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Dunwich Amplification General Discussion

Ha-ha, or maybeeeee, what I'm really saying is that the DIY version is better .......... (for bass). ;)
But the Dunwich DIY HM-2 and Bear Amps Heavier Metal are pretty much neck and neck for me, tone-wise. And the Bear Amps doesn't use a blend... It also cuts the mix like crazy with minimal tweaking. I know this is a Dunwich thread, but I recently did a deep dive of my numerous HM-2s, and I found the Bear Amps and the Dunwich to be equally good for my preferred tones, but with differing features. Anyway, if anyone else is an HM-2 collector, this one is also amazing on bass! They are my #1 and #2 HM-2s for bass, and I could easily swap one for the other.
 
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I've been looking for one of these for a while...the hunt is finally over!

LhueMWGl.jpg


pCVL2fzl.jpg


The same incredible pedal...but 1/3 the size. I'm in love.
 
I've been looking for one of these for a while...the hunt is finally over!

LhueMWGl.jpg


pCVL2fzl.jpg


The same incredible pedal...but 1/3 the size. I'm in love.
That's one thing I don't get... Why have such a MASSIVE enclosure for something that doesn't need it? I don't mind the standard "Way Huge" size enclosures, even though they're a little bigger than MXR (but about the same when you figure in jack placement), but if the huge DA120 can fit in an MXR size pedal, why make it that big? I just don't get it. I know tone is the ultimate deciding factor for most, but dang.
 
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26400841[/URL], member: 212830"]That's one thing I don't get... Why have such a MASSIVE enclosure for something that doesn't need it? I don't mind the standard "Way Huge" size enclosures, even though they're a little bigger than MXR (but about the same when you figure in jack placement), but if the huge DA120 can fit in an MXR size pedal, why make it that big? I just don't get it. I know tone is the ultimate deciding factor for most, but dang.

I’m not sure I understand the question. The Dunwich stuff is pretty compact.
33A61C83-D8EF-42C2-9F71-73A8545FCE3B.jpeg
 
I’m not sure I understand the question. The Dunwich stuff is pretty compact.
View attachment 4675806
Whatever works for you and all, but I just figure if an enclosure is that big, it must need it. But then I see the same circuit in an enclosure 1/3 the size and wonder why it's necessary. Not that I wouldn't buy it if I NEEDED it, but still unnecessary.
 
Whatever works for you and all, but I just figure if an enclosure is that big, it must need it. But then I see the same circuit in an enclosure 1/3 the size and wonder why it's necessary. Not that I wouldn't buy it if I NEEDED it, but still unnecessary.

The Cthuluhlululemon guts are pretty small.
There might be some practical reasons for not making everything 1590b sized. I know the Night Owl Parabellum production is a PITA because of the amount of stuff crammed into the box. The bigger box is easier to build. Similarly, as a guy with a size 13 shoe, the idea of stomping on a small pedal with the button and knobs crammed in makes me a little nervous. I appreciate the extra real estate when doing a tap dance.

There's also marketing/branding. The artwork looks better on certain boxes. I'll say that I'm not a fan of the compact HM-2 posted on Magic's IG page, just based on the art/enclosure look, but YMMV.

Keep in mind, I'm a hobbyist who doesn't drag my board to gigs.
019cfd_2a42c4e139954ddfbbfe97f6d8f3ae11~mv2.png
 
The Cthuluhlululemon guts are pretty small.
There might be some practical reasons for not making everything 1590b sized. I know the Night Owl Parabellum production is a PITA because of the amount of stuff crammed into the box. The bigger box is easier to build. Similarly, as a guy with a size 13 shoe, the idea of stomping on a small pedal with the button and knobs crammed in makes me a little nervous. I appreciate the extra real estate when doing a tap dance.

There's also marketing/branding. The artwork looks better on certain boxes. I'll say that I'm not a fan of the compact HM-2 posted on Magic's IG page, just based on the art/enclosure look, but YMMV.

Keep in mind, I'm a hobbyist who doesn't drag my board to gigs.
019cfd_2a42c4e139954ddfbbfe97f6d8f3ae11~mv2.png
I get all that. I like the Way Huge size pedals. Not too big, not too small. An entire board of MXR enclosures is a tight squeeze to hit right like you say. I'm also a hobbyist - and I still don't get the appeal of a massive pedal. I don't drag it out to gigs, but I still want other things on my board!
 
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I get all that...and I still don't get the appeal of a massive pedal. I don't drag it out to gigs, but I still want other things on my board!
This is how I ended up with a bigger board (Temple Duo24) just for my bigger pedals. I don't mind taking that one to some gigs.

That said, I tend to gravitate to smaller boards for my paying gigs (Temple Solo18) where loading in and out of different rooms and stage sizes finds me wanting to make things easier on myself.

For some of the smaller clubs, I throw a Pedaltrain riser with three pedals on it in my gig bag pouch and call it good.
 
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The 120 size might be to fit the in-line button layout since it's based on amp, no? Plus a little variation in size across the product line.

I've seen builders use large enclosures for Big Muff clones as an homage/throwback.

AFAIK, this is the answer. It was made big and green because it is a take on the Green Matamp GT-120. The big enclosure allows the knobs to be more amplike. It's actually a pretty solid pedal platform to put at the end of your chain like an amp head.

I do agree, I'd rather a smaller, top jack pedal though...hence the hunt for the little guy. I'd love a little Wizard Fuzz...but alas, I have the massive white one. Keeping an eye on Magic though since it seems like stuff will be coming at some point.
 
That's one thing I don't get... Why have such a MASSIVE enclosure for something that doesn't need it? I don't mind the standard "Way Huge" size enclosures, even though they're a little bigger than MXR (but about the same when you figure in jack placement), but if the huge DA120 can fit in an MXR size pedal, why make it that big? I just don't get it. I know tone is the ultimate deciding factor for most, but dang.

I've considered re-housing mine. But, trying to go smaller with the original DA120 guts would be an odd fit. If you open one up and look, the pcb is already about the same length as a 125b enclosure... Nick scaled it down into a 125b but its slightly revised from the Big box and 1590bb versions. The 125b's Drive & Gain are both combined (Gain is fixed at max) into the 125b's Drive, and, the Depth is continuous vs the selector. ..A lot of guys that I see using big boxes aren't using many other pedals or giant pedalboards so it doesn't seem like an issue for their uses. I’d still like to find a mid-sized version sometime, though
 
I do agree, I'd rather a smaller, top jack pedal though...hence the hunt for the little guy. I'd love a little Wizard Fuzz...but alas, I have the massive white one.
besides not being able to find either one for sale, that's the reason that i made a clone of a Wizard and a 3 knob Cthulhu for myself:
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From what I remember the small da120 vs the mid-sized sounded quite a bit different. How are they comparing for ya @cosmicevan ?

I will have to do a side by side. I plugged in the little.guy and dialed in Dopesmoker settings and it sounded fantastic and I got lost in it for a while and never got around to the A/B
 
besides not being able to find either one for sale, that's the reason that i made a clone of a Wizard and a 3 knob Cthulhu for myself:
View attachment 4676541

View attachment 4676543
That etching is really beautiful. I don't think I ever appreciated just how beautiful an etched pedal enclosure can be until I got one myself, as a gift from a stranger on the other side the world whom I bought a Midnight Amplification Holy Mountain from. Maybe therein is the beauty of it, but nevertheless I think your picture does a good job of capturing the depth an etching has.