6 of the Best Harmonic Percolator Pedals

Jun 9, 2024

Famously used by audio engineer and guitarist Steve Albini, the Harmonic Percolator is a unique distortion/fuzz pedal that has a very distinct sound. The original circuit design used a silicon NPN transistor and a PNP germanium transistor configuration that pass even order harmonics while surpressing odd order harmonics.

The result is a kind of distortion that is very pleasing to the ear with a unique character.

What makes a good Harmonic Percolator?

There exist many interpretations of the Harmonic Percolator circuit. Some are more faithful to the original design, while others take the basic idea and expand on it.

In my opinion, a good Perc is one that adds the unique HP texture without overly compressing the guitar and allowing for articulation and dynamics to come through.

This is of course highly subjective and depends on the context and the rest of your rig. That’s why I’ve put together a shootout of 6 of the best Harmonic Percolator pedals on the market in the above demo widget.

Champion Leccy The Divvy V3

The Divvy takes a different design approach than most other HP interpretations. Its toggle switch controls the amount of bass at the input stage. The more bass frequencies are pummeling the input, the more the pedal will compress and distort. If you switch the toggle to the left, the pedal will be more open and articulate.

This is a super clever design choice that makes the Divvy great for bass and guitar.

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Vaderin Pedals HP-X

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the HP-X. I did a signature Loopy Demos limited colorway with Vaderin Pedals (the purple/cyan/pink one you see above) and it’s been with me ever since. Check out my full demo here.

In the context of this shootout, I’d say the HP-X offers a more compact frequency range. It has a pleasing compression that feels “transparent” when the toggle is in the middle position (which means the clipping diodes are bypassed).

It captures the Percolator vibe beautifully and is a great allrounder on guitar.

Get one directly from Vaderin Pedals.

Land Devices HP-2

The HP-2 got a good amount of hype from the JHS Show. The enclosure design has this classy retro look and the sound is smooth as butter. From all the pedals in this shootout, the HP-2 has the least amount of gain on tap.

To be honest, I don’t find myself maxing out the gain on Percolators in most cases, so this design choice is reasonable.

The rocker switch allows you to toggle between the original clipping diodes configuration and a mode that bypasses the diodes.

If you want the extra mojo and like a well-behaved fuzzy overdrive, the HP-2 is a great choice.

Get it directly from Land Devices.

Freqscene Effects Co. Harmonic Distorter

This is another great take on the Harmonic Percolator circuit that I’d recommend for guitarists who like to slam the front end of their amp with a lot of pure volume.

The Harmonic Distorter has no extra toggles and just runs without clipping diodes for less compression and more output.

Get it directly from Freqscene Effects Co..

Latent Lemon Audio Hurts

The LLA Hurts gives you a lot of control over its sonic character. You get similar options as with the HP-X and Dirty Sock HP: Silicon, Germanium and no clipping.

Like the HP-2, if you max out the gain with clipping enabled, you get a sub octave effect to fatten up your sound.

Get it directly from Latent Lemon Audio.

Dirty Sock Harmonic Percolator

This is yet another classic take on the HP circuit with Ge and Si clipping options (and a louder clipping-lifted-mode). I love the vintage utility look of the pedal and the sound is just really solid and tasteful. It feels similar to the HP-X, but with more bass frequencies.

Get it directly from Dirty Sock.

Signal Chain

Fidelity Guitars Stellarosa Lite II with Lollar Firebird pickups (middle position)
Harmonic Percolator pedal in the shootout
Mixwave Benson Chimera Plugin*
A hint of room reverb added in post from Valhalla Vintage Verb

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