Himmelstrutz FETTO Deluxe User manual

Getting started with the FETTO Deluxe
This document will guide you how to get the most out of your FETTO Deluxe. As a
starting point, please set the controls as shown in the picture below.
Prepare your amplifier
Make sure that your FETTO Deluxe is bypassed. If the blue LED to the left is lit
then press the GIMME footswitch to bypass the pedal. Now tune in a good clean
sound on your amplifier. This is very important if you want a good sound when you
switch on your FETTO Deluxe. When you have dialed in a good clean sound on your
amplifier the next step is to calibrate the FETTO Deluxe´s volume control to match
your guitar’s output level.
Calibrating the Volume
Play your guitar and press the GIMME footswitch (blue LED ON).
Does the sound become louder, softer or is it about the same as
when the pedal was bypassed? Adjust the pedal’s Volume control,
so the sound is just as loud when the pedal is switched on as
when it’s bypassed.
Now you have calibrated the Volume control to match your guitar
output. This means that the FETTO Deluxe won’t push your
amplifier’s preamp to distort or compress. This also means that
all distortion will be generated by the FETTO Deluxe without
overdriving the input of your amplifier. This is ideal when you
have an amplifier which doesn’t distort well or which distorts in
a way you don’t like. Later we will look at how to use FETTO
Deluxe to push your amp and how to combine FETTO Deluxe’s
distortions with your amps own distortion, but for now we will
use FETTO Deluxe to generate all of the distortion.
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Exploring FETTO Deluxe´s controls
Play something with your FETTO Deluxe
switched on (blue LED ON). With the
described settings you should get
slightly overdriven, crunchy sound. Turn
up the Drive control a bit if you want
more distortion – you may have to
decrease the Volume control to maintain
the same output level. The settings
suggested on previous page are set using
a Marshall Super Lead 50 W amplifier
with a Marshall 1960AX cabinet loaded
with four “Greenback” drivers, a very
common and typical rock combination.
If you find the sound too bright and aggressive then turn down the Tone control,
or if you feel that the sound is a bit too muddy or bass heavy, turn down the
Lowdrive control. When you turn down the Lowdrive control, you might need to
recalibrate the Drive,Tone and the Volume control — it’s always about the balance
between the controls. With most good guitars and amps, you should have a pretty
‘good’ sound by now.
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The Drive control
The Drive is the main distortion control. Depending on how it’s set
you can sweep between clean/overdrive/distortion/heavy distortion
without missing anything in between. Set it at 9 o’ clock and you
should get a mild overdriven sound often used in 70’s rock. At 3 o’
clock position will get you a typical ‘80’s British heavy metal sound’
and beyond that you will get even more distortion. At around 12
o’clock you will find sounds which are more distorted than slightly
overdriven, but not as distorted as metal sounds. Rock guitarists
tend to use settings between 9 to 1 o’clock. NOTE: If you turn up the
Drive high, you may need to reduce the Lowdrive and the Tone a bit.
The Mid switch
The Mid switch is a very useful control. The ‘down’ position will
enhance the midrange frequencies and in the ’up’ position the
midrange frequencies are more flat. This switch can be used for
several different purposes. Sometimes, in a band situation, the
guitar can get lost in the mix. Placing the Mid switch in the ‘down’
position may help the guitar to cut through. This switch also gives
the pedal two different voices: one bigger sound and one with more of
a mid-focus. Some amps works better with the switch activated and
other works better without.
Mixing FETTO Deluxe’s distortion with the amp’s own distortions
Many amps (preferable tube amps) sound really good when they are pushed into
distortion. Play something and increase FETTO Deluxe´s Volume control. The output
of FETTO Deluxe can deliver higher signals than a guitar can do alone, so your amp
will now be pushed harder and the preamp section of your amplifier will start to
distort. As the amp distorts you can reduce the Drive control on your FETTO Deluxe
to make it distort less. This way you can mix FETTO Deluxe’s distortion with the
amp distortion if you prefer that kind of sound. Try to find a good balance here.

The Core control
The Core control changes the way the pedal ‘feels’ and reacts. Most
players prefer it at high settings typically around 3 o’clock or
higher, but all settings sound great and are useful. Play with it to
find a setting that suits you. At higher settings FETTO Deluxe’s
distortion will decrease and the output level increase, yeilding a
more ‘punchy’ sound. Interesting!
The Tone control
The Tone control can be used to tame unwanted high frequencies.
It’s very important to set this control correctly to get a good
sound. We recommend you to start around 10-11 o’clock.
The MORE footswitch
When you activate the MORE footswitch, you will get just that: More
volume and/or more drive. The typical use of the MORE switch is a
volume boost for soloing. You can also switch between a 70’s style
crunch sound to a heavier 80’s style distortion sound by pressing
the MORE switch (a bit like going from AC/DC to Judas Priest). The
internal trimmers, outlined below, will help you to find the
appropriate settings for this case.
The MORE footswitch is not a separate booster and will not work unless the pedal
is activated (blue LED ON). If you for some reason have set the external Drive
control and Volume control to max, the MORE switch will do nothing because the
pedal can’t go beyond the max settings of the external Volume and Drive controls.
The yellow LED indicates that MORE is activated.
Inside the box
Inside the box there are four trimmers: Drive and Volume settings for the MORE
footswitch and two other trimmers which you normally won’t need to adjust unless
you have very unusual equipment. They are there ‘just in case’ you need them.
We encourage you to consult the user’s manual if you’re interested in what these
trimmers do.
That’s it. Have fun, but remember that all the FETTO Deluxe is doing is adding
good distortion to your existing sound . Don’t see it as an ‘effect’, cause it’s
more like an extension of your amp. Make sure you have your guitar and amp properly
set up. Then experiment with FETTO Deluxe’s controls to learn where it sings.
Good luck!
C. J. Himmelstrutz
Himmelstrutz Elektro Art, Sweden
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