Classic MkII Tones and More!
The Lola is my recreation of the classic Sola-Sound 2 Knob ToneBender....but its more than that!
I only use New Old Stock Mullard/Philips Transistors (OC76 in the "Sweet
Spot" Q3 Location) for the Lola. These go through a rough and tumble series
of electrical and sonic tests .... including the dreaded "clean up" test =>
the pedal must sound pure when the guitar volume is backed off. Sure, I have
to toss 75% of the transistors away (as they don't meet my standards for
noise or tone) - but I am not in this for numbers.....I am in this for tone.
The Lola was designed from the ground up as a Negative Ground PNP, so you
can run the tm off the same common power supply as your other pedals. I
still think these Germanium beasties sound best with an old-school
Carbon / Zinc battery .... so, heck, you get one in every pedal!
CONTROLS
Volume - this is the OUTPUT to your amp - I find I can't go
much above 10:00 for unity - go to noon or beyond and your speakers will
cry.
Attack - Just improved for an INCREDIBLE range of fuzz! No
longer content with just the classic Sola MkII tones, I have tamed the beast
to also offer more subtle fuzz variations....I am really pleased to offer
this improvement. Turn the knob and listen to sound of the 60's masters -
play with your guitar volume and tone pots, and you can find Jeff Beck and
Jimmy Page hiding in here - Yardbirds and early Zep are at your fingertips.
Bias - Ah, the secret knob above the stomp switch. Turn it
to tune the fire in Germanium to your taste. Many flavors, from full to
brassy, at your fingertips...Play with it and find what you like!
Input Trim - On the board is a trim pot for "Input Drive".
. sort of acts like an extra guitar volume knob. . . I typically pre-set to
the "wide open" position (full anti-clockwise). You can (carefully!) turn
the knob to decrease (clockwise) the input drive. Lower levels allow better
"clean up" when turning the guitar volume down, but also a slightly lower
s/n ratio. . . higher levels provide more buzz. Set and forget.