gear giveaway

Updated Pedal: Vahlbruch Octavia V2 Fuzz

The Vahlbruch Octavia V2 is a high-end, handmade-in-Germany evolution of the Tychobrahe Octavia Fuzz (read: the octave-up-style fuzz used by Jimi Hendrix) that uses a custom-made transformer and Schottky diodes to reproduce the sound of the vintage units (v1 used new old stock germanium ones). A toggle switch lets you…... Click for more

Updated Pedal: Vahlbruch Octavia V2 Fuzz

Demedash Effects Spidola Germanium Fuzz

Winnipeg, Manitoba's Demedash Effects got us used to original pedal circuits that defy tradition, and the company's first fuzz pedal keeps faith to this approach, with more subtlety than their other designs. The company's new Spidola Fuzz uses the same Germanium transistors found in the vintage fuzzes of the '70s,…... Click for more

Demedash Effects Spidola Germanium Fuzz

New Pedal: Spun Loud & Rare Buzz Phoezar

The Spun Loud & Rare Buzz Phoezar is a phase+fuzz circuit born out of an encounter of minds between two small US pedal builders, initiated by an Instagram comment posted back in 2021 which teaches us that a pedal can take much longer than 9 months to be born from…... Click for more

New Pedal: Spun Loud & Rare Buzz Phoezar

New Pedal: Rift Amplification Elysium Low-Gain Fuzz

The Rift Amplification Elysium Low-Gain Fuzz is a very simple fuzz pedal that's getting a lot of attention. It's built by hand by a UK-based amp manufacturer that uses a point-to-point technique for all their creations. The curious approach to this circuit is to have a fixed fuzz (i.e. no…... Click for more

New Pedal: Rift Amplification Elysium Low-Gain Fuzz

JHS Plugin Fuzz (Legends of Fuzz Boss Tone Replica)

The JHS Plugin is a replica of the Jordan Boss Tone, a device that captured the attention of many guitarists interested in vintage fuzz circuits mostly due to its form factor rather than its actual sound: released in 1967, it was one of the first guitar effects (and the first…... Click for more

JHS Plugin Fuzz (Legends of Fuzz Boss Tone Replica)

Cat Box Customs Bean Machine Fuzz

The Cat Box Customs Bean Machine Fuzz is a gorgeously colorful, hand-painted boutique take on the Harmonic Percolator circuit, coming right out or a basement in Columbus, Ohio. And it costs only $130 (here). It features a 3-way diode clipping selection with D310 Ge/none/Schottky bat41 options. Two more toggles provide…... Click for more

Cat Box Customs Bean Machine Fuzz

Audiolithe Extinction Drive

Hailing from France, the Audiolithe Extinction Drive is a heavy yet uber-flexible dual overdrive that can produce a variety of tones, including Fuzz and Octave up sounds. The left channel, controlled by the three knobs and one toggle switch on the left half of the pedal, is a classic overdrive…... Click for more

Audiolithe Extinction Drive

Whimsy Machines The Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo Octave Fuzz

Whimsy Machines is a new, Virginia-based boutique builder that has been spoiling us with some very imaginative devices. Their new creation makes it clear right from its moniker that the company's stomping ground hasn't changed: enter the Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo, a "Recursive Octave Fuzz." So, you may ask yourself, "whatsitdo?"…... Click for more

Whimsy Machines The Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo Octave Fuzz

Best Burns Buzzaround Fuzz Clones & Evolutions in 2023

Fuzz comes in many flavors, and this article covers just one of them. You can find a list of our articles about the various fuzz circuits and their modern reinterpretations in our Fuzz Category Page. [lwptoc depth="4" hierarchical="0" numeration="none" title="TABLE OF CONTENTS (click to jump)" toggle="0" titleFontSize="125%" titleFontWeight="semibold" itemsFontSize="110%"…... Click for more

Best Burns Buzzaround Fuzz Clones & Evolutions in 2023

Soundslice FX X-Ray Box (Buzzaround Fuzz)

The Soundslice FX X-Ray Box is a fuzz handmade in Victoriaville, Canada and inspired by the Burns Buzzaround, a pedal from the '60s not too dissimilar from the Tone Bender (but heavier-sounding), and that has become a collector's item. This variation of that classic is not an authentic clone but…... Click for more

Soundslice FX X-Ray Box (Buzzaround Fuzz)

Simon the Magpie Stutterphone V2: the Silence Looper

Those who are not familiar with Swedish mad scientist Simon the Magpie miss out on some bizarrely genius stompboxes, and synths. The Stutterphone V2 is the new version of a stunning pedal that embeds a vintage rotary phone dial. Even better, it promises to loop... silence! This new version does…... Click for more

Simon the Magpie Stutterphone V2: the Silence Looper

Rainger FX Break Box

Guitar pedals can do a lot more than what we are used to, and London-based David Rainger has always shown an interest in expanding the stompboxes' functionality (and shape) in new and intriguind directions. Enter the Rainger FX Break Box, an asymmetrical fuzz pedal that does a bunch of crazy…... Click for more

Rainger FX Break Box