Stutterphone v1
The Stutterphone is one of the first ideas I ever conceptualized as Simon The Magpie. I made the first versions long before I had plans to make my own pedal company. Originally I just took the input signal and wired it through the mechanics of a vintage rotary telephone. So that when you spin the dial it disconnects the signal and you get a stutter effect. So when I started up “Magpie Pedals” I naturally wanted to create an official design based on this concept.
The main difference is actually that I changed which type of vintage rotary telephone I use. Sourcing one that has a BIG RED BUTTON instead which if wired correctly can also disconnect your signal. Perfect for manual stuttering!
I also incorporated a fuzz circuit to spice it up a bit and in the V.2 edition I turned to Analog Weapon to add memory to the stuttering so that you can loop your own patterns.
Stutterphone v1 User Guide
The pedal uses 9VDC power (2.1mm jack: center-negative).
The Stutterphone is built upon one of my oldest DIY ideas: Taking apart an old rotary phone and passing the signal through the original mechanics, using both the number dial and big red button as killswitches. In this version I also added a fuzz!
Controls:
Footswitch: Effect Bypass.
Big Red Button: This is a classic mechanical killswitch. Pressing it will cut the audio signal completely. It works regardless of the pedal’s power state - because it’s mechanical, so no power needed. Press it to cut the signal.
Number Plate: Use it just like in the olden days, for dialing a phone number. Wind it up, and when it’s released it will cut the signal on every number it passes back to zero. So, if you wind it up to nine it will cut the signal nine times (I think) on its way back. This, together with the big red button, makes it a sort of hands-on mechanical pattern generator. Very tactile and fun!
The left-hand “V” knob is your volume control.
The right-hand “F” knob is a Mix between two different fuzzes. Counterclockwise is a cleaner one, and going clockwise is going gnarly!