Introducing the newest addition to the VauxFlores family of devices tailored for the adventurous, creative and brave sonic champions among us – the Gold Standard. Produced in collaboration with composer, violist, and visual artist Liz Meredith, the Gold Standard is a stripped-down, blown-out, gated “racing-fuzz” based off our very own Number 24, but adapted for those that crave high-octane spontaneity with just a pinch of soul. This particular number, housed in a decorative gold enclosure accenting artwork derived from an original graphic score prepared special to be played using this pedal (meaning for all you shoe gaze experimenters out there, you don’t even need to look up from your pedal to check your charts) is a true pleasure to behold, conjuring a symphony of resonant buzz saws backed by a choir of bees in SATB formation. Colorful language aside, it’s pretty killer – totally wooly, but responsive, gated yet able to really carry a note and harmonically rich while equally destructive. As a bonus, it feeds back when you pull your volume knob back and in certain situations the tone control acts as a fairly decent resonant filter. I can’t guarantee that this box is for everyone, but for those willing to take a plunge into a fairly versatile sound-palate with a familiar interface, what’s there to lose?

Ordering

Price is $99, including shipping and handling. All orders ship from Ithaca, NY via Priority Mail. Please contact us prior to ordering for international orders or to make other shipping arrangements. At the moment, we build in small batches and handle all online ordering through Reverb. If you’re interested in picking up one of these boxes, we invite you to visit our shops – if it’s there, it’s available. If not, either give us a few days or drop us a line.

About Liz

Liz Meredith is a string player, improviser, and composer originally from Baltimore, Maryland. Her music explores many creative facets, from composing instrumental works to making ambient music, song-oriented pieces, graphic scores, and solo improvisations.  “Liz Meredith is a gorgeous plunge into a plaintive mood, a place where rising and falling electronic textures and drawn-out viola lines cast soothing shadow plays on the brain”. – Bret McCabe, Baltimore City Paper (2012).  Her current creative projects include:  The self-titled debut solo album Liz Meredith LP, a collaborative ambient music project with John Somers (brother of Alex Somers), which includes the recently released album The Disposition of Vibrant Forms Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (5 LP set), and her band X|i|O, a group focused on graphic notation, spontaneous composition and visual-acoustic kinetics.  In addition to performing her own music, she has premiered new 21st century music by emerging composers. Liz holds degrees from Berklee College of Music (Bachelor’s Degree in String Performance & Film Music), and Mills College (Master’s Degree in Music Composition). She has studied viola performance with Hank Dutt of Kronos Quartet and music composition with Fred Frith. Liz is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Score

Here’s the score that this pedal is based off of, btw. Get it. Got it? Good, now let it roll. Interested in jamming this thing in a concert hall? Drop Liz a line for her official blessing.

Media

First example of the VauxFlores Gold Standard Fuzz on viola, as played by Liz Meredith, a composer, performer and designer responsible for the pedal’s artwork.

Second example of the VauxFlores Gold Standard fuzz featuring Travis Johns on bass. Travis designed the circuitry for this thing. He’s also a visual artist whose pieces usually make sound. Or maybe it’s the other way around and he’s a sound artist whose pieces tend to have a visual component. What day is it today?

A quick third example of the VauxFlores Gold Standard fuzz featuring Travis Johns on guitar. Travis designed the circuitry for this thing. Ala settings volume is at 60% (what can I say, there’s neighbors and it’s late) and tone is set to around 9 PM. Amp was a ZT Lunchbox. Guitar was a Telecaster.

Example 4. I believe we call this jamming.

Video

Additional Information

• Power is 9v center tip negative and compatible with most guitar pedal power supplies.
• Due to the environmental impact of 9v batteries, there is no battery snap inside the pedal.
• For all that are curious, the status LED for the Gold Standard is white.
• Feedback and questions are encouraged. If anything comes up, whether it be a simple question or a request for distribution, please feel free to drop us a line.
• As always, my personal guarantee is that if I can fix it, I will. Not to say that you shouldn’t also do your best to take care of this box as well.

Reviews

• Pedal of the Day
• Guitar Player Magazine, November 2014

Manual