Can a dead battery make my guitar sound better?

Comments · 423

• MA

  @MadScientistGuitarLab · 3 months ago (edited) · pinned

  Many players believe part of that classic fuzz sound in Spirit in the Sky comes from running the circuit from a weak or dying battery. Instead of hunting for old batteries, I built a simple voltage sag box that lets me dial the pedal&apos;s supply voltage up and down with a knob. I call it the Everdead (or Dead Batt), and it&apos;s a quick DIY project that can dramatically change the character of a fuzz pedal.<br><br>In this video I show how the circuit works, how to wire it, how to test it, and most importantly, how it affects the sound of the modified Satisfaction Fuzz. Does starving the pedal get us any closer to the famous Spirit in the Sky tone?<br><br>Update… the Everdead is not a product that I make to sell at this time. This was never meant to be an advertisement. Having said that, some folks still want one so I may make a few.

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• SK

  @SkullDraizer · 3 months ago

  I really like the label.

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• MA

  @malebolgia07 · 3 months ago

  When I was 15 and just starting to play I wanted an effects pedal. I went to my local music store with $20 and the only pedal I could afford was an Ibanez compressor. I had no idea what it was supposed to do. <br>One day I was playing my cheap ass guitar through my broken Sunn pa with the stupid compressor pedal and the battery started to go dead. It was the best 7 minute childhood memory I have. <br>That distortion sounded so good. That was 45 years ago and I still have that pedal with the dead battery in it.

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• PR

  @prodajie · 3 months ago

  The graphic alone makes me NEED it.

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• IN

  @InfinityMotorsports · 3 months ago

  Effect is dialed and the graphics guy definitely understood the assignment &nbsp;- perfecto

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• MO

  @Mo11y666 · 3 months ago

  Thanks for explaining this with great camera and hand drawn diagrams. Almost no way to mess it up the way you explained it

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• MC

  @mcpattrsn · 3 months ago

  I totally would pay for that label! 😍

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• CU

  @curtisphilumalee1447 · 3 months ago

  Early ZZ Top songs might benefit from this device

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• RO

  @rogerjohnmagyar · 8 days ago

  Awesome af! Thanks for brightening my day, Bill. Peace.

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• MA

  @markcharleslamendola2928 · 3 months ago (edited)

  oh my God I can’t believe you made this video to me. This is so cool and brings back memories. I bought that Gibson fuzz box back in the 60s when it first came out I believe it was Gibson and because it wouldn’t hold the 9 V charge very long. It started having some weird breakup sound which I should’ve loved at the time but when I tried playing some songs of Jimi Hendrix, it wasn’t happening…Would’ve been great for satisfaction. Absolutely thanks for posting this. It’s true a week battery gives a different break up. I actually took the fuzz box and I smashed it on the ground because it just pissed me off at the time.

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• WH

  @whyismyeyetwitching · 3 months ago

  Nailed it.

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• PA

  @Paul-u2x7h · 3 months ago

  I just use the voltage dial on my One Spot CS 12 at 4-5v to acheive the dying battery effect, run my Fuzz through that particular ISO circuit.

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