The allure of that original overdrive had a lot to do with a very specific “secret” germanium diode, dubbed “unobtanium” by the original creator, Bill Finnegan. It was said that these diodes were the heartbeat of the coveted tone, but they had run out long ago. Despite this Wampler fans have been asking Brian to create a Tumnus using the exact vintage diode from the original.
After a massive hunt, Brian found a small stash of these elusive diodes and used them to create a limited-edition run of pedals - the Germanium Tumnus. This pedal will satisfy both the pedal connoisseur and those seeking a new workhorse on their board. The Germanium Tumnus retains all the usability of its golden sibling but introduces an extra level of aggression, an “Alien Silver” finish, and premium red anodized knobs.
The Germanium Tumnus’s streamlined 3 control knobs (Volume, Gain, and Treble) are designed to allow you to quickly dial in your tones. Set the gain around 9 o’clock for a beautiful smooth overdriven boost and at noon for a fuller-voiced, meaty drive. Turn the gain all the way up for a brutal, yet creamy overdriven tone.
Stack it with another pedal to help push or shape the total amount of gain, use it as a standalone overdrive, or as a slightly dirty boost to push the front end of your amp over the edge. Just like the original Klon, this pedal is not a “true bypass”.
This edition is steeped in a level of exclusivity with a tone that’s set to become legendary. This stash of “secret diodes” is limited, giving you a rare opportunity to own a piece of tone-shaping history. But once they’re gone, they’re gone and this pedal will be discontinued.
Features
- Built-in USA
- High-grade components selected for superior sound and response
- Special edition of Wampler’s best-selling Tumnus Overdrive
- Volume, Gain, Treble controls
- Premium textured “Alien Silver” finish and anodized controls
- Vintage-specification clipping diodes for extra bite and sizzle
- Dimensions: 1.3” x 3.6” x 2” in size (38mm x 63.5mm x 50mm)
- Power draw: 19mA at 9V
- 9V power jack – DC supply only, no battery connection within
- Includes a limited 5-year warranty
- Wampler-quality construction
The Germanium TUMNUS from Wampler - Limited Edition
RatingsPros:A sweet-to-savage range of tones from a relatively noise-free P-90. Comfortable. Cons: Some minor intonation issues. Street: $1,599 Gibson Lukas Nelson '56 Les Paul Junior gibson.com
| Tones:  Playability:  Build/Design: Value:  |
Clip 1: Eastwood Sidejack Baritone DLX with Curtis Novak Widerange Jazzmaster pickups into a Goodsell Valpreaux 21. Neck pickup, first with pedal bypassed, then engaged with Lucky 13 level at max and neck pickup selected, then middle position, then bridge, then back and forth between positions, adjusting guitar volume to various levels throughout.
Clip 2: Curtis Novak Tele-V Telecaster bridge pickup into the Lucky 13 (bypassed first, then engaged with level at 3 o’clock and guitar volume at max) then into the boost side of a SoundBrut DrVa MkII and a Ground Control Tsukuyomi mid boost, then into a 1976 Vibrolux Reverb with a Celestion G10 and a WGS G10C/S.
RatingsPros:Myriad fuzz tones—from thick and gnarly to reedy and sqwonky—via guitar-volume tweaks. Cleans up really well with humbuckers. Pretty decent price. Cons: Somewhat unpredictable sounds, guitar to guitar/rig to rig. Can be quite noisy with single-coils. Street: $119 Vick Audio Lucky 13 vickaudio.com | Tones: Ease of Use: Build/Design: Value: |