Ampeg Scrambler

the Unofficial Ampeg Page

In 1969 Ampeg roared into the effects world with the Scrambler. It was, and still is, distinctively unlike other distortion units of the time, and it doesn't appeal to everyone. Built like a tank in a heavy cast casing, part of the circuitry was potted in epoxy for copy protection. The sound of the unit is a mixture of strong fuzz with a bit of octave up and sometimes slight ring modulation. The Texture control ranges from an almost normal-sounding fuzz to one that brings to mind giant mosquitoes on steroids. The Balance control mixes in variable amounts of straight signal. The effect can be very extreme. Imagine sound gushing out of a firehose and splattering against the wall.

The Scrambler was not a commercial success for Ampeg, and perhaps 2500 units were produced, making it one of the more collectible effects

Ampeg

The New Scrambler Series Pedals are based on the cosmetic design of the original Ampeg Scrambler pedals from 1969. The SCP-OD is the reissue of the Original Scrambler, and features a distortion circuit that adds upper octave harmonic content while blending a unique overdrive effect into the signal. It's great for both guitar and bass.

Analog Man

These were reissued by AMPEG in the summer of 2005. Made in the USA just like the originals. We were skeptical so we bought one to test. The originals have gone for $1000 on ebay so we were really happy to get a chance at some reissues...

Upon testing, we were amazed as the reissue had more output volume than the original, with the same awesome fuzzy sound with upper octave. And we think the tone of the reissue is even better - thicker and stronger.

• NoiseGuide
• Tone Machines
• ToneFrenzy

myFXDB user reviews

3 reviews, average score of 8.83 / 10