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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