Brown Dog

gated bass fuzz

The Brown Dog enables you to produce rampaging waves of meat with your bass guitar while still keeping your basslines tight and letting the character of your instrument's tone shine through. With two fuzz modes (hard and soft), a mixing stage and a unique gating circuit the Brown Dog gives you a wide range of fuzzy and synthy bass tones. Listen to it now!

Based on our highly acclaimed FZ002 gated bass fuzz, the Brown Dog adds soft mode and features easier to use mixer controls. With true bypass and only the best quality analogue electronics, the Brown Dog is perfect for all you clean sound freaks. Use the special envelope connector in conjunction with the Agent 00Funk Mark II for synth bass that will really freak you out!

Bootsy Collins says:

If you like a little Pee that carries a Big Sub-Stain, then check out the Brown Dog because he does bite!

Check out who's using Chunk.

features

Suitable for bass guitar.
True bypass.
Four controls allow you to fine-tune your sound.
Switchable soft/hard fuzz mode.
Special gating circuit lets you keeps your basslines tight.
Output mixing stage allows you to keep the character of your instrument.
Runs from a single 9V battery or external power supply (not included).
Convenient form factor includes no-tools battery drawer.
Sturdy steel case finished in a luxurious chocolate brown.
High quality soft-feel foot switch.
Compatible with Agent 00Funk Mark II for crazy synth tones.
High quality analogue electronics throughout.
Lovingly manufactured in Australia.

connectors

The Brown Dog has four connectors on the back:

input - signal from your instrument comes in here.
envelope - connects to Agent 00Funk Mark II for maximum squelch.
output - signal goes out to your amplifier or Agent 00Funk Mark II here.
9vdc - plug in a regulated 9V DC 2.1mm supply here.

controls

In addition to the high-quality metal bypass switch, the Brown Dog has four knobs and a switch:

The dirty level controls the volume of the signal coming from the Brown Dog's fuzz circuit in the output mix. To make the fuzz louder, turn it up. To make the fuzz quieter, turn it down.
The clean level controls the volume of the original input signal in the output mix. The Brown Dog mixes the dirty signal coming from its fuzz circuit with the original input signal so you can determine exactly how much fuzz you want and keep the tone of your instrument.
The gate control governs how loud the input signal must be for a fuzz tone to be produced. Especially in hard mode, you can use this gating effect to prevent hum from your pickups and the noise of your fingers on the strings from being amplified by the fuzz circuit. You can also ensure that your notes start and end cleanly, so your bass line remains clear even though you have massive amounts of fuzz applied.
The drive control alters the character of the fuzz produced by controlling how hard the fuzz circuit is driven. Driving the fuzz harder squares off your sound more and makes it sound harsher. In hard mode with maximum drive, you can get synth-like square wave tones. In soft mode, the drive control will alter the volume of the fuzz signal and you may find you need to compensate with the dirty level control.
Use the mode switch to switch between soft and hard fuzz, which have different characters. The hard fuzz produces very square-edged acidic tones. Use it for really hardcore metal sounds or turn up the gate for some great synth tones. The soft mode produces a classic warm bass fuzz.

sound samples

The following samples were recorded with an electric bass and a Brown Dog. The pictures show the control positions that were used to record each sample. Click on the sample names to listen to the sounds.

Further down you'll find sounds which also use the Agent 00Funk Mark II envelope filter with the special envelope connection to create some nifty synth bass effects. The control positions for the Agent 00Funk Mark II are also shown where it has been used.

sound	Brown Dog control settings	Agent 00Funk Mark II control settings
Bodyheat: Turn all controls straight up, strip down and prepare for to be warmed.		Agent 00Funk Mark II not used for this sound.
Noise Margin: Ouch!		Agent 00Funk Mark II not used for this sound.
Tightass: With the gate control set high each note has a really tight start and end.		Agent 00Funk Mark II not used for this sound.
Upper Crust: Turn down the dirty level and the drive to crustify the edges a little.		Agent 00Funk Mark II not used for this sound.
Throb City: Look - down in the funk! Its a Moog! It's an Prophet! No its Chunk Systems.
Large Portions: A bit of fuzz, some nice sweeps and its time to kick back and let it all hang out.
Mindsweeper: Turn the squelch and the drive to the max to blow your mind!
Launch Party: Make some sound effects straight out of 1978 with the down mode and maximum smoothness.

reviews

Check out the new video review of Agent 00Funk Mark II and Brown Dog from Ed Friedland at Guitar World:

user manual

View or download the user manual for the Brown Dog as a PDF here.