A beast of an octave fuzz with versatility in mind.
DeArmond Jet Star with DeAmond USA GoldTone humbuckers and 1968 Fender Bassman through 2X12 cabinet with Warehouse G12c/s speakers.
Clip #1 — All EQ controls at noon. Volume and Fuzz at noon, two, and three o’ clock.
Clip #2 — All knobs at noon. Pre-fuzz octave position and Tight voice, followed by Post-fuzz position and tight voice, followed by pre-fuzz position and open voice.
RatingsPros:Excellent tone and huge control. Fuzz and Octave circuits can be used separately. Cons: On the slightly expensive side for an octave fuzz. Street: $199 Wampler Fuzztration wamplerpedals.com
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Roger Mayer’s meeting with Jimi Hendrix in early 1967, and the latter legend’s adoption of Mayer’s prototype Octavia, spawned one of the more interesting branches of stompbox evolution. Decades later, octave fuzz is a staple of many pedal manufacturers’ offerings. And though Mayer’s first circuit still inspires many similar effects, octave fuzz remains fertile ground for experimentation beyond the Octavia template. So, it’s nice to see Wampler take a swing at expanding the formula with the Fuzztration: a more versatile variation of the octave fuzz recipe that uses powerful equalization and independent fuzz and octave circuits to achieve uncommon flexibility.
Controlling Your Fuzztration
Many fuzz/octave pedals give you little control over the complex, sometimes fractured, tones they create. Even the early Octavia only had two knobs. But starting with the separation of the octave and fuzz into independent effects, Wampler enhances and extends a player’s control over a potent combination. The 3-band bass/mids/treble boost/cut EQ section is very responsive and has great range. The large fuzz knob, meanwhile, is big enough and smartly situated to enable expressive volume adjustments with your toe. A useful master volume control allows output adjustments when things get hairy.
Two switches further extend the tone-shaping power of the Fuzztration. An octave position switch situates the octave effect before or after the fuzz. (Hendrix usually ran the Octavia after the fuzz.) The tone voice switch provides options for “open” or “tight” settings—the latter of which has more a modern, compressed accent.
The medium-sized enclosure is a little taller than most boxes with similar footprints, which is common within the Wampler line. The graphics wink, perhaps, at Pink Floyd’s The Wall’s theatrical poster (and probably the possible mayhem this pedal is capable of). You can use a 9V or 18V adaptor to power the unit, but there’s also the option to use a 9V battery.
Let It All Out
A Fender Stratocaster and an Orange OR50 with a closed-back 4x12 provided an appropriate and more-or-less-approximate Hendrix-style setup for the most obvious test of Fuzztration’s octave/fuzz capabilities. With the octave effect running in post-fuzz mode and in the open voice position, I found convincing Octavia-style tones with all EQ controls around noon. As with the Octavia, the 1st and 2nd strings of the Stratocaster generate the most potent octave tones, especially on the 12th fret and above.
But by boosting the treble, the Fuzztration brings out more octave, extra clarity, and additional presence. And while the octave is very present in most EQ configurations, the treble EQ is effective enough to almost act as a blend knob for the effect—creating the perception of a considerable boost in octave volume. I’ve always found the rarity of wet/dry octave mix controls on most fuzz/octave pedals frustrating. The treble control’s ability to serve that function to some extent is impressive.
Switching over to the pre-fuzz octave, I noticed a lot less white noise from the single-coils. The octave output, however, is more ring-modulator-like. This effect is even more apparent in the tight fuzz setting with its added compression. Paired with the darker voice of a Gibson Les Paul, these tones are appealingly aggressive and rich—something you might hear at a desert-generator gig populated by lunatics on a Kyuss bender. Even with the darker combination, though, the treble control is powerful enough to provide heaps of extra cut. And with a little push into the 2 o’clock range, the octave really sings. This was extra helpful when I paired the Les Paul and Fuzztration with more contoured, mid-scooped 6L6-based amplifiers.
You can get a lot of mileage using the Fuzztration purely as a fuzzbox. The open voice is thick and pleasingly dark at times, and a lot like a Big Muff in both saturation and attack. The tight configuration is more pointed and punchy.
The octave, too, can be used as a standalone effect. Without the fuzz you hear the upper octave register clearly with a touch of glitchy, irregular grit that almost sounds like a fuzz with a dying battery at times. It sounds great alone. But it’s also excellent augmentation for other fuzz types and sounds awesome with delay set for numerous repeats, creating a field of splattered octave shards.
The Verdict
Most fuzz/octave effects I use do one thing well and tend to lack dynamics. Fuzztration, though, never makes you wonder if the pedalboard space you’ve dedicated to an octave effect is worth it. Fuzztration does classic octave sounds really well. But it opens plenty of other sonic avenues and provides the control, flexibility, and range to move in very creative and unusual fuzz/octave directions.
Simplifying switching for switcher haters.
RatingsPros:Simple path to improved pedalboard organization and reduced noise. Great boost function. Cons: Activating foot switches quickly can be tricky. Street: $249
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In typically irreverent EarthQuaker style, Swiss Things is called a “pedalboard reconciler” rather than a switcher. And there’s something to that. Swiss Things doesn’t have a digital “brain” like switchers that conjure unusual pedal combinations. But with a bufferless loop for dirt pedals, a second buffered loop for modulation/time pedals, A/B/Y amp switching, a buffered volume pedal output, and a boost that cranks the output by up to 20 dB, it opens up tone options while eliminating noise and tone suck.
The Swiss Things eliminates a lot of the compound noise and diminished tone quality that comes from running several pedals in series. And for any player that favors near-busted, noisy-as-hell germanium fuzzes, that’s a big deal. But splitting distortion pedals and time/modulation pedals into unbuffered and buffered loops also opens up the expressive possibilities of momentarily introducing whole pedal groups for super-radical tone shifts. The boost at the end of the circuit is brilliant, too, enabling substantial compensation for volume loss within pedal groups while amplifying the excellent tone massage work the Swiss Things performs en route. If you hate the idea of switchers but love organization, enhanced sound sculpting options, and a quieter rig, you’ll dig this smart, compact master of reconciliation.
Test gear: Fender Telecaster Deluxe with Curtis Novak Widerange pickups, Fender Jazzmaster, ’68 Fender Bassman, Fender Vibro Champ, Magnetic Effects Lonely Robot, Jesse Trbovich Trbo Bender Mk2, Wattson FY-6, EarthQuaker Levitation, Boss DM-2, EHX Small Stone
Vintage style and excellent build quality in an affordable, all-solid, slope-shoulder dread.
RatingsPros:Superb playability. Spacious fretboard. Cool tone surprises for a dread. Cons: Brash voice may turn off slope-shoulder purists. Bottom end sounds weak in some situations. Street: $774 Farida OT-65 faridausa.com | Tones:  Playability: Build/Design: Value: |
If there’s a prettier flattop than a slope-shouldered dreadnought, I have yet to lay eyes on it. Gibson, of course, built the first and set the standard with the J-45. In the years since its introduction, that guitar’s perfect proportions, beautiful body contours, and sonic stew of husky, mellow, massive, and earthy spruce and mahogany tones made the J-45 a much-copied template for builders. Farida’s OT-65 X Wide VBS is one of the latest such tributes to the J-45. But it’s also defined by a few important deviations from Gibson’s standard—most notably a 1 3/4" nut (the “wide” in the model name) and a 25 1/2" scale—that make it a very different sounding and playing slope shoulder.
Kalamazoo Fusion
The China-built OT-65, is part of a Farida line that, refreshingly, focuses on a few essential vintage-style flattop types. The quality of construction suggests that this focus has paid off. The guitar is almost flawless inside and out. Frets are carefully seated and contoured at the edges. Intonation is excellent. And though the guitar feels fast and the action is relatively low, there’s still plenty of room to attack the guitar with a flatpick without fearing fret buzz.
The Farida employs several mid-20th century J-45 design elements to create a very vintage-styled whole—particularly the three-on-a-plate tuners with ivoroid tuning pegs, dot markers, and an unbound neck, which all echo the classy and understated beauty of a vintage Gibson. Other elements, like the simple Martin-style rectangle bridge, two-pinstripe binding and rosette, and narrow, almost Epiphone-like headstock, are cool and distinctive departures from Gibson design dogma.
Both the spruce top and the mahogany back and sides are fashioned from high-quality pieces of lumber. And the mahogany back in particular is striking in terms of depth and figuring. The pao ferro fretboard also has lovely character, and though it’s distinctly lighter in color when placed alongside a rosewood fretboard, it would probably be hard to tell the difference at a glance. The finish is carefully applied everywhere on the guitar, save for a just perceptible heaviness on the soundhole side of the bridge and around the neck joint. That, however, was the only plainly visible shortcoming in an otherwise near-perfect build.
Extra Dimensional
On a J-45, the 24 3/4" scale and 1.69" nut width contribute significantly to its tone profile and feel. The shorter scale offers an elastic, bend-conducive playability, warm, deep overtones, and strong fundamentals. The narrower neck, meanwhile, makes chording easy for many players. Those who like a J-45 for its particular brand of playability might be surprised by how different the Farida feels under the fingers.
The fretboard is considerably more spacious, and the old truth about 1 3/4" necks lending themselves to fingerstyle is affirmed here. Chord melody maneuvers feel effortless. And the relatively low action and extra string-to-string distance do much to reduce the slop in chord transitions a narrower fretboard can induce. If you have smaller hands, the wider fretboard may be less fun for sustained chording. But in general, the Farida’s very nice setup and action do much to relieve chording fatigue.
Long Scale, Toppy Tone
The Farida’s other major deviation from Gibson slope-shoulder convention, the 25 1/2" scale, is likely to be more polarizing—at least if you favor the toasty, mellow side of a J-45’s tone equation. On just about any 25 1/2"-scale acoustic you’re likely to hear more note-to-note articulation, more midrange emphasis, and more string-to-string balance than you would on a shorter-scale instrument. These guidelines definitely apply to the Farida. Under heavy strumming, the midrange is strong, boisterous, and downright growly. And when combined with the articulate output from the 1st and 2nd strings, the strong high-mid contributes to a tonal sum that’s quite bright for a dreadnought. How you put this tone profile to work will do much to determine how well the Farida suits your playing style.
Not coincidentally, perhaps, given the wider neck, the Farida’s voice is a great fit for fingerstyle. Fingerstyle players who rely on deep, resonant, pianistic bass response for their expression may miss some of the low-end that the Farida lacks in comparison to other dreads. On the other hand, the guitar’s superb ability to articulate and lend definition to melodic passages on the 1st through 4th strings might thrill and inspire players who rely on counterpoint or pronounced, ringing high strings for the melodic backbone of their compositions and songs. Some of these same qualities make the Farida a great flatpicking guitar. And though it lacks some of the bottom-end thump bluegrass and country flatpickers favor, it sounds and feels great for slow, vibrato-inflected leads against soft accompaniment.
If there’s one weak spot in the Farida’s bag of tricks, it’s the tendency to sound brash under heavy strumming—a characteristic that’s the virtual opposite of the J-45 and unusual in a mahogany-backed guitar of this size. This isn’t an across-the-board deficiency by any means. The Farida sounds lovely in strumming situations where you use a feathery touch and a thin pick, and it’s easy to imagine stacking the Farida’s voice on top of a more robust dread for a rich composite rhythm picture in ensembles or overdubbing situations. Aspiring Neil Youngs, or any one else that relies on a heavy picking hand, may want to consider other options.
The Verdict
Farida’s OT-65 X Wide VBS is a well-built and versatile dreadnought. With its mid-heavy, and occasionally brash voice, it’s probably not the best option for a J-45 purist on the prowl for an affordable alternative. But if you’re the kind of player who loves a slope shoulder’s style, but doesn’t relate to a J-45’s mellow mahogany tones and short scale, the Farida might be the perfect fix.