January 19th, 2010. The Farndurk Model 9. A long time coming, and well worth the wait. Triple threat preamp, can be used in just about any form of music. Compression, Clean Boost, and Dual Mode overdrive all in one neat and tidy package. Built tough as a shovel like all Farndurk gear, the Model 9 was born of necessity. A truly roadworthy piece of gear designed for decades of use. Aircraft grade stainless steel hardware used throughout. NOS milspec surplus switches used in military radar gear. Hard-as-the-hubs-o-hell Blackout powdercoating (a custom powder we had made up just for us, it's even UV tolerant). All threaded components are Loctited into place, which greatly reduces the odds of parts coming loose over time. Just a lot of details covering just about every aspect of the construction of the pedal has been addressed.

The Model 9 essentially encompasses the JOE compression circuit, with the added benefit of being able to true bypass the JOE's second gain stage. When I created the JOE I was so impressed with it's sound that I just had to use it in the Model 9, but I gave it the ability to cut the post-gain stage of the JOE in and out via footswitch so as to be able to use it as a boost stage if desired. At the end of the chain is the XOD modal overdrive is a great companion to this comp/gain stage/od mixture. Three independent footswitches give you True Bypass control over all three stages.

Noel Hogan of The Cranberries had this to say about his own Farndurk MODEL 9: "Hi Brian. Got the pedal yesterday and it sounds great, the even tones on the mix of the two together (comp and second gain stage) is fantastic. Great job, thanks so much for all your work. If I get a few photos of the pedal in the rig I will send them on. Thanks, Noel". He took it on a world tour with him and had no troubles with it at all, and it stayed on his stage rig pedalboard throughout the tour. After he completed the global tour, I offered to upgrade his v1.0 to a brand new v2.0 for free, he replied "I saw your email about upgrading me to a free MODEL 9 2.0. To be honest I am really happy with the version I have and would love to keep that one. Could get the new one as long as I can hold onto the one I have?" Oh yea .. that's what we like hearing! The sound of customer satisfaction. Very sweet indeed. :)

The Farndurk MODEL 9 is powered by a circuit I've been working on for a good while now. It combines highly modified renditions of our acclaimed JOE compression circuit (the latest Farndurk compression pcb) with the additional feature of being able to bypass/engage the JOE's second gain stage at will via footswitch, all of which is combined with our acclaimed single opamp modal overdriver. I've refined and simplified all 3 circuits and combined them in a way that allowed me to produce the most transparent compound overdrive I know how to make.

It starts with our proprietary circuit that I named the Early Days of Fire v2.0 (or EDOF v2.0) which uses combinations of different minerals and elements such as Silicon, two separate types of NOS Germanium, Tantalum, special purpose High Voltage LEDs, as well as nothing but 1% tolerance metal film resistors. The Dual Opamp used in the JOE compressor is (of course) a Burr Brown for the greatest fidelity and higher headroom.

The MODEL 9 has 3 footswitches, each one is assigned to one of the 3 sections of the MODEL 9 (Compressor, 2nd Gain Stage, and Modal Overdrive), and of course all 3 sections are True Bypassable.

In it's standard form the Model 9 is equipped with two over-engineered mondo-heavy-duty toggle switches. They provide added functionality to the pedal, and their larger size makes them easier to manage and monkey with on dark stages or dimly lit studios. They are also very positive in their operation. VERY positive. There is no mistaking what position the switch is in, the throws on these switches are a nicely solid engage that report with a confident feeling "clack" when operated.

The toggle switch on the right is a Near-Zero Compression switch. It sets the compression level of the compressor to a near zero condition. Why? Some people really love the sound of our compressor circuit, but do not want any compression. So flip the switch UP and it takes you straight to that condition. All that sweet Farndurk compressor tone without any (or near zero) compression going on. The Cat's PJ's for some folks. :)

The toggle on the left is the Mode selector for the Modal Overdrive section. This switch is standard equipment on the MODEL 9. It changes the mode of the Overdrive from a very cool overdrive to a distortion unit that is useful for so many kinds of music.

Black knobs (above) or Silver Knobs (below) are "your choice" and either type are no extra charge.

You can opt for a Tone Plug port instead of the Mode Selector switch on the MODEL 9. The Tone Plug port is an optional upcharge that adds $40 to the price of the device, and includes 4 Tone Plugs. FOUR! Go here for more dope on the Tone Plug setup to see if it's for you ... Tone Plugs. We can do this with a Nuke Switch, or not ... either way ... your choice. :)

CONTROLS - Knobs, Footswitches, and Toggle switches:

Controls are as follows (from RIGHT to LEFT, just as signal flow is):

Footswitches...

• Right = Compressor Engage/True Bypass
• Center = Primary Gain Stage Engage/True Bypass
• Left = Secondary Gain Stage (Modal Overdrive) Engage/True Bypass.

Toggles...

• Right = Near-Zero compression switch.
• Left = Voice/Mode selector for the Modal Overdrive.

Compression Stage...

Advanced Compressor Use Information: COMPRESSOR OPERATION PAGE: This link takes you to very comprehensive information regarding the operation and use of the Model 9's compressor. It's pretty much the "Owner's Manual" for our compression modules. It would be a good idea to go over it to get a better understanding of what to expect from the compression stage built in to the Model 9. Below is a summary of the Model 9's compression controls.

• Upper Right = stamped "V" - Compressor Volume.
• Lower Right = stamped "C" - Compression Amount.

Here's the Gain Stages of the Model 9...

• Upper Center = stamped "L" - Gain Stage 1 Level. (NOTE: As of 062112 this control is now labeled "G1").
• Upper Left = stamped "V" - Overdrive Volume.
• Lower Left = stamped "G" - Overdrive Gain. (NOTE: As of 062112 this control is now labeled "G2").

120812 - A couple of pics of a recently completed Model 9 Standard.

112212 - Here's a Model9 Standard done up all an all Aluma finish with machined aluminum knobs, no "Nuke Switch" safety covers, and black lettering. I think it looks super tasteful this way. The nickle plating on the large miltary surplus toggle switches, the LED holders and the footswitches combine super well with the custom handmade stainless steel flatwashers and the semi-polished Aluma finish on the cast aluminum chassis. Another stunner. :)

CONSTRUCTION - Built like a hammer:

Per normal around here at Farndurk the Model 9 is built tough as a manhole cover. And just for the record, you can crack open any Farndurk pedal ever made and you will find this level of detail and workmanship. The pedals shown in all of our pictures are actual customer's pedals. Every single Farndurk pedal made looks as good as any pedals you see anywhere in our website. Just thought you'd like to know.

SAFETY COVER OPTIONS and PRICING: Click here for pricing info on the toggle switch safety covers (aka "Nuke Switches").

FINISH OPTIONS and FINISH PRICING: Click here for info on finishes and knobs.

BUYING, WARRANTY, etc... Click here for info on HOW TO ORDER - Our LIFETIME WARRANTY - and RETURN POLICY

And what the heck is OUTLIFE anyway?

Price

List price: $349.00.