The Fuzz Face, Big Muff and Tone Bender have been done to death. In fact, because of the current climate of fuzz peddling, many people may think that these are the only fuzz circuits out there. When a company releases something new, it’s cause for much rejoicing. However, experimentation used to be the name of the game in the fuzz world, and many of these groundbreaking breaths of fresh air have unfortunately fallen by the wayside. Here are nine of them.
Elka Dizzy Tone
Elka made a name for itself in 1981 when it released the Synthex, a monstrously feature-laden analog synthesizer. Unbeknownst to almost everyone, synthesizers were not the Italian company's first musical rodeo. That belt buckle belonged to the Dizzy Tone—a germanium fuzz in a gargantuan metal lump of an enclosure. Italy, as you may know, was quietly pumping out classic after classic in this era, and if there were a pedal hall of fame, the Echorec, Vox wah and Vox Tone Bender would be first-ballot inductees. Perhaps the Dizzy Tone will be akin to Arvydas Sabonis of the Portland Trail Blazers—an inductee despite entering the public eye well past his prime. Ballyhoo aside, the sound is something else. Imagine, if you will, a cross between a Tone Bender MKIII and a Mosrite Fuzzrite that got bitten by a radioactive spider and given super powers, and you're close. Unfortunately, finding an original may prove a fruitless endeavor, but luckily, Jext Telez is the certified Indiana Jones of semiconductors and regularly wrangles small lots of transistors that belong in a museum. Jext Telez uses these to make certain that the legacy of the Dizzy Tone forges onward.
GS Wyllie Moonrock
It's not exactly vintage, but it sure is out there, and since its creator—G.S. Wyllie himself—has passed away (R.I.P.), they're no longer made. The Moonrock is named as much because the enclosure is shaped like an actual rock. If that wasn't strange enough, the circuit itself is certainly akin to some manner of lunar artifact. The Moonrock simply resembles nothing else out there, both in sound and circuit topology. Notably absent from the unit is a fuzz control, in its place is a simple control: "Adjustment." This Adjustment knob is a very unique control indeed; many fuzzes "bloom," that is, they "open up," so to speak, when hit hard, almost like a very short envelope control. The Moonrock's Adjustment dial turns that bloom into a control whose bounds are beyond anything reasonable. Cranking the knob turns the Moonrock into a full-on attack-decay machine, where the octave-tinged notes beautifully wash in after a second or so. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Wyllie.
Honey Special Fuzz
The Super Fuzz and Uni-Vibe are absolute classic effects. They've appeared on hundreds if not thousands of hit records, and either one's sound is instantly recognizable. These two effects were manufactured by Shin-Ei, whose name is synonymous with these two. However, before Shin-Ei was Shin-Ei, it was Honey, and the Honey company only cranked out weird effect after weird effect. One such effect was the Special Fuzz, a pedal that is as bizarre as it is aptly named. The topology of the Special Fuzz is unlike anything else, as the circuit contains not one, but TWO huge inductors, the type usually found in wah pedals. Inductors aside, there are also 12 transistors. Typical fuzz designs of this era use two or three; the Univox Super Fuzz uses more transistors than almost any circuit, and it features a comparatively diminutive six. The unit features two footswitches; one for a master bypass, labeled “Cancel,” and one that switches between Fuzz and Special Fuzz. The “Special Fuzz” introduces the inductors and outputs a strange, murky autowah fuzz tone. Special, indeed.
SRS EQ Exciter
Not much is known about SRS, an American company that only produced two pedals. What we do know is that both pedals released by SRS are awesome and mysteriously named. The company is responsible for a filter pedal called the VCO Disco, which suggests a ‘70s release, but we’re talking about the other pedal, the EQ Exciter. Normally when guitarists hear the terms EQ and Exciter, they’re expecting either a parametric or graphic equalizer, or a “sweetener” pedal like the BBE Sonic Stomp or Aphex Exciter. The EQ Exciter is neither—it’s a thunderous buzzsaw fuzz pedal that will rip your amp to shreds. The two knobs—EQ and Gain—do neither. “Gain” is actually a volume control, and the EQ knob barely resembles a tone knob—it’s a bizarre control totally befitting of this article, which is probably best described as a frequency-band enhancer. When rolled all the way back, a sludgy low-end dirge pile-drives your amp, and the other end of the control is equally thwacked out. Good luck finding one, but if you do, hold on to your butt.
Montarbo Sinfhoton
This Italian pedal recently got a facelift and was revealed at Musikmesse 2014, which is essentially the European NAMM show. This suggests that the pedal was popular enough to warrant a reissue. Personally, I don’t know a single person that’s heard the name Montarbo, let alone Sinfhoton, but apparently its devotees are located in Europe. The pedal’s manual is in Italian, which suggests it was never sold in the US, and here it is now in an article about unknown fuzzes. The circuit is a standard two-transistor silicon design, but a Fuzz Face it ain’t. The Sinfhoton features three knobs; B, T and V, which stand for Bass, Treble and Volume. It features two silicon transistors and two sets of clipping diodes, and the transistors are somewhat high gain, making this a meaty, chewy fuzz that is wholly excellent for hard rock music. It’s also important to note that the Sinfhoton has the unofficial distinction of being the first “gooped” pedal I’ve ever heard of. This means that the components are slathered in a thick black sludge to discourage would-be copiers. Montarbo apparently didn’t do a very good job, Creepy Fingers offers a Sinfhoton clone.
Barnes and Mullins Fuzz Unit
In a strange twist of fate, Colorsound actually built the B&M Fuzz Unit, which explains why it comes in one of those wacky elongated enclosures. The circuit, however, is unlike anything Colorsound offered (only the Supa Tone Bender was anywhere close). The pedal is almost a cross between a silicon Tone Bender and a Big Muff, but with a twist. The Fuzz Unit only has three transistors—the Muff has four—but it omits the Big Muff’s recovery stage, which “makes up” the gain lost by the tone circuit. The originals used BC149C transistors, which are very high gain—but the third one is significantly lower gain, which gives the unit a juicy, singing sustain. Finding one of these isn’t so hard in Europe, as they were sold under several brand names. However, Faustone of Spain reissued a small amount of Fuzz Units and they’re out there if one looks hard enough.
Watkins Electric Music Project V
Watkins Electric Music, or WEM for short, primarily made amplifiers, but a few effects units slipped through the cracks. The Project V is perhaps the most ambitious endeavor. It features two knobs—Attack and Volume—and two toggle switches—Drive and Edge. The unit is equipped with eight transistors, and seven of them are BC108s, which are relatively high-gain. There’s also an inductor, just like the Honey Special Fuzz, but modern reimaginings of the Project V often omit it. The unit is a strange beast, and it sounds incredible. Between its two knobs and two toggles, it covers the gamut of vintage fuzz pretty well, from buzzy garage rock to thick rhythm fuzz. As for aesthetics, it almost seems like WEM and Colorsound were in some sort of contest to see who could put their fuzz in the most unnecessarily huge enclosure—the Project V measures at more than a foot long. For those that crave the Project V sound without the hunt or ridiculous enclosure, Ghost Effects sells a pedal called the Warmjet V that may tickle your fancy.
Schumann Electronics Two Face
Like the Moonrock, the Two Face Fuzz isn’t exactly vintage, but Schumann Electronics is nearly banished to obscurity at this point outside of its flagship wacko-modulator PLL. In fact, Schumann Electronics made three other pedals other than the PLL and Two Face Fuzz—the Lion, Lion X and F Loop. None have matched the legacy of the PLL, but they are just as rare, if not more so. All Schumann designs are original, and all of them are somewhat complicated. The Two Face Fuzz is a monster; it uses four germanium transistors and five ICs and it’s a fire-breathing beast even at its lowest gain settings. There’s nothing subtle about the Two Face Fuzz and this extends to its build quality—but that’s more of a Schumann trademark than a choice. The man behind the designs would regularly build his units with “booby trap” circuits to scare away would-be cloners. It worked—for a while. Nobody yet has cloned the Two Face Fuzz en masse, but it’s certainly ready.
Conrad Buzz Box and Volume Expander
Also sold as the UMI Buzz Tone and Volume Expander, the Conrad BBVE features a dual transistor design. Both are silicon, but the pedal sounds closest to a Fuzzrite or a Maestro Fuzz Tone. As those effects are all-germanium, they are a bit smoother than the BBVE. As it stands, the BBVE is a garage-rock machine that puts the rawness of the Fuzzrite to shame. The transistors are low-gain, for extra raspiness, but the input capacitor is pretty hefty whereas the output capacitor is pretty tiny. As a result the BBVE is almost like a dual-layered fuzz; there is a raucous buzz to it, and the tone is sort of lopsided, if that makes any sense. The second gain stage features asymmetrical clipping by using a germanium clipping arrangement, which only adds to the jaggedness. This is another box that’s in desperate need of a reboot, but who will be the brave soul that dare attempt it?