B.K. Butler Mini Matrix Owned and Used by Tom Verlaine Model Overdrive Effect, c. 1982, made in Denver, CO, black & white enamel finish, aluminum.
B.K. Butler began producing the Mini-Boogie, a tube-driven overdrive effect unit in 1981; it does not take a detective to see the influence of Mesa Boogie on the sound and cane-front aesthetics of the pedal, and it did not take long past the pedal generating some attention for Randall Smith and Mesa Boogie to ask Butler to stop using the 'Boogie' name (in a suspiciously similar font) on his pedals. And so came, after several variations, the Mini Matrix which was produced until 1984.
The drive in this straightforward (master volume, drive, 2 tone controls and a subtle treble boost) little circuit is no joke: thick, loud, and prone to a little fuzziness when pushed. It is propelled by two very real 12AX7 preamp tubes inside, which means twice the amount of tube-driven gain staging as what would eventually become Butler's better-known Tube Driver pedal. It is not common to see these, but out of those that have reared their heads it's possible to find some with added ventilation for the tubes as they heat up. Seemingly, Tom Verlaine did not find it necessary to do so with this particular Mini Matrix which he used regularly in studio settings.
Height is 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm.), 8 1/4 in. (21 cm.) width, and 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm.) high.
This Mini Matrix appears all original, untampered with inside and with the same ungrounded cable power supply. The face of the pedal has kept its painted on Boogie-style grille cloth and the wood paneling on the sides which came several iterations into production are cleanly in tact. The pedal also comes with a letter of provenance from Jimmy Ripp (his co-guitarist on most Verlaine projects since 1981). Per Jimmy's note, Tom was notoriously picky about his overdrives yet came back to this one again and again; that may be enough of a vote of confidence for us on this one. Excellent Condition.
