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pedals  
manner that leans towards dark and smoky, which we  
love, helping you to navigate the High Landrons and  
a spectrum of tones that can whisper gently in crisp  
passages or roar with ferocity when pushed.  
We caught up with Jeff for the latest at Analog Pedals  
and how the KY Hot Brown came to be.  
When I started building pedals, I tried building  
anything and everything. My inspiration was the Klon,  
which I’ve tried to capture with my XS Overdrive. I  
was in a musical side project with a good friend who  
had a real Klon, way back in the day, and I loved  
it when he played through it. I bought a Klone kit,  
one of those Chinese kits off Amazon for $40. Once  
complete, it was terrible and didn’t work. However, I  
didn’t give up and subsequently went with something  
more simple, a point-to-point kit from Mod Kits DIY,  
which was basically a clone of a Z-Vex Super Hard  
On distortion. That worked, and I still have it. A  
couple successful, good-sounding fuzz pedal builds  
subsequently confirmed for me that I could do this.  
Delving into how to make and etch my own circuits  
was fulfilling, and that took me several years to get  
down. I make the KY Hot Brown circuit board myself  
and do everything with it. The inspiration came from  
the Wampler Pinnacle, as it has six JFET gain stages  
and it’s probably the closest thing I’ve built or heard  
in a pedal that can do the early Eddie Van Halen  
tones—that warm “brown sound” that helped with the  
name KY Hot Brown. I don’t know if you’ve been to  
Kentucky, but we’re known for our KY Hot Brown,  
which is basically a comfort food.  
stage on tap. As for the Strat, with the toggle in position  
2, it was lovely. What a cool pedal for southern rock  
and roll, nailing the songs right and left. You may not  
have heard of Missing Link Audio, but you have now.  
They have quite a few things going on, and many other  
pedals, too. With the Plexi almost dimed, we were as  
free as a bird now, and that bird you sure can’t change.  
Quest forth…. TQ—Riverhorse  
TQR: Hadn’t heard of it, but we were just up in  
British Columbia, and their go-to bar/comfort  
food is Poutine.  
I imagine that, yes, if that’s their go-to, we’re talkin’ the  
same type of thing.  
TQR: French fries and cheese curds, slathered in  
gravy. It’s quite delicious, especially with a  
cold pint of a nice session pale ale. A quick  
Google search suggest that KY Brown is  
“a decadent and over-the-top open-faced  
sandwich starts with thick sliced bread toasted  
and piled high with thinly sliced roasted  
turkey, tomato, and a creamy mornay sauce.  
It's then broiled until the sauce is browned in  
spots and topped off with crispy bacon slices  
and a sprinkle of parsley.”  
LIKE GRAVY FOR YOUR POUTINE  
Jeff Bolin's KY Hot Brown  
In the ever-exploding landscape of overdriven and  
distorted guitar tone, Analog Pedals’ KY Hot Brown  
emerges like an aged whiskey, steeped in sonic warmth  
and expressive nuance. Crafted with meticulous hand-  
built attention to detail, this pedal stands proudly  
among what feels like thousands of similar creations, a  
testament to the spirit of its creator, Jeff Bolin.  
Sounds right, and I try to incorporate KY culture into  
my pedals. The Cedar Flat Lightning was inspired by  
the name of the town where Greg Martin grew up.  
Chris Robertson from Black Stone Cherry is also from  
Cedar Flats. They’re both fantastic players. The XS  
is inspired by a Louisville-based friend’s band of the  
same name. The Sugarbuzz Fuzz is a shout-out to the  
namesake band, as well.  
At the heart of the KY Hot Brown's magic is its  
Contour control, which distinguishes it from the  
pack. This knob sculpts and complements the EQ in a  
TONEQUEST REPORT V.25 N.8 June 2024  
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