Way Huge RedLlama - Discontinued? (again)

[JoeNeri]

Looks like Dunlop/Way Huge is discontinuing the Red Llama (Smalls - MkIII). No longer listed on its website and no longer offered by big internet retailers.

Anyone know what’s going on? Poor sales? MkIV on the drawing board? End of a 30-year era?

 

[Vegetable Man]

Good question.

The OD side of the Pork & Pickle can sound pretty close, if anyone is looking for an alternative.

 

[11 Gauge]

Just a guess, but it may have to do with availability/stock issues with the CD4049UBE chip that the pedal requires.

I personally don't like the Texas Instruments version of that chip, as it has a higher noise floor. The problem became that the really quiet 4049 chips offered by Fairchild and ON Semiconductor were discontinued now many years ago. Only the TI chip has remained in production, as a through-hole component.

Anyway, at least Mouser Electronics is currently showing zero stock of the TI 4049 chip, until September and October of this year. Unless Dunlop has a different factory source, I'd think they may be facing the same issue.

IIRC, Tripps figured out a way to make the TI chip run more quietly with the latest revision of the RL, by putting the unused inverter stages in parallel with the two used stages that the circuit requires. Since the TI chip is the only through-hole option still in production, I'm assuming that's what Dunlop has been sourcing (could have sworn I saw a gutshot of the RL with the TI chip).

Anyway, it might be possible for WHE to revise the circuit for the SMD equivalent of the 4049, because it's more likely for that chip to be kept in stock, and not made obsolete. I see that Mouser has the ON Semiconductor NLV14049UBDR2G in stock right now, albeit with only ~2K units available.

This is just speculation on my part, but as someone who designs and builds pedals that use both the 4049 and the similar 4069, it's an issue I personally ran into years ago. Luckily, I don't build on the scale that WHE/Dunlop does! When I run out of my Fairchild and ON Semi stashes, I'll be forced to retool to the SMD chips, or just stop building the stuff that requires them.