15 years old)
Signal Chain
Embers
Tuner
Broadcast
Modded ODR-1
Blues Driver
Stereo delay
The board was messy and not laid out “properly” in terms of power order, but everything turned on, which was the main thing.
Clean Sound Reference
Telecaster into a stereo AC30 setup on HX Stomp
Harmonic tremolo before the split
Two identical amps with slightly different IR mic positions
Slap delay on the left (RE-201 style)
Slower, fading slap on the right
Slightly different delay times for width and space
Overdrive Notes
Embers
Used mostly with the underdrive switched on
Acted more as a low-gain overdrive than a full fuzz
Full fuzz setting was very immediate and present
Fairly full-range with some fuzzy sizzle
Very dynamic and cleaned up well from the guitar volume
Cut through well as a rhythm sound
Blues Driver
Had been a mainstay on the board for years
Usually left on at low gain
Could sound a bit sterile on its own, but worked well in context
Considered modding it, but felt it was great as it was
Broadcast
Modelled on a sound desk-style preamp
Unique breakup character
Overlapped slightly with underdriven fuzz sounds
Worked especially well as a clean texture pedal
Modded ODR-1
Different clipping diodes from stock
Less compressed and more open than the original
Sat more in a rockier overdrive / light distortion role
Retained overdrive-style dynamics
Twin Parallel
Blended between a clean Twin Boost circuit and a bias-starved side
The main control felt like a gain knob but was actually a blend
Very fast, immediate and articulate
Clear even at higher gain levels
Extremely versatile for a two-knob, two-switch pedal
The Eight
Two clipping modes and four tone modes (eight total flavours)
Asymmetrical clipping had a faster attack and more bite
Symmetrical clipping tamed things slightly
Mid-forward character worked well as a solo boost
Not modelled on anything specific, despite a screamer-like circuit shape
Takeaways
Having multiple overdrive flavours was inspiring rather than excessive
Embers covered a lot of ground as both overdrive and fuzz
Broadcast and Twin Parallel overlapped with other pedals but did things in their own way
The Eight worked particularly well as a solo boost
In reality, some pedals would likely come off to make room for reverb or delay
This session wasn’t really about finding a “best” overdrive, but about listening, stacking, and enjoying different textures.
Vintage Ibanez Overdrive II – Full Rebuild
Among the recent repairs to pass through the Hamilton Effects bench was a vintage Ibanez Overdrive II. This one is a real 70s vibe but it had seen better days.
🛠 How It Arrived
The owner had originally tried to modernise it with a 9V power socket since the pedal was originally battery only. Unfortunately it still would not power up. When it came to me the socket installation was already done (in an unusual spot at the bottom of the enclosure) but the pedal remained silent.
🔍 Diagnosis
With a fresh 9V socket installed properly it still refused to work. A quick inspection showed that a handful of components would need replacing to bring it back to life. Given its age and the amount of work required the owner decided it made more sense to go for a complete rebuild of the original circuit instead.
⚡ The Rebuild
The pedal received a full set of new components while keeping the circuit true to the original design. I also added a couple of modern touches:
LED on off indicator (the original did not have one)
True bypass footswitch (it arrived with a toggle switch for on off which is charming but not the most practical)
The result is a louder and more usable overdrive that still delivers that classic overdrive tone but with the reliability and convenience of a new pedal.
🎯 Outcome
Now this Overdrive II is ready to get back on a pedalboard where it belongs delivering vintage grit without the vintage unreliability.
If you have a pedal in need of repair restoration or a sympathetic modern update get in touch. I am always happy to bring great circuits back to life.
James // Hamilton Effects
Post-Brighton Update: Repairs, Prototypes & New Designs
Since the Brighton Guitar Show, I’ve been building pedals, repairing gear, and diving into some exciting new designs. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
🛠️ Pedals Built & Released
The Brighton show was a real highlight - five pedals went to new homes by the end of the day, and it was great to meet so many people face to face. Since then, I’ve been building more pedals to order and working on a couple of new additions to the Hamilton Effects range.
One of them is the Companion - a small utility pedal designed to sit before your fuzz and make it behave anywhere in your signal chain, even after buffers or wahs. It’s got a subtle, classic feel, and it’s my first build using a spray-painted enclosure design. Expect more in this style soon.
I’ve also been experimenting with an analog octave-up pedal, based on a classic circuit but tweaked for a tighter response and better tracking. It’s still unnamed, but one standalone unit is built and being tested - again with a spray-painted design for a more handmade, one-off vibe.
🧰 Pedal Repairs & Mods
Repair work has picked up as well. Recent jobs include:
Ashdown NM-2: Replaced a damaged 9V power socket
EHX Bass Blogger: Full refresh with a new pot, footswitch, and ribbon cable
I’ve got a vintage Ibanez overdrive on the bench for inspection next, and a Submarine SubSix just landed, which I’ll be experimenting with soon - more on that in a future post.
⚙️ Prototypes & Development
I’m continuing to work on some bigger designs behind the scenes. The main one is a dual mono delay/reverb pedal built around the Daisy Seed. It includes:
A Character control for shaping tone, filtering & modulation
Analog dry-through for clarity
Stereo output and real-time modulation of the delay line for organic, tape-like movement
I’m also nearly finished prototyping the Twin Boost Parallel - a more compact version of the Twin Boost with a single footswitch and both circuits active at once.
It features:
A blend control between the gritty low-bias side and the cleaner boost
A boost attenuation switch to turn it into a crunchy low-gain drive rather than such a loud boost
A tone cut toggle to tame harsh highs on bright guitars or amps
It’s aimed at players who want the feel and harmonic grit of the Twin Boost but with a simpler, smaller, pedalboard friendly layout.
🎯 What’s Next?
I’ll be continuing to refine these new designs and take on more repairs over the next few weeks. If you’ve got something that’s misbehaving or an idea for a custom pedal feel free to get in touch.
Thanks for following along,
James // Hamilton Effects