Barge Concepts BP-1

Very easy. The hardest part is figuring out what control does what. It's:

Harmonics-->Gain/Fuzz
Balance-->Volume
Drive-->Extra Gain Boost

Inside the pedal there are two DIP switches. One turns on or off an input buffer, the other an output buffer.

I'm giving it an 8 just because it takes a bit to figure out how everything works and finding the way you want it to work.

Just one more note: the Drive is not independent from the rest of the pedal, it only works when the effect is turned on, but you can leave it on so when you kick on the effect the Drive is on too.

The two-color LEDs are a nice touch.

Just to start things off, I never heard an original Harmonic Percolator so I can't comment on the replication situation.

I've had this pedal for a while now and found that it basically has two applications. The first is a mild overdrive, the second is fuzz mayhem. I will address them individually. Keep in mind I have the buffers off.

Mild Overdrive: setting the Harmonics control anywhere up to 3 o'clock gives you a smooth overdrive. It does color the sound by taking away some the sparkle and bite from brighter pickups (i.e. single coils, Filtertrons), but it adds thickness. Otherwise, the tone is very neutral. Kind of sounds like the amp is compressing at high volume. At the higher end of this gain spectrum, you can here hints of fuzz as it gets pretty thick.

Overdrive w/ Drive: kicking in the Drive here adds more gain, taking the effect more towards medium overdrive, and some of the top end that was lost originally comes through. Low Harmonics/Drive settings yield a clearer mild overdrive.

Fuzz: setting the Harmonics control at 3 o'clock or higher sees the thick, smooth overdrive become a thick, smooth fuzz. Nothing ridiculous, but you hear the fuzzy overtones more clearly.

Fuzz w/ Drive: this is the most unique sound this pedal makes. With drive, the thick, muffly (not Big Muffly) fuzz turns into something just short of old school fuzz mayhem. The sound turns into a sputtery, very compressed yet oddly percussive fuzztone. This is best for single note playing, as any chord overwhelms the signal causing it to decay very quickly with crackly static. This is pretty cool if you like raunchy old school fuzz. It will really get that "WTF was that?" reaction from anyone who hears it. The one bone I pick with this is that output volume drops in this mode, which causes two problems. First, it makes the background noise relatively louder. Second, the signal volume drops to the point where your bypass signal is louder unless you are really cranking the Balance, making the noise worse. It's the only real issue with this pedal, and when I figure out how to deal with it, it will make this pedal much more useful. Perhaps turning on the input buffer...or maybe that might cause the sound to fall apart more. Whatever the case, my feeling is if the volume/noise issue could be amended, I would say this sound is worth the price of the pedal.

It's housed in a raw Hammond 1590BB box. I'm sure it's a tank.

I remember interacting with the guys and their responses were quick and very helpful. I'll give 'em a 10.

I'm rating this pedal fairly high, but I think it does two very different things pretty well. The overdrive applications are nothing particularly special, but I do like it, and you do get two slightly different flavors (sounds great with slide). The lo-fi fuzztone is the coolest sound this thing makes, but I need to figure out the volume issue if I'm going to use that sound live. Anyway, definitely a good pedal for the money (I payed the original going price before they bumped it up to $145). Worth it if you are curious.

Easy. Although there is a switchable buffer that you need to unscrew the pedal to switch. I'm sure this won't be a problem when i have finally decided if i will use the buffer or not.

Interesting sound. This pedal is sold as an Interfax Harmonic Percolator clone. I have never played a harmonic percolator, so i don't know how it compares.

The first stage consists of a realy smooth overdrive sound that brings my Les Paul to life. It seems to produce another tone - and when you bend sometimes you hear the pitch of this tone travel in a contrary direction to your bend. I like this.

the second stage is much grittier, but all of the pots on this pedal seem to offer a really big and smooth sweep so you can dial in just the right amount with any pickup. I found I got a lot of squealing feedback with a single coil neck pickup on a Fender Jag at the very highest gain setting on the second channel, but with a little adjustment this could be dialed out.

This is a VERY quiet pedal.

Not had this long but...

Open it up, go on! If you are a gear pervert like me you will admire the way this thing is made on every level. No nonsense solid design, any cabling is neatly secured the switches and pots are simply the best. I appreciate this because i have had so many other pedals that need frequent maintenance.

I had mine shipped to the UK. When the pedal didn't show I contacted Barge through there web page and Geoff Bryant shipped out another pedal right away. The other pedal eventually turned up and had been lost in the postal system for a couple of months at no fault of Barge Concepts.

I would say the best service.

I normally use a lot of pedals with my band, but i know i really like a pedal when i just want to use it as the only pedal between my guitar and amp for jamming at home. The actual fidelity of this pedal is great and deserves not to be muddied by the rest of your chain.

Takes longer than your average dirtbox to work out exactly how it will best suit your needs, and settings most definitely need changing depending on your guitar/amp. And where you place it in your line-up takes more experimentation.

This is no ordinary overdrive, distortion or fuzz. In fact I've never played a pedal that can produce sounds even close to this (although I'm sure there are some out there).
The best way I cam explain it is by saying that the basic sound is closest to a silicon fuzz which, at low 'harmonics' levels is more akin to a very springy, transparent overdrive (with a litte background 'sizzle') that has been blended 50:50 with your dry sound. As you turn up the 'harmonics' knob the dirt gets more and more saturated and the wet:dry mix approaches 100% dirt.
By kicking in the 'drive' channel and increasing the drive knob you add extra volume, sustain and saturation until it sounds like the speaker has ripped and your whole set-up is about to explode and harmonic overtones come and go, almost like there's some kind of randomly oscillating filter going on.
Having said all that, it really isn't as wild as you might think, as could easily be used to get more conventional distortion sounds, although it probably is more suited to garage rock/sub-pop/experimental/over-the-top sounds.
Obviously with higher gain settings there's a fair amoint of noise, but no more than a Big Muff.
One thing this pedal cannot do is give you a low-noise clean boost, but that's a little irrelevant.
I really don't know how to score it for sound quality - I guess if it's what you're after it deserves a 10 as it does what it does well, but some folk might not find much of a use for it.
I know Steve Albini uses the original Harmonic Percolator but I've never listened to his recordings so can't comment on how close this is to the original.

Definitely full marks here

And here!

As I alluded to above - quite a unique pedal that you will either absolutely love, or scratch your head about. I personally find it a little too far out for my needs but if you want to stand out from the usual crowd of overdrives, distortions and fuzzes, with 2 channel functionality, then this may be the pedal for you.
Price wise it's excellent value.

This pedal is very easy to get so many great tones and sounds from! With three knobs Drive, Balance, & Harmonics you can spend just a few minutes and find very usable tones. You also can tweak for hours and find new and exciting gobs of sweet analog overdrive through Fuzz Luv! No manual came with it but not needed. Half the fun is just experimenting!

This is a clone of the Very Rare Perculator made in Milwaukee in the 70's. I have heard the sound clips on the internet and have to say this sounds better than any clips I have heard fronm the original! I could care less if I can duplicate some Rock Gods sound. I love this pedal because it helps me create my own distinct tone. It is not noisy unless fully cranked. Once your cranked up I would expect no less! I run this and many Series 9 Ibanez and other handmade goodies through a Fender Super Champ and a Reverend Hellhound. The last 4 effects in the chain (Ibanez Chorus, Rockman Stereo Echo,Boss Stereo Enhancer EH 50, and then a Boss Stereo Noise Suppresor NS 50 run to both amps for nice dripping sweet swirling stereo ear candy!

I have had it just a few weeks but it is built Rock Solid! I would not even consider having a back up as this is a quality product and I would have faith in it lasting decades!

Geoff is a great guy who will answer your emails very fast. Excellent customer service that is very much appreciated! Large corporations can't get even close! Barge Concepts are quality products and great service!

I play Blues, Rock, some Shoegazing, and just like to jam out. I am an older guy now in my mid 40's past bands and giging ect. I collect cool vintage and up and coming equipment. I have sold many very collectible items because I could get big jack for them. If the hype does not equate to tone I sell it and move on. This will stay in my keepers stash. I love the fact that the Harmonics control can get you so many differnt tones that its unreal. I use a parametric eq and with that and the HP 1 it is amazing! Somethings are left be be discovered for ones own tone. I would recomend this to anyone who enjoys analog od and so much more. It also has two drive channels! This can make a nice single channel tube amp into a 3 channel tone master. Buy one you won't be disapointed. For the $$ it is a no brainer and a great investment for better tone! If it were lost or stolen I would buy a new one for sure.