Andertons celebrates 60 years in business with Commemorative Limited 200 Run ThorpyFX SixZero Tremo-Fuzz collaboration

Initially when I saw the enclosure I thought to myself - great concept, but I would have preferred a compact enclosure - while Lee and the team at Andertons wanted to lean into the vintage side of this pedal - and therefore go with the larger of the Thorpy enclosure sizes.

The colour and the contour-line artwork is pretty striking - and it didn’t take me long to process and decide that I really wanted this pedal - especially after I heard the Pete Honoré demo. This is a very unique ThorpyFX - where the Tremolo side was designed be a 14-year-old Dan Coggins, and the Fuzz side has been designed by Thorpy here. He’s already experimenting with a Silicon version of the Boneyard Multi-Bender - so he was able to put that circuit research into good use here.

Each of those voicings sounds exceptional - it’s one of the most beautiful Tremolo voicings I have heard - with the most exquisite pattern of decay. I’m typically a Harmonic Tremolo guy - but this 2-knob tremolo is really sensational!

On the other side Thorpy has totally nailed that dry reedy sort of clipped Tone Bender MKI texture - that too sounds incredible, but was less of a surprise for me than the Tremolo side - my expectations are always high for a Thorpy circuit.

I made the mistake of placing this pedal in the middle of the board - there was no guidance at the time as to pedal-chain positioning - while this is a vintage style circuit which cannot follow a buffer - meaning it absolutely has to be at the front of the chain.

The original TB MKI had Mullard OC75 + 2 x TI 2G38 - All Germanium Transistors - so it’s incredible that Thorpy gets so close to that core texture and tonality with Silicon 549c and 557B/C Transistors - it really has that very distinct character and timbre.

Controls - FUZZ } Level, Attack, Fuzz Footswitch, TREM } Speed, Depth, Trem Footswitch.

The Fuzz Sweetspot (depending on pickups) can typically be found between circa 9 and 10 o’c - listen for the lasting sustain. For me it’s optimal at 9 o’c - with the optimal sweep of that knob for me being between 9 o’c and 3 o’c.

My preferred settings are - Trem Speed @ c. 1:30 o’c, Trem Depth @ 3 o’c, Fuzz Level @ Noon, Fuzz Attack @ 9 o’c.

And when you combine both side you typically need to knock the Depth back a notch or two - what a fantastic 3-in-1 pedal - both sides are incredibly strong on their own, and combine superbly too. Congrats to us lucky 200 who managed to snag one - I obviously dithered a little as mine is #84, very happy to add that one to the collection.

Thorpy designed Silicon Tone Bender MKI

"Sometimes, less is more. In the case of the Six Zero’s fuzz circuit, it’s WAY more. ThorpyFX set out to bring the idea of a silicon version of the MKI ‘Bender’ fuzz circuit to life with the simplest possible controls. They settled on the simple combination of ‘Level’ and ‘Attack’, letting you seamlessly move between the choppy, crushed sound of gated fuzz to the intense saturation and sustain that’s turned heads for 60 years and counting."

Dan Coggins designed vintage-inspired Amplitude Tremolo 

"While the fuzz oozes tonal character and rich resonance, the tremolo injects movement, variety, and some dialled-up vintage character. The trem is based on a design from renowned pedal guru and ThorpyFX collaborator Dan Coggins, originally dreamt up on his 14th birthday (!) while listening to Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’. You know the sound. Sticking to the theme of simple controls – Depth and Rate – Coggins’ tremolo circuit works wonders, whether in perfect harmony with the fuzz or in wobbly isolation."

The SixZero Tremo-Fuzz is only available via the Andertons Webstore - where it goes for £249, free shipping in the UK, £199 and equivalent minus UK VAT - plus shipping. Lee stated circa $260 for Americans all in! Alas the 200 sold out on the day as expected (yesterday), while I have a feeling there will be more - but they won’t be individually numbered and signed in the same way - and likely a different colour too. Really worth getting one in though as both sides are exceptional and Thorpy has not released these two circuits previously!