Sometimes limitations can be more creatively inspiring than an abundance of options.
The new ToneTuga Salvage Fuzz is a circuit born out of necessity, designed at a time when the closing of many plants due to the pandemic was limiting the availability of components used for making pedals (or any other electric/electronic device).
That’s when Mike from ToneTuga FX decided to challenge himself to make a pedal using only the salvaged scraps and parts he had on hand.
The result is a four-knob fuzz that’s extremely peculiar and very versatile. With the Fuzz knob set to 0 you still get a pleasant distortion, while turning it up will slowly add to it a layer of fuzz. Turn it up all the way and you get a filthy fuzz with subtle traces of your original signal.
Here’s what Mike says about the tones you can create using the two EQ knobs:
The EQ offers versatility beyond what you’d expect from a typical Fuzz. With the High control set from 8-10 you can achieve a sort of Prog Rock-esque “Pushed Cleans”. From 1-3 on the Low control you will find no shortage of amp shaking bass content. I encourage everyone to experiment, in depth, with the EQ.
Check out the video, below.
It’s June of 2020. Component supply has screeched to a halt. The components that I did manage to get my hands on were all sub-par quality from dubious suppliers or dead on arrival from sloppy rushed production. I can’t use any of this! I still want to work on new designs, but the only components I have on hand are from other prototypes and old breadboards.
I decided to challenge myself to make something cool using only the salvaged scraps and parts I had on hand. So, I plotted out a basic outline for a pedal and tried to make something beautiful.
The Salvage Fuzz is an interesting departure from a typical Fuzz. With Fuzz set to 0 you still get a pleasant and well-defined distortion as your “baseline tone”. Turning up the Fuzz control will slowly blend an extra layer of fuzz saturation into the base distortion. At the maximum Fuzz setting, the Salvage Fuzz will turn into a full blown filthy fuzz with traces of your original signal underneath the chaos.
The EQ offers versatility beyond what you’d expect from a typical Fuzz. With the High control set from 8-10 you can achieve a sort of Prog Rock-esque “Pushed Cleans”. From 1-3 on the Low control you will find no shortage of amp shaking bass content. I encourage everyone to experiment, in depth, with the EQ. This pedal has A LOT to offer!
Semi Clean Clarity, Filthy Texas Blues, and Experimental Dirt are all achievable within the Salvage Fuzz.
