It was a longer and harder process than I’d ever imagined, but the first of my four new pedals is finally released and in stock now at Vintage King.
Here’s my product demo:
And here’s a just-posted “First Look” video from John Bohlinger at Premier Guitar:
Man, it’s always such a trip when you tinker with an effect and play it in isolation for years, and then hear it being played by someone else. But I couldn’t be luckier: The first person who ever played one beside me was the stupefyingly talented Blake Mills. (He dug it, and he got the very first production model). And now, another performance by another of my favorite players. Pinch me!
There’s lots more info about Porkolator on the Joe Gore Pedals product page. As I explain, this is a highly mutated version of a circuit that was pretty bizarre to begin with: the Interfax Harmonic Percolator. There is so much bad info about the original pedal floating around. Everyone seems use a couple of phrases over and over: “tube-like” and “even-order harmonics.” Wrong and wrong! Everyone’s just copying something (incorrect) they read somewhere else.
A few years ago, I did a story on the Harmonic Percolator and its boutique DIY spinoffs. Even if you don’t especially dig the pedal, it’s an interesting study in how an effect gets tweaked and modernized. Here’s the accompanying video.
At the end I demonstrate an early version or Porkolator, though it’s changed so much that you can’t really compare. I gave this original to famous drummer and not-as-famous guitar player Matt Chamberlin during a film score session. Like many of my hand-built prototypes, it promptly broke. Fortunately, the new ones are built by the talented professional at Cusack Music. I just designed the damn things.
So, is the porkolator giving Blake Mills the beautiful fuzzy, splatty, chewiness in his tone? I mean his tone through all those great amps is gorgeous anyway, but man when he jumps on whatever the hell it is, in the loud sections of “If I’m not Worthy”, I totally get goosebumps.
Thanks for all the awesome pedals, and thanks also for drawing my attention to Blake Mills – I can’t believe it took this long to have somebody point him out, but then we are a bit slow over here in ‘Straya 😉
I haven’t felt like this about a guitarist for a long time. Amazing tone, masterful control, combined with great taste, and songwriting, and all in a shred-free zone!!
I am so tempted to lie and say “yes!” But Blake has only had Percolator for a few weeks. 🙂
Well I’m sure it’ll be soon we’ll be hearing the porky kersplutteration on his recordings… Are your pedals available her in Oz?
I hope to have an Oz distributor before long. But for now, they’re only available from Vintage King. At least they ship internationally.
https://vintageking.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=%22joe+gore%22
Hey Joe.
Is the schematic for the clone (not the Porkolator) you used in this video something you’re willing to share?
Sure! Here’s a good version of the original:
https://pedalparts.co.uk/docs/HarmPerc.pdf
Don’t sweat the specific hard-to-find germanium transistor. Any commoner PNP Ge transistor will work. (an AC-128, for example.)
You might also check out Tin Escobedo’s simplified Harmonic Jerkulator:
https://aaronlumguitar.blogspot.com/2015/01/new-diy-pedals.html
If I were to build one from scratch right now, I might start with the Jerkulator, but add the clipping diodes from the original.(That is, components D1, D2, and R5 from the first schematic.) Try different diode combinations till you find you fave. 🙂