Freek Out!
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Download Example 1
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| Recorded
through a 2008 Fender American Strat. Amp – Wallace Abaddon. Speaker –
Krank 1x12 with 70’s Celestion 25 watt tan back. Recorded into Pro
Tools with Chandler LTD-1 mic pre with SM57 off-axis. Small amount of
Altiverb room ambience.
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The last pedal in the group is the Freek Out! The Freek Out! is another variation on a ‘60s fuzz, this time coming in around the mid- ‘60s. Think Maestro, Univox and MKII Tone Bender, and that will give you an idea of the vibe. The voicing is once again an altered version of the pedals of that era in that the mids are more accentuated in order to stand out in the mix or with a band. With two controls, Travel Agent (volume) and Turn On Tune In Freek Out! (fuzz), you have the ability to dial up a wide range of classic ‘60s fuzz tones all the way up to garage-band vibes.
I liked this pedal a lot for its shades of color and subtle differences in tone as you go through the Travel Agent. Unlike a lot of similar pedals, it was interesting to find that middle knob settings sounded more extreme than full settings, depending on the way each knob was set. Both knobs work almost like an active setup, with one affecting the other. The range of tones was incredible, and I was easily able to pull up a pretty convincing Keef sound, even though I was on my Strat. With a little finessing, I also extracted some serious “Walking on the Sun”-style fuzz, which incidentally was recorded with a broken Fuzz Face. It worked equally well with my Danelectro U2 and early ‘50s Supro Comet for seriously funky tone. In fact, that setup got me into early Zep tones with ease and made me never want to put down the guitar.
Buy if...
you want a modern spin on a classic tone.
Skip if...
you need more extreme gain on your fuzz tone.
Rating...
The Final Mojo
Freekish Blues may be a new company, but they make products like they’ve been doing it for years. There are plenty of fuzz boxes and clean boosts on the market, but somehow I feel like these will be turning heads. Aside from the silly graphics and great naming conventions, these pedals all exhibit the comforts of the tonal past with additions that lean to the future. I’d call that a trifecta.