The Rare Buzz Fuzz Bob-omb is a US-made two-knob fuzz with a wide tonal range hosted in a sparkly red compact case.
Those of you interested in geeky technical details might want to be aware that the circuit is based on a rare Soviet fuzz from the ’70s and, as the builder puts it…
This discrete hybrid fuzz features a jfet input buffer that feeds a four-stage germanium fuzz core followed by a simple transistor buffer to preserve signal strength at the output jack. Each germanium stage incorporates carefully selected surplus soviet transistors – three different varieties are used. Fuzz is created by rectifying the signal, done by a deliberate arrangement of four germanium diodes – topology based on an incredibly rare soviet-era circuit from the 1970s.
The two knobs are Output (the big one) and Timbre, which dramatically changes the character of the fuzz by adjusting the balance of the last rectifier stage.
You can hear the fuzzy sounds produced by the Rare Buzz Fuzz Bob-omb in the videos below.
THE FUZZ BOB-OMB: AN EPIC PEDAL OF EPIC EPICNESS. EASY TO DIAL IN WITH INTUITIVE CONTROLS, THE FUZZ BOB-OMB PRODUCES DIVERSE FUZZ TONES – FROM SUBTLE RUMBLE TO HIGH PITCHED SCRAPES. A FUZZ FOR THOSE WHO HATE FUZZ, IT FINDS A HOME IN VARYING MUSICAL GENRES: BLUES, METAL, ROCK, OR SONGS THAT MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT DEATH AND GET SAD AND STUFF. SOUNDS JUST AS GOOD ON BASS, EVEN IF YOU ONLY PLAY ONE NOTE THE ENTIRE SONG. AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM RARE BUZZ EFFECTS. FIRST RUN SHIPS NOVEMBER 30.
THE FUZZ BOB-OMB IS THE CULMINATION OF SUBSTANTIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AT RARE BUZZ EFFECTS. THIS DISCRETE HYBRID FUZZ FEATURES A JFET INPUT BUFFER THAT FEEDS A FOUR-STAGE GERMANIUM FUZZ CORE FOLLOWED BY A SIMPLE TRANSISTOR BUFFER TO PRESERVE SIGNAL STRENGTH AT THE OUTPUT JACK. EACH GERMANIUM STAGE INCORPORATES CAREFULLY SELECTED SURPLUS SOVIET TRANSISTORS – THREE DIFFERENT VARIETIES ARE USED. FUZZ IS CREATED BY RECTIFYING THE SIGNAL, DONE BY A DELIBERATE ARRANGEMENT OF FOUR GERMANIUM DIODES – TOPOLOGY BASED ON AN INCREDIBLY RARE SOVIET-ERA CIRCUIT FROM THE 1970S.
CONTROLS:
OUTPUT: CONTROLLED BY THE LARGER KNOB. A PASSIVE VOLUME CONTROL THAT ADJUSTS THE FINAL OUTPUT OF THE FUZZ BOB-OMB.
TIMBRE: CONTROLLED BY THE SMALL TRIMMER. THIS UNIQUE CONTROL ADJUSTS THE BALANCE OF THE LAST RECTIFIER STAGE, DRAMATICALLY CHANGING THE VOICING OF THE FUZZ. QUICKLY ADJUSTS TO DIFFERENT GUITARS AND AMPLIFIERS.
SWITCHING, INCLUDING THE LED INDICATOR LIGHT, IS COMPLETELY ISOLATED FROM THE AUDIO PATH USING A RELAY AND DEDICATED VOLTAGE REGULATOR. CONTROLLED WITH A MECHANICAL SWITCH, IF POWER IS LOST THE FUZZ BOB-OMB WILL REMAIN IN WHATEVER STATE IT WAS LAST IN – PERFECT FOR ADVANCED PEDALBOARDS USING LOOP SWITCHING. NEUTRIK AUDIO AND LUMBERG DC JACKS ARE USED. HOUSED IN A METALLIC RED GORVA C65 ENCLOSURE, SCREEN PRINTED BY UPRIGHT PRESS IN THE STEELTON VILLAGE NEIGHBORHOOD OF COLUMBUS. ART BY CHRISTOPHER BLAIN OF BLAIN STUDIO.NOTE: AS WITH MANY HIGH GAIN CIRCUITS, THE FUZZ BOB-OMB IS SENSITIVE TO NATIVE PICKUP NOISE. THIS MAY PRESENT AS A SLIGHT HUM WHEN THE STRINGS ARE IDLE AND GOES AWAY DURING PLAY.
