february 2008

This fuzz is unique in that unlike the Octavia or other vintage pedals, the octave circuit here can be blended into or out of the fuzz sound. A pair of knobs set Volume and Fuzz levels, and a mini-toggle turns a Bright switch on or off. The Anger Level knob blends in the Octave circuit— I am not sure about the connection between octaves and antagonism, but the Angry Fuzz does offer the possibility of some truly demented tones. Cranking the octave level and backing off your guitar volume creates some delightful, or horrible (depending on your personal level of dementia) bit-reduction sounds. At lower fuzz settings, I was able to achieve an exciting electric sitar effect. At any volume level, single notes give you one octave up, while two-note chords create an octave up, plus some cool lower octave artifacts.

I found the Angry Fuzz to be incredibly flexible. Turning off the octave and cranking the fuzz offered a smooth, Big Muff-style fuzz, with tons of sustain for Frippertronic excursions, though it lacked some of the EH pedal’s low-end girth and articulation. Backing off the fuzz about halfway, I was able to clean up the sound with the guitar volume.

Turning up the octave knob after 10 o’clock reveals subtle changes in the amount of upper harmonics, with the effect quite evident past noon. Unlike many vintage fuzz units, the Angry Fuzz sounds are all smooth and quiet. If it lacks anything, it is the unpredictability and quirkiness that give old designs like the Fender Blender and Ampeg Scrambler their character. On the other hand, Angry Fuzz offers great sound, combined with reliability and dependable, repeatable performance. Angry or not, you may want to grab it for the octave alone. – MR

Buy If...
you want a well built, great sounding, versatile octave fuzz pedal
Skip If...
unpredictability and quirkiness floats your boat.
Rating...

MSRP $207 - Visual Sound - visualsound.net