Hiwatt Custom Shop Filter Fuzz

The Filter Fuzz is the Hiwatt Custom Shop's tone-obsessed take on your favourite classic Silicon '60s Fuzz. Designed through collaboration of two Hiwatt Custom Shop heavyweights, the Filter Fuzz aims to offer old-school all-analog sensibility with extended gain and frequency-range. A historical nod to the '69 sounds produced on the album Grand Funk; this 'free-love' moment between a Musicraft Messenger guitar and a Heathkit Fuzz has been the tone-chasing inspiration for our filter section.

Specifications
Switching: True-Bypass
Power Requirements: 9V DC 250mA, can be powered either by 2.1mm center-negative barrel power supply or 9V Battery.
Custom Matte-Black Aluminum Housing

Master Volume
Adjusts the output volume. Unity comes relatively early, with massive boost capability following.

Fuzz
Clockwise increases saturation and sustain. This control has been optimized in the interest of even linear response, beginning with subtle (allowing the volume boost and tone controls to be utilized and shine independent of the distortion) and topping out unwieldy.

3-Way Rotary Filter Switch
Three hand-selected low-cut filters, optionally engaged using the filter bypass footswitch. Can be utilized to emphasize a mid-pushed, parked-wah, punchy, lo-fi vibe. Interacts heavily with the Master volume and Fuzz controls. This filter can have extreme impact through interaction with other controls, sometimes causing spitting, zippery, gated, and octave-like responses. Also offers a perceptual boost which can be used to kick just above unity or push leads to the forefront.

Thick
Carefully curated to optimize low-frequency response. Clockwise emphasizes low frequencies, Counterclockwise cuts low frequencies and allows mid-range and top-end clarity to shine through. This EQ control comes pre-gain, acting as a one-size-fits-all tone-shaper from thundering, wooly, subby clockwise to forward, bright and biting counter-clockwise.

Filter Bypass
Effect Bypass

Internal Bias Trim Pot
Clockwise increases volume and clarity of the circuit, Counterclockwise emphasizes spitting, gating.

Interplay of gain and EQ controls covers a massive tonal range from sludgy through biting, mid-focused through mid-scooped, all-out through touch-sensitive, lo-fi through hi-fi, and delicate through grinding.

Built into a Custom Matte-Black enclosure, point-to-point hand-wired and hand-assembled on a turret-board, featuring traditional knobs and traffolyte faceplate in the Hiwatt Custom Shops.
The Hiwatt Filter Fuzz is proudly made to order in a Limited First Edition run of 200 units. As these are handwired to order in a limited format there will be a 4-6 week production lead time - this listing is for pre-order and units will ship in early 2022.

Dimensions + Weight
Length: ~22.5cm / 8.875"
Width: ~10.8cm / 4.25"
Depth: ~8.25cm / 3.25"
Weight: ~770g / 1.7lbs