Fuzz

Experimental Fuzz/Gate

Reminisce about the time you got your shoulder caught in the reciprocating saw while this unit destroys your slick jazz lines. 

The fruit of an oddball circuit, hanging there awkwardly by some parasitic effect. Tweaked, bended and shoe-horned to optimize it's stench, it's unpleasance. Time has come to turn all dynamics to shit. Strangely, it feels very natural.

As The Unpleasant Surprise turns your playing style upside down, you’ll be thankful for its ability to push you outside the box, outside your comfort zone, all the while retaining the essence of what is played. The artifacts created by this pedal are strange, harsh and unusual but never seem mis-placed or out of context.

TECHNICALS

- input impedance 1 MΩ

- output impedance 1 kΩ

- power supply 9 to 9.6 VDC

- current draw 15 mA

- inspiration ∞

PHYSICALS

- true true bypass

- 1/4” mono input/output jacks

- 2.1mm barrel DC connector

- 2.5” x 4.4” enclosure dimensions

USING THE UNPLEASANT SURPRISE

The VOLUME control is self-explanatory. Unity gain is around noon but who cares. Use it to slam your amp or the next pedals in line. Turn it down if the anguish is overwhelming.

The ONSET control affects interstage gain, which happens to mimic an inverse gate threshold. Turn it up for more saturation, longer sustain. Down for sputtery ad-lib farts.

T Simple output treble cut.

G Affects amplifier bias. Open or Saturated. Allows variations in distortion grain. Note: the difference becomes less noticeable as the ONSET is turned up.

C Feedforward. Crushes your signal to shit. ONSET controls the amount of compression.

NOTES ON POWERING

The Unpleasant Surprise was designed to operate and sound good using your typical center negative, regulated 9-9.6 VDC power supply. Running it at higher voltages is not desirable nor recommended. There is no battery con- nection inside the pedal. Always check your power supply for proper voltage and polarity before connecting.

UNIQUE & ROBUST

MADE IN HULL, QUÉBEC

Please note

- We are unable to accept price negotiations, as the listed price already reflects our best.

- The shipping fees listed on the item page are reference prices and may differ from the actual shipping cost (including Reverb and PayPal fees.) While the amounts are accurate for many countries, they may vary significantly for others.

- All customs taxes and VAT are the buyers’ responsibility. Please check out the requirements for your country.

- All items are also for sale in our physical workshop in Takadanobaba. There is a chance they might be sold out.

- We sell only at Reverb for customers from outside Japan.

- We accept payment only through Reverb platform.