I love fuzz. I am so grateful for fuzz. I donāt know who or where Iād beāat least musicallyāwithout it. And whether or not you like using fuzz, you love fuzz, too. You just might not realize it. Fuzz pedals, which are considered loud, rowdy, and unnecessary musical devices by some tonal purists, have changed the world.
From Jimi Hendrix to Jack White, David Gilmour to Billy Corgan, fuzz pedals have not only shaped guitar sounds but shaped the way we think of and experience guitar. Starting in the 1960s, they have steered culture as the musical voice of protest (Hendrixās āMachine Gun,ā anyone?) and the communicator of a generationās angst . And donāt forget the more recent doom and stoner genres! Also, some tones that you perceive as clean or merely overdriven are actually created by finding the sweet spot between a fuzz pedal and a guitarās volume dial.
There are tons of different fuzz pedals out there right now, so navigating all of your options can seem like a difficult task. We truly live in the golden era of gear and, as a pedalhead, Iām here for it. But the roots of fuzz run deep to earlier eras. So in that spirit, here are some of my favorite modern fuzz boxes that nail the tones of yesteryearāwithout the vintage-market price tag. Enjoy! And keep thinking fuzzy!EarthQuaker DevicesĀ Hoof ($179 street)
The Hoof is a flagship pedal from this Akron, Ohio-based company, and for good reason. This pedalās circuit is rooted in a specific tall-font Sovtek Big Muff owned by the Black Keysā Dan Auerbach. According to Jamie Stillman, owner of EQD, Auerbachās favorite Big Muff didnāt sound quite like other green Russian Big Muffs heād played, so he approached Stillman to recreate its hairy goodness. The Hoof is a hybrid of germanium and silicon transistorsāa modern variant of the Muffās legendary, strictly silicon sound. While the original is a 3-knob fuzz (volume, tone, and distortion), the kicker here is a fourth āshiftā control that allows you to dial in additional midrange to your liking. Want that doom-y wall of sound? Itās here. Need a bit more string articulation for your riffs? It can do that as well. Built tough, the Hoof is extremely easy to use to get killer vintage fuzz tones and will take a beating on the road.
Way Huge Swollen PickleĀ ($149 street)
Star designer Jeorge Tripps has had a huge impact in the pedal world for decades. The Swollen Pickle is one of the staples in his creative lineup. What started as a 3-dial Big Muff-style fuzz (See a pattern here?) took on a life of its own with the addition of āfilterā and āscoopā controls. Between these two knobs, the sonic landscape is huge... you could even say way huge. The newest version of the Swollen Pickle features additional clipping options under the hood that allow you to tweak further, should you feel the need. But out of the box, this fuzz is a ripper capable of searing leads and wall-of-sound chords. Built like a tank, with a reasonable market price, Iām a big fan of this one. Itās great for guitarists interested in a Big Muff-rooted fuzz without committing to that voice exclusively. Definitely check it out!
Mythos PedalsĀ Golden Fleece ($139 street)
Sometimes simple and stupid is the best approach, and it absolutely works with the Golden Fleece. This single-knob, no-nonsense fuzz from Zach Broylesā company is a fine-tuned machine with a minimum of options. All the tough decision making has already been done and built into a germanium-and-silicon-based circuit. So, donāt let this pedalās size and lack of additional controls scare you. It is a monster fuzz pedal.
With its single āmoreā knob (the output volume), touch dynamics, the pickup selection on the guitar, and guitar volume and tone settings play a huge role in the results. It cleans up extremely well and can go from light and crunchy to full-on saturated awesomeness. Tone-wise, it lives in a unique vintage-fuzz sweet spot. Muff-y? It kinda can be, but it has much more clarity and string definition. Fuzz Face-y? Yes, but itās much smoother, while simultaneously more aggressive. Youād think a fuzz pedal with one knob would be easy to explain, but this pedal just does so dang much. Iām a huge fan of the tones that this stomp offersāespecially at $139, and with the tiny amount of precious pedalboard real estate required. Mythos calls it, āyour gateway pedal to fuzz.ā Fair enough!
Analog ManĀ Sun Face ($195 street)
Whatās a list of killer vintage-sounding fuzzes without an Analog Man pedal? Itās no secret that Mike āAnalog Manā Piera sits high up on the list of vintage-fuzz experts, and his constantly in-demand pedals (youāve heard of the King of Tone?) are a direct result of his passion and knowledge of old-school dirt. I could write a whole article on his smartly crafted fuzz pedals alone. But the Sun Face, as the name might lead you to believe, is Analog Manās take on the legendary Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Faceāthat little round box championed by guitar heavyweights like Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and Pete Townshend. But Analog Man doesnāt just make a one-size-fits-all Fuzz Face clone. Piera offers a dozen different variations of the pedal, with a multitude of choices. Both silicon and germanium transistors are available, as well as low- and high-gain options, which are a result of Mike carefully hand-selecting transistors that allow us nerds to get very specific about what flavor of Fuzz Face sound we want in our rig. The Sun Face is a top-quality build from a top-quality builder. You really canāt go wrong with any variation if youāre chasing the vintage-fuzz dragon.
Red River Amplification Bonetender ($199 street)
The Bonetender was created out of a love for the classic MkII Tone Bender circuit, which Sola Sound debuted in 1966. This device has two knobs, three transistors (Russia-made NOS MP41A āflying saucerā transistors, for the super-nerdy), and a name that bears its influence on its sleeve. David Britton of Red River Amplification in Nashville has nailed the classic Tone Bender sound. He hand-picks his PNP germanium transistors to craft a warm, round voice, with insane sustain and exceptional clean-up. This straight-to-the-point 2-knob (dirt and volume) fuzz provides instant joy for players of all skill levels and is easily one of my favorite MkII-inspired fuzz pedals.
By the way, since youāve seen the terms germanium and silicon come up in this article several times by now, I should probably give a quick explanation of what they are, for fuzz novices. Silicon and germanium transistors are semiconductors that amplify or alter electronic signals, like those produced by your guitar that travel through your cable. Silicon transistors are more modern, and were developed in the 1950s. Germanium transistors were developed in the 1940s, and opened the door to solid-state electronics. The earliest germanium fuzz pedal, the Maestro FZ-1 used by Keith Richards on āSatisfaction,ā was introduced in 1962. The first silicon pedal appeared in the late '60s. Generally, silicon is less responsive to guitar volume attenuation but more temperature-stable than germanium, which can be fussy in hot or cold weather, but pedals using either germanium or silicon can blow a hole in the side of a barn. Okay?
ZVEX Fuzz FactoryĀ ($319 street)
Where to start with this one? Odds are you know about this pedal. Itās a staple on so many rigs. It has inspired thousands of guitar players, as well as other pedal builders. It has been loved and used by fuzz purveyors like Trent Reznor and Billy Gibbons. And it is a modern classic. It started as a Fuzz Face clone, but the Fuzz Factory quickly carved its own path in the pedal world, though itās a bit divisive among players due to its chaotic nature. The Fuzz Factory, which debuted in 1995, was one of the first pedals that purposely use feedback-loop-style self-oscillationāsomething that other builders at the time tried to avoid. But this stompās self-oscillation can easily be tamed and is part of what makes it so damn versatile. The Fuzz Factory is perhaps one of the most flexible fuzz pedals ever created, capable of nearly any tone youāve heard on classic records or sounds you hear in your mind. Ripping Velcro-style Jack White vibes, spikey āSatisfactionā leads, or full-blown wall-of-sound fuzz are all here! If you're not scared of fuzz pedals with more than three knobs, the five on this stomp (volume, gate, compression, drive, and stability) allow you to explore fuzz in new, creative ways.
Benson Amps Stonk BoxĀ ($279 street)
Chris Benson quickly went from unknown apprentice at Verellen Amplifiers and repair tech at Old Town Music in Portland, Oregon, to in-demand, consistently backordered boutique amp builder, and for good reason. Also, his contributions to the pedal world have been fantasticāspecifically his creation of what he terms āautomatic thermal bias technology.ā Essentially, he invented a system that regulates and stabilizes the bias of germanium transistors in a pedal, no matter how hot or cold it is outside. This is a big deal! And the Stonk Box? It is a Tone Bender MkI-inspired device that excels in vintage fuzz voices, with tone, volume, filter, and trim controls. It nails the FZ-1, MkI, and Zonk Machine sounds (which are all basically the same thing). It does the sought-after, beautiful, blossoming fuzz sound. And it can surely handle your Keef riffs, but the range of this high-quality build goes well beyond that.
Rude Tech 3MuF-14 Distortion/Fuzz ($255 street)
Jesse Rhew, of Rude Tech in Nashville, really knocked this one out of the park. Taking three well-loved and legendary Sovtek Big Muff circuitsāthe "Civil War," "Green Russian," and "Black Russian"āand putting them in one enclosure is cool, right? But the modern improvements and additions included in the 3Muf-14 make these classic sounds more usable in any setting. If youāve played a Big Muff-style circuit, you know itās very common for your guitar or bass to lose presence as soon as you turn the Muff on in a live-band setting. Because of this, a lot of players run their Muff-style fuzzes into mid-heavy overdrives or EQs, so they donāt get lost in the mix. The 3MuF-14 adds a mid-focused drive circuit with its own footswitch, so your sweet riffs aren't left out of the fun. As youāve gathered by now, there are lots of killer Big Muff-style circuits out there, but if youāre looking for a gig-able option that offers just enough tweak-ability without menu diving, the 3MuF-14āwith volume, tone, and sustain dials, plus toggles for tone and Muff-style selectionāshould be on your watch list.
But Wait, Thereās More!
These are my favorites, but there are dozens more fuzz pedals, at all kinds of price levels and control options, worth investigating. See Ted Drozdowskiās companion story for a rundown of many of these, and, meanwhile, here are a few more pedals that are on my radar right now, and the historic devices or characteristics they emulate.
ā¢ JAM Pedals Octaurus (currently sold out): For fans of the Univox Super-Fuzz, Shin-Ei Companion, and Tycobrahe Octavia.
ā¢ Seeker Electric Effects SUPA (currently sold out): MkI and MkII Tone Bender
ā¢ Yesterday Effects Peach Fuzz ($200 street): Frantone Peach Fuzz
ā¢ ThorpyFX Field Marshall ($254 street): Lovetone Big Cheese
ā¢ Death By Audio Fuzz WarĀ ($180 street): Inspired by the Colorsound Supa Tonebender
ā¢ Spaceman Effects Spacerocket (currently sold out): An āintermodulationā fuzz
