Crowther Audio Prunes And Custard

A bit of a brain squeeze but you'll figure it out with a little work. Here is what Paul mailed me as a sort of manual:
The P&C has two stages: A preamp stage followed by a special distortion
stage.

The Drive control adjusts the gain of the preamp stage from unity to around
100x (0 to +40 db). Of course with sufficient input/drive, the preamp stage
can be overdriven.

The Mix control acts as a balance between the preamp output and the
distortion stage output. For "normal" use for bass guitar, this would be set
at around a 1/3rd to 2/3rd. ("10 O'clock to 2 o'clock")

If the P&C is operated with a lot of Drive and with the Mix all the way up,
the harmonics produced by the distortion stage tend to override the
fundamental sound, and the resulting sound can become a little "thin".
There is an "LF retain" switch, which takes some low frequency from the
preamp
stage output (left side of the Mix control), and mixes it back in with the
distortion stage.

The Level control, as the name suggests, is the overall output volume.
This should always be checked to ensure that there is good good level
balance, or even a bit a boost, when switching in the P&C.

When using the P&C inconjunction with a mixer, as in Live Mixing or for
mixing a recording, the P&C may be patched in to an auxiliary send, and
returned to a spare channel.
In this situation, you would usually set the Mix to full, and the LF retain
off.
Returning the P&C to a channel allows for further EQ'ing .

Sometimes the results from P&C can benefit by having the signal to it
compressed a bit.

If you are using the P&C (or any distortion type device) for drums or other
sounds which have lot of ambient sound in the background, it may be a good
idea to gate the P&C output / return channel, and key the gate from the
original signal.
Got That?

I am so in love with this box. It is like no other you will find. Sort of a crunchy, buzzy OD with something seriously subharmonic going on. You can do that Laswell thing where you turn it up quite high, then play very softly for a fantasticly HUGE dub tone. Maybe not so good for agressive quick stuff, this box definitely likes the slow, fat bass tones; drums do sound good. Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake need one of these for sure. I use it on my Warwick 5 strings for my prog-dub punk-jazz band. This honestly sounds like no other box you will ever hear, sort of a "wave-shaping" rather than a regular clipping. Does that make sense? I can get a lovely large moog tone with this. Great on bass guitar. Then there is this wacky "harmonic intermodulating" thing!? What is it, I don't know but it sho' is way coo. It ends up like a sort of envelope following sweep which is very touch sensitive; the main thing I love most of this box. You play softly and its very clear, dig in and the sweep builds and the buzzy OD kicks in. Very fun. I could use this box in lieu of my octaver, mutron and OD. It seems to cover that many bases IMO. interactive and fun.

knobs are cheap plastic but the box is all metal; thank you Paul. I would like to see more durable rubber knobs but just don't step on it like I did and I'm sure you won't have a problem. I can't see how this box would ever stop working. Obligatory tank comparisons here.

Mr. Paul Crowther went out of his way to answer each and everyone of my nattering stupid questions at great length. What a guy. I tell every person I can about the great product I got from him based not only on the unit itself but on his stellar service. I bought this box w/o even hearing it, based on his mailings alone! He mailed me over 10x in regards to my inquiries. I was one of those pain in the ass customers I am sure. Any one who can be as helpful and kind deserves my $$ for sure. He was also the drummer in the Split Enz, don'cha know.

If this item were stolen I would hunt down the scum who lifted it and beat them senseless with it. i would then plug it in and bring down the most lardaceous, corpulent, deepfried fat basslines you could ever imagine. Great for my progessive dub, good for your electronica, maybe fun for the studio too I don't know. Paul, if you read this...thanks a bunch.

as far as guitar or bass, it's ready and raring to go. turn the drive up, turn the mix up and you're in buisness. it's freaky from the get-go.

i'm using this with all sorts of things, as a guitar pedal, a bass pedal, a preamp for recording, keyboards, whatever. it's really really clean and as the other folks have said, its bypass is really good. the sound of the pedal is really unlike anything i've ever heard. the distortion has a really buzzy quality that i've never heard anything like. it likes a low-frequency sustained notes best, so keep that in mind when you can't figure out why it's not crazy on drum machines. first thing when i got it, i plugged a 606 into it, expecting a synth pedal type thing. while it can do that to guitars and especially basses, don't expect a roland syb-3. it does have a great envelope filter quality and sounds really cool with an e-bow. even plugging a mic into it and tapping on the mic got some great sounds (i jammed with a drummer friend, just hitting the mic on the floor while it was plugged into the pedal; made these awesome percussive "BWAAANG"s).

as far as versatility, it's pretty strong. the distortion can be a bit much sometimes, but turn the drive down and you can still get the envelope filter qualities without all the fuzz. acts as a great preamp to my ac30, giving it this sorta dynamic envelopy snarl.

gets a 9 only because i'd like to see more variation in the sound of the fuzz. but hell, who knows what makes the sound, maybe a "variation" control isn't possible with a "Harmonic Generator/Intermodulator ."

seems well built. i'd take it to a gig with no worries. i've only had it for a month or so but it hasn't shown any signs of stopping yet. the foam rubber strips on the bottom instead of feet are a weird touch, but i think i like them.

haven't dealt with the company. i bought it through gaspedal and i can't really reccomend the experience bt i don't live in ew zealand, how else am i going to get it?

when i first got it i was pretty dissapointed. like i say, i ran a 606 through it and it didn't do much. since then i've been finding all KINDS of uses for it. i'm really happy with it and think it's worth the money every day of the week. i've been making music for 12 years and as i go through gear, stuff like this stands out for how cool and different it is. this is secret weapon material cause it's a very distinctive unit that people have no clue about mostly. i picked it up cause it had a reputation for being weird and it didn't dissapoint, although it was a lot different from what i expected. keep working with it, if what you find initially isn't what you're looking for, keep plugging stuff into it cause it has a lot of uses for a lot of things. PRODUCERS/ENGINEERS TAKE NOTE: you know how tchad blake runs drums through a sansamp to do that really distinctive stuff like the latin playboys? this is one of those pedals. snares sound awesome through it.

bottom line, if you like weird boutique pedals WHATSOEVER, you need this pedal. i'd never sell it.

This pedal is very easy to use. 3 knobs and 1 switch. So getting a good sound is simple. To tweak the sound, you just turn the knob to hear the difference in real time. There are no manuals and no upgrades because they are not needed.

The sound quality is great. The only time you hear a bit of noise is when the Drive is fully cranked but this is to be expected. In bypass mode, the pedal does not colour the signal at all. I'm using this pedal for all sorts of things. My favourite use for it is on the bass and on keyboards. With the bass, it's great for dynamic playing because the pedal is very velocity sensitive(play softly, not much fx, hit hard and the fx are plentiful) and it's cool on the keyboards for dirtying up those clean sounds.

Regarding reliability, this pedal will not be a problem because it's built like a tank. And yes I would and do gig without a backup

Paul was very helpful in helping me aquire this unique pedal. No other contact has been needed.

The styles of music I play are from freaked out groove/funk bass to industrial/electronic mayhem. And I use this pedal in all the bands I play in. I've been playing for over 13 years on guitar and bass, and electronic stuff for about 4 years. I own a stupid amount of gear from guitar/bass stuff to digital setups to studio equipment.
I'd replace the P&C if it was stolen cause there's nothing quite like it.
What I like about this pedal is it's original just like music should be. There's nothing else you can really compare it too. It seems to be envelope based though (a bit like some of those Electro Harmonix pedals but doesn't sound like them at all)
The P&C has been great for finding new tones because of the harmonic content of this pedal (whatever it actuall does).
For those looking for something diffent, check it out. For those who crap on about their marshall stacks, forget it. Way too original for that. I just wish he'd make some more freaked out pedals.

This stompbox is easy to operate. Three knobs and one small Low frequency retain switch encased in a light beige box. Level, Mix and Drive and the three main parameters which are fairly self explanatory. The most interesting thing about this box is the different ways to combine these parameters to get different types of distortion and overdrive. It's official title is 'Harmonic Intermodulaor-Generator', so make of that what you will. It sounds very similar to an auto wah in combination with distortion. Very freaky indeed! Once you get your head around the parameters, it's quite fun to experiment with.
It will run on either a 9 volt battery or 9 volt power supply.

I am using the Prunes And Custard in conjunction with an Ibanez TS9, Crowther Audio Hotcake, Ibanez FL9 Flanger, MXR Dyna Comp, Electro Harmonix Small Stone, Digitech Whammy and a Boss Delay, through a Fender 1965 reissue Twin Reverb. A customised Telecaster is my main guitar. However, the Prunes and Custard really goes to town when you use it on low frequencies such as bass. I use it on my Fender jazz Bass when I get the opportunity too. Imagine a Moog on acid and you get the picture.
Of all my effects pedals (which are mostly analogue) this would have to be one of the quietest. You dont even hear the switching, and the tone of the guitar/bass is intact as it has true bypass.
This pedal has an extermely wide range of out there tones and should be abused with caution!

Like my Hotcake, this is very robust and dependable.

I rang Paul here in New Zealand to get a run down of the recently introduced Prunes and Custard and what its possible uses were. He was very helpful with my enquiries and questions. From experience of dealing with Paul with my Hotcake his customer service is excellent.

I play melodic pop-rock and while it may not be ideally suited for this as a guitarist, I still had to have one after buying my Hotcake off Paul. But if it's weird sounds you're after, this is great fun to use and also indispensable in a studio setting. I'd imagine it would be great for electronica Prodigy sounding synthesisers.

I had discovered this pedal, due to the fact that I had previously purchased Mr. Crowther's fantastic Hot Cake distortion, and I asked him about any other pedals that he might be working on. When Paul first described this unit, he called it a weird synthy-type effect, a ring-modulator of sorts. Three knobs: level (self-explanatory), mix (alternate between dry and wet signals), and drive (alternate between clean and a strange synth-type sound, kind of distorted). There is also a switch called 'LF Retain', which Paul described to me it's purpose, which I've since forgotten, since I always keep it switched to the right. At any rate, it's pretty straight forward.

Due to the fact that I'm not a recording tech engineer type of player, perhaps I'm not the best critic in this category. This thing is for making weird, spacey, psychedelic sounds. Probably better suited for bass and keyboards than for guitar, although it can be used for any sound signal that you want to boost and alter. Used alone with guitar, the sound can get old really fast, as there is not that much variation. Although, where this unit really shines, is when you combine it with other effects. I have tried this pedal in conjunction with an Electro-harmonix Q-tron (awesome!) and a Boss PN2 tremolo (outer space!). This pedal is definitely not for standard rock sounds, but more for the children of the Chemical Brothers generation.

Reliable so far, just like my Hot Cake.

I'm not worried about customer support, as Paul responds to every one of my stupid e-mails in which I inquire about basic questions he's heard a million times before

I am kind of a fan of strange sounding stompboxes, so this is a welcome addition. As I stated previously, this pedal sounds its best when combined with other effects. I wish it had more features on it to increase your options of altering the sound, but you can't be too picky; plus, I think I'm already using (abusing?) this effect in ways it wasn't meant to be used. For fans of strange effects, I recommend this one.