Wampler Leviathan Fuzz User Manual

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Leviathan Fuzz

Brian hasn't been your typical "fuzz guy" all his life. He doesn't use words like
"hair" to describe the amount of distortion, and if one of his pedals sounded
remotely "splatty" he'd probably want to get it in for warranty.

Still, there is a necessary measure of respect that any guitarist, especially pedal
designers, have to give to the earliest eects pedals, used by the great guitarists
who helped dene rock n' roll.

In pedal terms, fuzz is an ancient, primal sound, a sound which started with
bands tearing or puncturing holes in their speakers (a practice we in no way
endorse!) and morphed into an electronic capability in pedal-form when transis­tors came around and some very clever folks gured out that if you run them
hard as they'll go, they stop sounding clean and start sounding fuzzy and huge!

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The golden age of fuzz pedals saw a great variety of dierent fuzz types, and then
it tapered o as overdrive and distortion arrived on the scene with more rened
sounds and easier tonal control. Classic fuzzes have reemerged today in many
forms, the majority of them outright clones of older designs purporting to give
you sounds that you might originally have heard your favorite '60s or '70s
guitarist use; the rest, "freak-out" fuzzes that make oscillating noises and make
your guitar sound more like a really early synth.

Is there room for something new in the fuzz world, something that brings
original concepts together and a distortion-focused design mindset to the table?

A challenge like that is something Brian Wampler had to take on, and his idea with the Leviathan Fuzz was to take the kind of
eective controls that mark Wampler Pedals overdrive and distortion pedals as stand-outs and apply new design philosophy to
the fuzz question. The result: a unique Wampler Pedals fuzz, a thunderous beast designed to make a fuzz lover out of the staunch­est distortion pedal advocate or give ne control to those fuzz lovers who might be used to the one "sweet spot" on those older
designs' tone or lter knobs.

From the rumble of the deep to the primal roar, Leviathan brings together the goals of having a focused, cutting tone while still
providing massive but controllable fuzz and distortion. If this is your rst fuzz, the control setup should help you in exploring
uncharted waters... but be careful, here there be dragons...

To get the most out of your new pedal, you'll want to become very familiar with the controls. The Leviathan features controls for
Gain, Volume, Treble and Bass, as well as a Rumble/Roar switch which changes the internal gain structure between silicon and
germanium diodes (profound eect on the sound – I'll explain shortly!). Flexibility is a key feature, as usual, and the controls on
the Leviathan are intentionally very interactive, so experimentation will go far. As with all Wampler Pedals products, the Leviathan
includes a high-quality true-bypass switch which takes it out of the signal path when bypassed. Experiment and enjoy...

Bypass Switch – A true-bypass footswitch ensures solid, mechanical removal of the circuit when it isn't wanted, meaning you
don't lose any tone when the pedal is o.

Volume – This control adjusts the output level of the Leviathan. There's plenty of volume on tap in either Rumble or Roar mode,
so whether you want to go farther than your input level or just make sure it can do unity volume (the same level of signal going
out as you feed it, when active), you're covered. The Gain, Treble and Bass knobs, and the Rumble/Roar Toggle all have an impact
on total output volume level, so you're probably better o waiting to adjust the Volume until you've dialed in the other controls.
Re-adjustment might be necessary if you get it to the desired level and still need to tweak the sound.

Gain – This control, in conjunction with the Rumble/Roar Toggle, lets
you dial in anything from a smooth fuzz with overtones of drive all the
way to screaming, blasting high-gain fuzz monstrosity. The Gain is
strongly interactive with the Rumble/Roar toggle, because that switch
totally changes how the signal is fed to the fuzz engine of the pedal!
You'll want to experiment between the two modes to get a feel for
how they work. Also make note of the change in gain behavior at
extremes of the EQ controls. With the Bass knob cranked up, you can
get a buzz-saw ferocity to the low frequencies that's just a total blast
to play. Set the Gain knob lower for classic fuzz sounds. This pedal will
do nearly any of them, and more.

Treble – This adjusts the frequency emphasis on the highs. It interacts
substantially with the Bass knob. Start with the Treble at Noon and
adjust from there to your preference. Roar mode has more inherent
"projection" of the treble frequencies, so adjust accordingly when
dialing in your sound. Rumble mode is darker, and may benet from
raising the Treble to ensure eective cut-through when playing chords
and especially single-note runs.

Bass – This adjusts the frequency emphasis on the lows. It interacts
substantially with the Treble knob. Useful for dialing in more thunder
and punch, but past a certain point it rolls over into a ailing fury of
fuzzy low-frequency ferocity. Again, experimentation is key here,
because the interaction with the Treble and Rumble/Roar Toggles are
huge.

Bend Tone

Rumble/Roar Toggle in ROAR mode, Gain at 11 o'clock, Treble
at 4 o'clock, Bass at 11 o'clock or a little before. Thin, cutting
sound intended!

Suggested Settings (volume to suit)

Large Muer

Rumble/Roar Toggle in RUMBLE mode, Gain at 1 o'clock, Treble
at 2 o'clock, Bass at 2-3 o'clock.

Rumble/Roar Toggle Switch – This switch allows you to easily shift
between the SI and GE gain modes of the Leviathan. Roar is louder
and more "raw" sounding, easily capable of transforming (with
judicious adjustment of the other controls) from classic sounds
reminiscent of the old, famous Tonebender fuzz to more modern,
hard-edged, raspy fuzzes. Max the Bass out on Roar mode and it turns
into something dierent yet again. Rumble mode has lower total
volume output, but has a more powerfully rened voicing, with tonal
control usually reserved for distortion pedals. Make no mistake,
Rumble is heavy... But Roar can get there, too.

Power Requirements

The pedal can be powered by a 9V battery. The battery terminal is located inside the pedal.
If using a power supply, power needed for the pedal is 9V DC, regulated, center pin
negative, as supplied by most standard Boss™/Ibanez™/Etc. supplies. The pedal can be
safely powered with a multi-supply, like the Visual Sound 1SPOT™. The pedal was designed
explicitly around the usage of a 9V DC power source, and is intended to sound its best at
9V. To avoid damage to the pedal, do not exceed 18V DC, do not use center pin positive
adapters, and do not use AC power. Using an incorrect power adapter can lead to damage
and will void the warranty on the pedal.

Please note: If you are using a battery, it will drain when the input cord is plugged in.

Return and Warranty Policy

For direct sales, there is a 7-day “no questions asked” period where you may return the pedal for any reason, provided that it is in its original condition. Please retain
all packaging within this period in case you decide to return it! We only require that you pay shipping back. The 7 days start when you receive the pedal. This does
not apply to dealer or retailer sales – see their individual return policies for specic information.

This pedal draws 12mA.

Face the Fuzz

Rumble/Roar Toggle in RUMBLE mode, Gain at 10
o'clock, Treble at Noon, Bass at 2 o'clock

Leviathan Fuzz

Rumble/Roar Toggle in ROAR mode, Gain fully clockwise,
Treble at 2 o'clock, Bass fully clockwise.

Any trademarks attributed that are not owned by Wampler Pedals, Inc. are for

demonstrative purposes only, and are property of their respective owners

All Wampler Pedals, Inc. pedals carry a 5-year, fully transferable warranty that covers defects due to parts and labor. The warranty begins at the point of purchase.
Please remember to register your pedal as soon as possible after purchase at the following web page to ensure quicker service if you should ever need to make a
warranty claim: www.wamplerpedals.com/warranty_registration

For warranty repairs or questions, please feel free to contact us at www.wamplerpedals.com/contact_us.html