Clean Machine - Clean (& Dirty) Sustain
The Turtle Clean Machine is a rare and captivating relic from the golden age of American pedal design. Beneath its distinctive flocked velvet exterior lies the same hallowed fOXX Clean Machine circuitry that made that pedal a cult classic - a multi-stage overdrive and fuzz unit capable of coaxing everything from warm, liquid sustain to thick, spitty fuzz. A rotary selector on the Turtle model allows you to dial in four or five progressively dirtier gain stages, ranging from mild breakup to full-on, harmonically-rich fuzz. But the real magic lies in the responsive volume treadle, which gives you expressive control over the output, allowing you to sculpt swells, dynamics, and articulate, vocal-like fuzz tones. The circuit's silicon transistors (usually BC108 or BC109) lend a tight, responsive character reminiscent of a Fuzz Face blended with the early Big Muff's complex, singing sustain. This rare Turtle variant retains the original fOXX's distinctive die-cast treadle enclosure and flocked finish, often in bold colors like blue, red, or black. While its "Clean Machine" name might be a bit misleading, the Turtle delivers an impressively versatile palette of distorted textures, from smooth, singing overdrive to snarling, speaker-shredding fuzz. Its combination of variable gain and expressive treadle control made it a flexible tool for lead and rhythm work, favored by experimental guitarists seeking to push the boundaries of sustain and distortion.
