Fuzz Pedal Buyers Guide

What is a fuzz pedal?

Fuzz pedals or fuzz boxes are commonly mistaken to be the same as overdrive or distortion pedals, but that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Each of these pedals are vastly different from each other and are used to achieve very different effects.

Origins of Fuzz Pedals

In the 1950s there was a rise of distorted guitar sounds n songs and people were loving it, usually the distortion only happened when you would turn the amp to full volume and then end up recording at the same time, but that was usually not a very convenient way to work. You would have to rely on luck or very specific (and often damaging to the ears and music gear) sounds. Fuzz pedals were designed to make this well-desired distortion sound available for everyone without having to crank up amps to their full potential or fiddling around hoping for a distortion. Fuzz boxes were the first devices to let electric and bass guitarists fully control the amount of distortion they wanted.

Fuzz Pedals

Fuzz pedals are pedals that are designed to provide you with the best sounds that can usually be associated with blues, jazz or classic rock. This usually means that these small devices were made to emulate a distinct sound that used to be associated with well-known pedals such as the Big Muff. They are usually very powerful little devices with 2-6 knobs that you can regulate to help you achieve the gritty and gnarly sound that was common in 1950s rock. They were developed to enable guitarists and bassists imitate the sounds that a horn player would typically make during a jazz session or to help achieve distortion. Many notable figures that have used the fuzz and made it become an iconic piece of their sound style include Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jimmi Hendrix.

Overdrive Pedals

Overdrive pedals are pedals that will offer you a chance to get natural, warm and “tube” like sounds that can be commonly associated with trumpets and the alike. They are usually used in a blues-rock setting, which is basically a smooth distortion. In essence, they are a type of distortion pedal, but they use soft-clipping, which means the tones are very smooth and were famous for providing harmonics that could otherwise be considered jagged in other types of pedals.

Distortion Pedals

Distortion pedals usually use hard-clipping distortion, which means that they sound more jagged and spiky than the previous pedals we mentioned. The best example of music that uses these types of pedals is anything by Van Halen. These pedals usually create sounds similar to that of high-gain amplifiers and create very thick waves of sounds, they are simply crucial if you want to achieve that modern guitar tone.

Why and when would you need to use a fuzz pedal?

Many guitarists love fuzz pedals because they can help them achieve the high-gain sounds that can be heard within songs like Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’, if you are not into these types of jagged or very high, smooth, almost violin-like electric sounds then fuzz pedals probably won’t be your cup of tea, but these little devices are capable of making a wide variety of sounds that may just suit anyone that has the patience to experiment!

They are really versatile pieces of gear and can add clarity and crispness to your playing too, if you set them to do so. All in all, it comes down to experimenting. Some pedals are very easy to master but others are much harder due to the very high level of distortion (click here for audio effects study) they provide and it’s hard to keep them under control sometimes! You can essentially use these pedals for any genre of music, from jazz, blues to classic rock and punk. Whether you are on board to get the gritty and gnarly sound or the clear, violin-like horn tone, it will definitely be an option if you look at buying suitable pedals.

How do you choose the best-rated fuzz pedal?

It all depends on the kind of music you will want to play, but the general rule is to look at all of the knobs that are offered for the particular fuzz box that you will be looking at. Some pedals are bigger, some smaller, but the essential things to look for are what kind of power supply the need, what voltage power batteries you will need to buy (if any) and what size the device is and if it seems to fit the style of music you are into. To be safe it’s best to see samples of all of the pedals you are interested in on YouTube to get a glimpse of what they sound like, many people also offer videos that compare fuzz pedals and put the same guitar sound side by side but with different pedals. Also, make sure to look at the design and make sure it suits you and the rest of your gear if you like to have things match!

Top Choice

Our Top Choice spot has to go to Wampler! They have a wide variety range of pedals, but the Velvet Fuzz edition is the one that stood out to us most. The design looks great and should look fantastic with any piece of gear thanks to its vintage appeal. Wampler boasts their original design and how their pedals are handmade and ready and fresh for delivery right from the USA itself. The power needed to power the Wampler is 9V and Wampler makes sure to remind everyone how true and faithful the bypass is!

If you already have a few Wampler’s laying around and enjoyed the sound they make, the Velvet Fuzz box can prove to be another great addition to the collection. The fuzz knob on this little device can go from giving you a little hint of grit and grind to full-on, aggressive clippings. No matter how you end up exploring the features of this little device, you will most certainly find something to fit you and your style of playing. There are many fuzz features to play around with, and this makes this one of the best rated fuzz pedals out there, simply thanks to all of the options you have to regulate, distort and mix the fuzz you want to create!

Wampler’s pedal has to be our Top Choice since it has a fantastic price and works extremely well for anyone that is looking for a bit more originality when it comes to grit!

Premium Choice

Our Premium Choice spot has to go to Earthquaker’s fuzz box, not only is the wizard-fantasy design fun and engaging to look at, but the features included within this pedal, too. When buying this pedal you will get a very easy to use and intuitive device. The Earthquake has six knobs that are all set-out in a way to be as accessible as possible. The names and functions of the knobs you will have to navigate around with to adjust your sound are as follows: length, diffuse, dampen, drag and reflect.

Thanks to all of the options available with the Earthquaker, you will be able to modify and adjust all of the sounds to play to each other’s strengths to help you achieve your best performance. The pedal comes with a clear guide that will help you understand all of the knobs, their functions and why they are called the way they are. If you are a beginner or have never bought a fuzz box before, this is definitely the best choice since Earthquaker made sure to make this pedal and its functions accessible for everyone.

Earthquaker is definitely our Premium Choice for anyone that is willing to spend a few extra bucks and is looking forward to learning and using all of the six knobs available with this fuzz box! For testing on Fuzz effects - read the study.

Great Value

Our Great Value spot has to go to MXR’s fuzz box, simply because it’s almost half the price of the previously listed pedals (which price in at around 200$-250$) it’s a great value for anyone that is looking to try out what a fuzz box sounds like or what it can do for the rest of your gear, both sound and effects wise. It’s a simple colored design that should fit any practice room or stage and you will be able to manipulate how clear or gritty your music sounds by increasing or decreasing the voltage between 5V-15V.

It’s the best product to try out and see if you are into these types of pedals, and it has all-around five-star reviews from the customers, too. Even though it’s cheaper, it’s still a very high-quality, well-made and well-crafted piece of gear that should serve you for a long time if you decide to like it and keep working with it to improve your music and explore your music horizons.

MXR’s fuzz box has to be our Great Value choice, simply because it’s the best product for anyone that is on a low budget, or anyone that wants to go and try out some new options! The Fuzz Pedal is a variation on the distortion pedal, as mentioned before. For more info on this, read the study here.

Conclusion

Each fuzz box will give you a different sound and different options to choose from. It will be up to the customer to find videos to see which pedals sound best and are a good fit! We hope we gave a good overview of the features in the article and that some of your pending questions about this popular pedal were answered! No matter which pedal you will end up going for, we are sure that you will make the best possible choice to suit your guitar and playing style.