The entire fuzz pedal niche is mostly based on variations on five or six vintage fuzz circuits (as you can read in our super comprehensive article about fuzz types). Considering the sheer yearly output of fuzz pedals, it seems like there’s an underground world of engineers constantly modding those circuits in the hopes to come up with something that’s at once classic and new: the MXR Hybrid Fuzz is a noteworthy child of this process.
A variant of the Fuzz Face, this two-knob pedal integrates into a single circuit the original’s silicon transistor, known for its aggressive and snarling high-gain tone, with the smoothness and warmth of a germanium transistor (found in later interactions of the Fuzz Face), delivering a multi-faceted fuzz/distortion pedal with just Output and Fuzz controls.
The Silicon vs Germanium conundrum has been affecting fans of Fuzz Face pedals for decades, and the MXR Hybrid fuzz might just be the stompbox that reconciles these two sides of that beast.
Check out the demos, we added this pedal to our article about the best Fuzz Face pedals, clones and variants!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_GX84sLyM
MXR Hybrid Fuzz, Builder’s Notes
The MXR Hybrid Fuzz channels classic Fuzz Face Distortion pedals to open up a blazing new frontier of fuzz. Combining the snarling, high-gain aggression of a silicon transistor and the smooth, shaggy warmth of a germanium transistor into a single circuit, the Hybrid Fuzz generates a broad range of Fuzz Face Distortion tones with just Output and Fuzz controls. Want searing psychedelica straight out of the ‘60s? The Hybrid Fuzz has you covered. Grinding high-desert riffage? Ditto—and that goes for everything in between. And it’s responsive to your guitar’s volume control, too, cleaning up nicely when you roll it back.
Plug into the MXR Hybrid Fuzz, and step into a whole new realm of supersonic saturation. Draped in a super tripped out finish courtesy of design studio One Horse Town, you’ll be dressed for the exploration.
