It would be hard to find a fuzz more polarizing than the original glitchy, grotesque and glorious Ampeg Scrambler. Those who love it use it with perverse abandon. Others wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. So hats off to Maxon for not only taking on this divisive circuit, but adding a level feature that can make it much more useful and tempting for fence sitters.
Even with the level control, the Void is not exactly user-friendly or fantastically varied. A very strong octave-up component makes the fuzz a spitty, chaotic, one-eyed, flame-drooling beast of a fuzz at all but the tamest overtone settings. In general, it’s harder to tame than an Octavia. And it’s near impossible to coax any of a Big Muff’s mellifluousness or a Tone Bender’s lyrical grind from this unit. But it’s amazing for fractured, hectic Stooges riffs and ecstatic “screw it, let’s blow the roof off this place” psychedelic leads. Not for the faint of the heart, but fantastically expressive and rewarding when you dial it in right.
Test Gear: Fender Jaguar, Fender Stratocaster, Music Man Sixty Five
Ratings
Pros:
Awesomely splintered and heavy octave-fuzz tones.
Cons:
Unforgiving for players with less adventurous mindsets.
Street:
$159
Maxon FV-10 Fuzz Elements Void
maxonfx.com
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