The Obelisk Vintage Drive is a distortion/overdrive pedal that is based on the Lovetone Brown Source, a highly sought-after pedal known for its ability to achieve the iconic “brown sound” tone of the 1960s and 70s. The Brown Source was originally released in 1995 and was later incorporated into the Cheese Source dual pedal in 1999.

The Brown Source is a diode clipper, but it incorporates Lovetone’s unique tone-shaping techniques to create its distinctive sound. One of the key features of the Brown Source is its 4-position rotary control, which allows for adjustment of three different parameters: tone control frequency, tonestack bypass, and a treble cut at the end of the circuit. These controls help to shape the tone and provide a midrange emphasis.

While the original Brown Source had additional toggle switches for each parameter, the Obelisk Vintage Drive simplifies the design by sticking to the four positions of the original rotary control. This decision was made after extensive testing and experimentation, as it was found that the additional modes did not offer any useful sounds.

To ensure accuracy and authenticity, the Obelisk prototype was verified against an original Brown Source by Ian, a well-known expert on Lovetone pedals in the DIY community. The inclusion of a daughterboard for the rotary switch makes wiring the pedal easier.

Overall, the Obelisk Vintage Drive aims to capture the legendary “brown sound” tone of the 1960s and 70s, offering guitarists a faithful recreation of the highly sought-after Lovetone Brown Source pedal.

Summary created by AI from the original source.