Hitching a Spacerocket to Mercury
Spaceman duo aims to launch your tone into the stratosphere
It’s a tricky combination for a small shop to perfect – small, quality runs of well-built, excellent-sounding pedals that won’t break the bank yet still turn a profit. Now, we don’t pretend to know what some of these one and two-man outfits bring in money-wise, but the fact that they continue to churn out product lends weight to the argument that they are… at the very least… self-sustaining. Enter Spaceman Effects – a Portland-based shop led by Zak M. Spaceman seems to fit that mold rather well, but what we’re all interested in is the ‘excellent-sounding’ part. So let’s check out Spaceman’s Spacerocket fuzz and Mercury III Boost and see what’s what!
Both Spaceman pedals are a well-built, slick mix of chrome and black. Each come in a logo-ed white pedal box and inside a silver pouch emblazened with the Spaceman ‘spaceman’ logo. Each comes with an instruction sheet, stickers and a button or two. The Spacerocket fuzz sports three controls – Level, Fuzz and Tone… but they act a bit different than standard controls. Level, per usual controls the volume… but Fuzz is a three-position switch offering separate, unique voices that can be shaped using the Tone knob by adjusting the high frequency range. The Mercury III Boost also has three knob controls – Boost, Harmonics and Tone. Boost controls the output level and interacts with the Tone knob, which is a selector knob of six frequency ranges. Each tone will sound different in relation to the level of boost applied. The Harmonics knob blends light harmonic distortion into the signal.
Let’s check out the Spacerocket fuzz first. With the Strat, bridge pick-up, we dial up a little rock riffage. With Level around noon, Fuzz toggle in the first position and Tone around 2 o’clock, here is the Spacerocket… first clean, then fuzzy.
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At that setting, the Spacerocket boasts good overall body and spatial depth with just a touch of pingy-ness – a solid tone if you’re going after a classic late 60s-era psychadelic vibe. Switching to the neck pick-up, we dial in some mud for a little rock-n-blues. With the Level set at 2 o’clock, Fuzz in the third position and Tone around 3 o’clock, here is the Spacerocket again, first on the launch pad, then blast off!
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Great sustain accompanies that fuzzed-up sound, which still displays good warmth and fullness. Over to the Les Paul, we crank things up a notch to heat up the humbuckers. With Level around 2 o’clock, the Fuzz toggle in the second position and Tone dialed back to 9 o’clock, here is the Spacerocket thickening up a chord progression. Clean first, fuzz second.
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Moving from the fuzz, we take on the Mercury III Boost – a germanium-based pedal that offers both clean boost capabilities and the ability to overdrive tube amps into crunchier territory. With the Strat first, bridge pick-up, we set up the Mercury for take off. With Boost set at noon, Tone in the fifth position and Harmonics at noon, here is the Mercury doing its thing. First flat, then fat!
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The Mercury III really fills that fingered riff making it more dynamic and pronounced. Shifting up to the neck pick-up we drop the boost, but add harmonics. WIth Boost set at 9 o’clock, Tone in the second position and Harmonics at 3 o’clock, here is the Mercury III in orbit. First idle, then vital!
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Next we hit a bit of the sizzle shifting over to the Les Paul. Mercury dialed in with Boost at 3 o’clock, Tone in the sixth position and Harmonics dialed back to 9 o’clock – here a little grit with your finger-picking blues. First free, then III!
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Both the Spacerocket and Mercury III have so many tones packed into them, it would be impossible – or at least impractical – to get to them all. The clips above are just a small sampling of what each stomp can offer. While the Spacerocket was a fun to play with, and certainly a more than serviceable fuzz, our top affections were held for the Mercury III – a powerhouse of savvy tonal treats. While our clips showcased the Mercury III solo, we can assure that it also plays well with others and can offer a broader sound palette to any pedal arrangement. While the Mercury’s price tag – around $300 – may be off-putting to some, know that it’s abilities exceed that of the standard boost and is worthy of a look if you are seeking to extend your tone beyond its current boundaries. That’s our opinion anyway… your mileage may vary!
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