Cleveland Flats Distortion User manual

Flats Distortion Quick Start Guide
So you got yourself a Flats Distortion. Congrats! But the Flats can be a little confusing. What
do all these knobs and switches do, anyway? Read on.
Some Favorite Settings
Start here and dont worry about the nerdy details for now. Just copy the controls in these
pics to your pedal to check out just a few tones the Flats can deliver.
Rodent Grind
When you need to bring out your inner rat …
VOLUME at about 1:30 on a clock face.
FILTER at about 10:30.
G IN at about 1:30.
VOICE at about 8:00 (not all the way down).
BOOST mode, Si mode.
Adjust all controls to taste with your guitar,
amp, etc.
70s Dirt
A sweet combo of mud and honey …
VOLUME at about 2:00 on a clock face.
FILTER at about 9:30.
G IN at about 1:00.
VOICE at about 9:00.
VINT GE mode, Si mode.
Adjust all controls to taste with your guitar,
amp, etc.

Warm ‘n Round
Big jazzy tones or for super bright guitars …
VOLUME at about 3:00 on a clock face.
FILTER at about 8:00..
G IN at about 10:00.
VOICE at about 1:00.
VINT GE mode, Ge mode.
Adjust all controls to taste with your guitar,
amp, etc.
These are just starting points.
Theyve been tested on lots of rigs.
But your rig isnt one of them. Experiment!
Dont be afraid to turn the controls to
extremes; it s a great way to learn the Flats.
Nerdy Bits
Heres what all these knobs are doing under the hood, and how some of them interact with
one another. The Flats can be confusing for the uninitiated. Thats just because it s powerful
as crap, yo.
• VOLUME - Turn it clockwise to make it louder. Unity gain is around 2:00 oclock, but
that varies depending on the G IN and Si / Ge settings.
• FILTER - Filters out treble content as you turn it clockwise. Think of it as a “cut”
control. If the tone is too bright or shrill, increase the FILTER to taste.
• G IN - Turn it up for more distortion. The trick is that in BOOST mode, there is a butt
load more available gain than in VINT GE mode. However, on lower G IN control
settings, theres not a big difference between VINT GE and BOOST . Thats because the
BOOST / VINT GE switch doesnt add gain ; rather, it extends the range of the G IN
control.
• VOICE - This is where the magic happens. Turning this knob clockwise allows more
bass content, and reshapes the mid-range and treble frequencies going into the

distortion stage of the circuit. This thickens the tone and has the effect of changing the
intensity and character of the distortion. To completely remove the VOICE control from
the circuit (and bring out your inner rat), leave it fully counter-clockwise. Turning up
the VOICE control just a hair (about 8:00-9:00) is a popular setting.
NOTE: The VOICE control also reduces some high frequencies from the pedals output. As
you turn up the VOICE control, you will likely want to compensate by turning down the
FILTER control. It might feel at first like they do the same thing and are competing with
each other (and they are similar in some ways), but the more you explore the Flats, the
better youll understand the differences.
• BOOST / VINT GE - Extends the range of the G IN control in BOOST mode. It bears
repeating: the lower the G IN control setting, the less difference there will be
between BOOST and VINT GE . This is normal operation. Inserting a dorky graph here
would be obnoxious. Just trust us.
• Si / Ge - In Si mode, two silicon clipping diodes are engaged. In Ge mode, one of the
silicon diodes is replaced with a NOS germanium diode. In Ge mode, there is less
overall volume, less treble, and more of what some people call “sponginess” or
“squishiness”. So, with certain guitar/pickup/amp combos, if you crank the VOICE
control (which darkens and thickens the tone) while in Ge mode, there might not be
much treble left in the circuit even with the FILTER control all the way down. Some
players dig that (looking at you Jazzheads).
Have fun and be safe!