Big Brother is here ....
I started my This Machine Kills Fascist pedals when Australian prime minister John Howard was re-elected back into power. It was a period of greed and war mongering and the optimist in me was sure this ... man was going to be thrown out for the crimes and atrocities he was responsible for. He went on to serve three more terms.
Disillusioned and disgusted with the uncaring country we were becoming I decided to start making a simple little pedal with a printed piece of paper glued to the top of a Hammond enclosure and clear coated with half (or more if the customer wished) the money going to any agreeable charity to help offset this feeling of shame and emptiness.
Once I moved to the new stainless steel Tym enclosures the TMKF pedals moved with me. Still $100 with a donation of equal or greater amount to any charity.
First in the big box, then the small as they have been now for several years.
As I get more and more frustrated with people in power and humans in general I decided it was time to make a bigger version of this pedal that could do more good.
I'm incredibly proud that this little pedal, in it's forms so far has raised well over $10000 (121 made at this point) for people less fortunate.
It has always been available in a FUZZ and DISTORTION version and this new box is no different.
The FUZZ version is a moded Tym Rams Head Big Mud with more gain, more mids and a darker tone overall. It still has that RH thing, which I love, but my standard RH is very scooped so this one brings back the mids and uses higher gain transistors for more saturated gain.
The DISTORTION version is my "Marshall in a box" that I made recently for a friend and then for Blackie from the Hard-Ons to help raise money for his Song a Day project. This is an overdrive/distortion with asymmetrical silicon clipping and an active tone control aiming at an early JCM800 type tone.
Neither of these pedals (at this stage) will be offered outside of these new TMKF pedals so if you're keen, give some money to someone who needs it and support this idea.
Both new "big box" versions will be $100 with $200 (or more) donated to any agreeable charity. The first batch, available in a few weeks will have all money going to UNHCR for all their amazing work they do with refugees and humans in need.
Thanks to everyone who has ever supported this idea.
HERE'S a story on an early one.