The following detective work, was pieced together with the invaluable assistance of Greg Kurczewski, and Rockhaus Guitars: Once upon a time, there was a gentleman who established an electronics repair business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His name was Ed Giese, (approx. spelling), pronounced: Gee-Zee. Along with making cable testers, etc. he began to experiment with signal processors for the guitar. At least one of these turned out to be a gem: his Masterpiece: a curious, little, beige box called, the Interfax Harmonic Percolator.
What's even more curious, and rare than this pedal, is locating the "fact sheet", that came with it. :-) We'd like to offer more technical information on how it accomplishes its effect; however, here's the overview from a player's perspective: There are two slider controls: Harmonics, & Balance, and an on /off footswitch. This circuit can provide, a robust, driving fuzztone, but also highlights some aspects of your sound by accenting overtones/harmonics in a way that is very expressive. At lower levels, it can put a wicked edge on a signal which is otherwise neat and clean. In our sound file, we have a stock Tele going through a BF Fender Vibrolux at very modest volume. This combination normally produces a clean tight sound, yet to listen to the "juicy" edge, and fat sustain imparted by the Percolator, without lots of buzz, white noise, or flatulence.
We've been told that some people just push both sliders all the way up, and thrash. This approach does give you a great, thick, fuzz tone. However; most fascinating to us, are the subtler tone enhancement, coloration, and sassy "edge" type settings brougt out in rigs that already have the right stuff. Your guitar & Amp's character remain largely in tact at these less extreme settings, which will appeal to those who have found their tone for the most part. The Percolator can be used to "blast", or make an important, subtle difference in its own way, just like Tube Screamers do in theirs. Some highly respected producers use this unit when they record their bands: (Steve Albini, for example is said to be a devotee).
Mr. Geise is gone, but he left some of the best part of himself in these little Percolators. There likely could have been a cult of Percolator devotees: Imagine the heated discussions re: if the Decaf model was strong enough, or the Espresso version was a mistake), if only Mr. G. had been able to mass produce more than a handful of these sweet circuits.
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