Carrotron C920B1 Noise Fader Owned and Used by Tom Verlaine Model Noise Gate Pedal Effect (1980s), made in Berkeley, California, serial # C-920-184, brown enamel finish, aluminum.
Little is known about small potatoes pedal developer Carrotron, yet it's clear that Carl "The Carrot" Margolis still crafted these stompboxes for an audiophile type (such as Television's Tom Verlaine who ordered this one) in mind; for example, these pedals were built with "discrete" FETs rather than the more commonly found circuit integrated BI-FETs with the goal of keeping the noise floor as low as possible. Only a couple years later in the short lifespan of the company, the pedals began to be distributed by the somewhat more well-known Berkeley-based effect company Analog/Digital Associates.
The brand seemingly only carried this Noise Fader and a Pre Amp, as well as an Isolator intended to protect musicians from getting "shocked" which in the 1980's was likely more of a problem than it is today. The Noise Fader (or Noise Filter as it may have been briefly named) is a simple, one-knob 9V powered hum reducer meant to smoothly reduce the electrical hum of a guitar signal without any sharp, jumpy changes in signal volume. It features a single threshold control and a stomp which, according to an old advertisement, is an active volume control.
Height is 4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm.), 2 3/4 in. (7 cm.) width, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth at deepest point.
This pedal is in fully functional condition with minimal traces of cosmetic wear from stage and studio use by Mr. Verlaine. Two screws from the back are missing; in handling so many of Tom's things, we find a consistent pattern of missing screws and battery compartment covers. It's clear that whatever measures he could take to minimize the amount of time it would take for him to change a battery if need be, he'd take. There's a small very worn note on the back that appears to bear the serial number; it's unclear if this is his or the factory's writing due to the wear, and the builder otherwise marked this pedal "T.V." for its eventual owner. This pedal does not come with a box, but it does come with a letter of authenticity signed by Patrick Derivaz, Verlaine's close friend and long time musical collaborator from whom we received the pedal. Very Good + Condition.
