Zvex Distortron User Manual

Type: Vextron Series
Model: DISTORTRON™ V1.0 February, 2009

Congratulations! You’re the proud owner of the Z.Vex Effects Distortron™. This pedal is in the new Vextron series.

Overview

The Distortron™ is the gifted little sister to the Z.Vex “Box of
Rock”. It is highly specialized to simulate the “everything on
10” sound of a classic Marshall ® JTM45 non-master-volume
amplifier. You may use the Distortron™ effectively with many
different amplifiers, but to get the sound I heard when I de­signed it, try it through an old-school non-master volume Mar­shall at least once. You may use your guitar’s volume control to
adjust for the exact amount of distortion you need, all the way
down to very clean and clear with most drive settings when the
gain switch is set to “Lo.” Let’s go over the controls:

THE CONTROLS:

DRIVE: Sets the amount of

distortion. Start around 1:00
o’clock.

TONE: Adjust for treble
content. Start around 2:00
o’clock.

VOL: Adjust for output vol­ume level. Start around 9:00
o’clock.

GAIN Switch: “Lo/Hi” lets you
choose standard “Box of
Rock” gain level or a slightly
boosted level.

SUBS Switch: “2-1-3” lets
you choose the full “Box of
Rock” sub amount (3) or
two different lower levels
of subs depending on your
amp’s needs.

DRIVE: The Drive is based on
my original Super Hard-On
gain control, so it may crackle
when turned. This is perfectly
normal. That’s why it says
“Crackle Okay” by that knob.

favorite clean tone, set the Distortron™ for your favorite
distortion tone, and if you’re using a booster pedal as well,
try it both before and after the Distortron™ to experience the
different results... before the Distortron™ will give you more
sustain, while after will give you more amp volume (or drive, if
you use a distorted amp sound.) If you have other distortion
pedals, don’t leave them in the closet! Many distortion ped­als sound amazing into the Distortron™. You may discover a
whole new love for your old distortion pedal collection!

The best way to complete this pedal is to run it through a
JTM45 Marshall amplifier head/cabinet on a warm clean set­ting (try strapping the channels, setting the volumes below 3,
and setting all other controls to 6 as a start point.)

BATTERY CHANGE:

If the performance of your pedal seems diminished or the
LED becomes very dim, it’s time to change your battery.
Remove the four screws on the bottom of the pedal and
carefully remove and replace the old battery, putting it back
exactly in the center of the pedal on edge so that it is gripped
tightly by the lid when it is screwed back in place.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Uses one 9V battery (preferably alkaline, but the unit is
shipped with a carbon-zinc battery.) The low current opera­tion of this pedal’s circuit will give you extraordinarily long
battery life. Current draw is approximately 2mA. A DC power
jack (standard Boss configuration with center negative) is
provided on the side of the pedal. Use a high- quality 9V
adaptor for all high-gain effects!

OPERATION:

Plug your guitar (or any effect’s output) into the right hand
input jack. Plug the output into an amp or other effect’s input.
Rock out. Set the subs switch so there’s just enough low-end
for your amp. Try turning up the gain all the way but leave the
gain switch on Lo. This is the maximum gain where you can
still turn down your guitar and get a completely clean tone if
you need it. With the Gain switch on Hi you can get more
singing sustain with feedback at moderate amp volume. Try
using your rhythm pickup with the tone control turned all the
way down for a vintage bluesy howling lead sound.

PEDAL PLACEMENT:

I recommend that you try the Distortron last in your pedal
chain, just before the amp. You can set the amp for your

WARRANTY:

Your Vextron Distortron™ is warranted for 1 year from date of
purchase, or as provided by law (EU and UK). For hand-paint­ed Z.Vex Effects warranty info and for any repair questions,
consult http://zvex.com/website/repairs.htm for information.
Be sure to fill out and send in your warranty card, or email me
your registration via the website!

SERVICE:

Should your Distortron™ ever need service, please contact
Z.Vex Effects via the “contact” link on the website zvex.com
for the most current information. Here’s our 2009 info:

Z.Vex Effects
www.zvex.com | [e-mail] | [e-mail]

Enjoy!

Last Updated: April 2009