15 Favourite Fjord Fuzz Pedals

The next major step was the Autumn 2021 Brand Revamp - which saw 5 new pedal iterations all being released at the same time - the Berserk V1, Bifrost V2, Embla V2, Fenris, and Odin V2 - where 4 of those are included in this favourite 15 selection.

This next visual dates from the time of the Frei and Freia - they had just been released in August 2022 - and I included that roundup visual in that overview. I was initially going to to a stand-alone article on all those Fjord Fuzz pedals that I had acquired to date - 15 of them by then. But I guess I held off for a more curated selection this time around!

From the above visual I've included 9 of those in this Favourite 15 selection. The ones that didn't make the cut include an early Mini Berserk (marked X2 in the visual) - which was essentially a simplified take on the Embla, then there was the larger V2 Bifrost with an extra control knob - where I prefer the neatness of the smaller original. Also the Bjørn - an interesting take on the Jordan BossTone, then a V1 Embla already mentioned, the all-black Kvasir and the V1 Odin - which we've already encountered too.

I have a lot of Daniel's pedals - or 25 now - which makes him my 3rd most populous brand after Boss and Drunk Beaver. He's just pipped Verlie's PastFX - where I have some further work to do! Daniel has made about twice as many pedals as I own - he's so prolific - all kinds of prototype and experimental, combination and hybrid pedals - including several version of Mjølner - of which I don't have any!

Berserk started out as his experimental label - and several different  circuits carried that name - until it became kind of short-hand for an everyday modern Fuzz Face - but where he's made at least half a dozen different Fuzz Faces under various names - including the Hedda and SOL!

So for completists there's still plenty to get stuck into - while so loved are these Fjord Fuzzes - that very few of those early rarities ever turn up on Reverb.com and Ebay - I was incredibly fortunate to get hold of my Bifrost at the time - since Daniel had long since sold out of that model - he made small batches back in those days - and then moved on to something else - a little like Vitalii does with his Pedal Drops! And Daniel did also to a degree, at least for a few months - with his Pedal of the Month series! Some of those experiments I didn't necessarily gel with, but I'm still glad I have those pedals in the reference collection!. I'm sure there's some hearty Norwegian out there somewhere who has studiously managed to collect all of Daniel's creations - which must number well over 60 or 70 by now!

So we've reviewed and considered and pondered each of those 25 pedals to distil them down to the perfect Fjord Fuzz capsule collection. And somewhat by design - I chose to have them in rough chronological order - so that you can see the changes through that circa 5 year span.

The switch to the slightly larger enclosure, the move away from the original Black and Copper colourway, and the later transition into multiple different colourway variants.There's been quite an evolution along the way.

I've spent hours poring through different knob suppliers' catalogues to help suggest different knobs for Daniel to use - where he is particularly fond of vintage Bakelite styles - along the more typical Boss-like silver-tops! - while he mostly makes all those choices unaided. I am a sometime sounding board - where simply bouncing ideas across helps Daniel clarify his vision. You can guarantee that at all times he's up to some really intriguing stuff - he's one of the best problem solvers I know! And he's rarely far away from his next great creation!

Daniel has also become a little more serious over these years - dropping some of my preferred slightly more cartoonish possibly - but more recognisable icons - as seen above. He's still looking for his perfect Gain symbol - after ditching the genius of the Han Solo Phaser, and the new Mushroom symbol for Bias can now be mistaken as a modern design for a spoon (Looks more like a Japanese Enoki Mushroom than the former Amanita Muscaria / Fly Agaric Berserker Mushroom!) There really is something about the immediacy of those older symbols and icons - which I feel were all very logical and well chosen!

I'm guessing someone said some hurtful things about those icons which influenced Daniel's opinion - but shame on them - as those early icons were truly timeless and instantly identifiable - which some of the new ones really are not!

I guess part of it was about moving toward a more modernist and minimalist aesthetic - to match those all-white colourways that were starting to become more prominent. I would still happily see most of those old classic symbols make a comeback - we should start up a movement now!

Anyway - these 15 are what I've settled on, and I'm very happy with my choices :

• 2019 : Bifrost V1 Fuzz-Delay - $99 [second hand]
• 2019 : Gjallarhorn Thick Booming SuperFuzz - $200
• 2020 : Berserk M Muff Fuzz - $200
• 2021 : Berserk I Classic Fuzz - $230
• 2021 : Embla V2 Dynamic Fuzz - $220
• 2021 : Fenris Searing SuperFuzz - $240
• 2021 : Odin V2 Octave Fuzz - $200
• 2022 : Frei Analog Uni-Vibe - $249
• 2022 : Freia Uni-Fuzz - $219
• 2022 : Berserk II Grab-&-Go Everyday Fuzz - $179
• 2023 : Njord Reslytone style Roto-Uni-Vibe Leslie Simulator - $150
• 2023 : Hedda Bias Feedback Fuzz - $189
• 2023 : Loke Dual Delay-Line Manipulator / Multi-FX - $249
• 2024 : SOL Warm Shimmering Fuzz-Vibe
• 2024 : Måne 2 x 2 Dynamic Filter Fuzz - $229

Each and every one of those is killer as far as I'm concerned. Daniel is still a very unique voice within the Fuzz genre - and most of his pedals are still absolutely essential!

Here follow the individual details! :

Controls - Master Volume, Fuzz Gain, Feedback, Mix, Delay Time, Feedback Overload Footswitch, Bypass/Engage Footswitch.

My very first Fjord Fuzz - and what a great introduction to the brand - hose Pink LED's on top of the Black and Cooper enclosure are so striking - and this pedal embodies the absolute essence of Fjord Fuzz. Fjord Fuzz is in many was a kind of cousin to JAM Pedals - in that both brands really push the full flavour nature of the circuits - Fjord Fuzz and JAM Pedals are typically a little tastier than most of the rest of the chasing pack. And in the early days those effects were full-on raucously loud and noisy in the best way. I mostly classify myself as a 'Noise Maker' and Fjord Fuzz is the representation of the the tools of my trade.

Some of the more recent pedals have more subtlety to them - but a big thing for those early pedals was their wall-of-sound rawness and all-out assault on the senses. Which is why I love my Gjallarhorn so much.

And while the Bifrost V2 is a little more refined and granular - and probably dlelivers overall the better usage experience I still prefer the V1 edition - it's a little more punk really as far as I'm concerned. You really can't go wrong with either of those, while the original is a lot lot smaller!

Controls - Volume, Gain, Tone / Filter 1 (HPF), Octave Bias, Tone / Filter 2 (LPF), Momentary Tone Bypass Footswitch (Mid Boost), Bypass Footswitch.

This pedal has really been doing the rounds on this site recently - it featured in both the Pedal Olympics and World Odyssey articles, and the Secret Weapon Fuzzes rundown. It's kind of solidified its position as my favourite Fjord Fuzz. That honorific has varied throughout these past 5 years - where the Embla was my early forerunner - then the two official Berserks, then the Fenris and Freia. While the massive foghorn-like booming output of the Gjallarhorn still delivers maximum joy for me - and I still think that Daniel can up it a gear or two! At full fetter this is the kind of fuzz that can bring down cliff-faces with its sonic prowess. The Gjallarhorn is just so satisfying in use - almost mythical really - like its moniker - it's a shame there isn't an active version of this circuit live on release at the moment. Daniel has promised me that it will make its way onto his task list though in the not too distant future - everyone deserves one of these!

Controls - Volume, Gain, Thickness, Mids.

So this was from back in the day that 'Berserk' was the moniker applied to Daniel's experimental pedals - and this was a short run based on the Colorsound Supa Tonebender - actually a rather unique take on the Big Muff circuit - despite its confusing name. Daniel ingeniously pairs with with Thickness and Mids EQ controls - which do wonders for enhancing that circuit type. I don't think Daniel has made too many Big Muff variants over the years - but this is a great take on that format!

Controls - Gain, Boost (Output Fix), Impedance, Volume, Thickness.

This was actually Daniel's first proper take on the 1969 Arbiter Silicon Fuzz Face - with suitably period correct BC108B transistors. It has s couple of extra 'Fixes' in place to overcome traditional weak options of those original circuits - allowing to boost the output, and enhanced the Input Impedance for a more consistent distortion. This was really Daniel's first and last brush with tradition as soon threw out the rule book and designed his wholly modern and improved take on the Silicon Fuzz Face. Interestingly I always thought that the Embla could sound fairly Fuzz-Face-ish - but that Fuzz all-rounder was rather evolved from the Roland Bee Baa circuit! The official Berserk V1 though is still a pretty wonderful and fabulous authentic sounding Fuzz Face - while the later Berserk II is much easier to deploy - and more instantly satisfying - this one makes you work for it a little - but delivers wonderful results with just a little due diligence!

Controls - Volume, Gain, Bias, Thickness.

For me it's a crying shame that this everyday all-rounder is no longer available. In many ways the most versatile of Fjord Fuzzes - this one can go from a clean boost, and then through a series of wonderful overdrive and fuzzy-drive tones and still has that proper fuzz sear if you need it. Very quick and easy to dial in - and my favourite for so many years. It's a mystery why this never took off - as it's a proper genius circuit design - it comes very close to the Gjallarhorn in my affections - early on I used to think this was a modern Fuzz Face take, but rather it's evolved from a Roland Bee Baa circuit - much evolved I would say - and perfects over something like 24 or 25 iterations. It's the most iterated of all of Daniel's pedals - I'm surprised and disappointed that there is not more appetite for this wonder!

Controls - Volume, Notch Filter Cut, Gain, Bias Gate, Octave Bias, Filter Depth.

So a quite different take on the SuperFuzz compared to the thicker Gjallarhorn variant. The 6-knob Fenris brings on the sear and sizzle - very much a weapons-grade SuperFuzz - with some really smart controls to shape and hone its output. This has been a long-time favourite of mine too - while I prefer the Gjallarhorn overall by a whisker - both fuzzes have that fantastic Fjord Fuzz raw edge - but their profiles are really quite distinct!

Controls - Master Volume, Octave Gain, Non-Octave Gain, Octave Toggle, Bypass/Engage.

I believe this dual Fuzz is one of Fjord Fuzz's most consistent best sellers - that sells particularly well at Andertons. This is my second edition of this fuzz, where the current model - a V3 has been further refined. Really elegant how it operated - with the perfect complement of simple controls - there's a lot of love for this one - and understandably so - still one of the very best octave fuzzes out there - and the non-octave voicing is really stellar too.

Frei Controls - Rate / Speed, Depth 1, Depth 2, Depth 1 / 2 Footswitch, Engage Footswitch. Expression port controls Rate.

Freia Controls - Level, Bias, Gain.

These arrived as a pair, and are eternally bound by sharing the same Uni-Vibe Preamp as the core of their tone-generation. And even thought I love the later all-in-one SOL take (different fuzz), I actually prefer this combination - it sounds better to me, has more volume and range - and granularity for that matter - and I like to swap the order of those pedals a lot - with the Frei Uni-Vibe sometimes coming before the Freia, and sometimes after - sounding totally stellar every which way. The Uni-Vibe texture is superb - and the Fuzz itself - is a lovely warm sort of mid-gain fuzz - with a softer side to it than the Fuzz Face Fuzz variant on the SOL. I always thought the Frei and Freia should have been sold as a box set - while I believe Daniel is working on a single box variant which combines both those fabulous circuits in the same unit. The Frei and Freia together definitely produce one of my favourite Fjord Fuzz textures - truly lush! Again something of a mystery why this pairing as such never really took off - far more Frei's were sold than Freia's in the end - and while you can of course use them independently - there's something quite magical about using them together!

Controls - Volume, Thickness, Gain.

OK so this is Daniel throwing out the rule book on the Silicon Fuzz Face and essentially re-designing the circuit from scratch as a much more user-friendly instantly satisfying grab-and-go everyday fuzz. This really is the no hassle fuzz - where all the traditional challenges with the original circuit have been put to bed - and the 3 controls give you easy and immediate control over the output. A proper take-anywhere / place-anywhere pedal! Such an effortless deployment - and it sounds amazing too.

Controls - Rate, Mix, Depth.

Probably the most accomplished Fjord Fuzz Pedal of the Month to date - and this will be making a comeback eventually in a 2-in-1 box with the Frei Uni-Vibe circuit - both are superb - while this sort of Shin-ei Reslytone take delivers more of a Leslie Rotary Speaker style warbly vibrato than a Uni-Vibe - but is kind of part of the same family. Would be magnificent to have the Njord Reslytone in stereo configuration at some stage for a properly immersive Rotary Speaker experience!

Controls - Master Volume, Bias, Feedback Overload, Bypass/Engage.

This is the third Fuzz Faze style variant in this selection - this time leaning a little more into the vintage circuit - with a slightly lower output profile - but fantastic dynamics and cleanup prowess. This has been Daniel's all-in-one gain machine for the longest time now - generating all the different gears of gain he needs - from clean to scream as such! This has that cool feedback overload self-oscillation to it - which can though be a little fiddly to dial in. Sound great when you dial it in just right - while for me it could really do with a little more volume. And it has those fantastic RCA Bakelite Knobs - quite a bit before Keeley Electronics started using them - I think Keeley has probably bought up most of those by now! This is a really cool Fuzz Face on for certain player - including Daniel - the perfect take on that format - while I probably prefer the two FF Berserks featured here - by a smidge - they're all actually quite distinct in their own way!

Controls - Feedback / Repeats, Delay Time, Dry Signal Level, Wet Signal Level, Modulation Altitude / Depth, Modulation Density / Rate, Left Mode Footswitch : 100ms White / 400ms Pink, Right True Bypass / Engage Footswitch.

The Loke is the gift that keeps on giving - one of the smartest and most potent Delay Line Manipulator - not just delivering superior delay sounds - but all manner of modulations and cool effects. The Loke delivers Overdrive, Double Tracking, Tape Flange, Faux Reverb and Whale Call sounds - well beyond all your various typical Delay type variations. Those 6 knob controls are so perfectly calibrated - and the two timings just totally spot on range-wise to deliver all those additional sounds and textures. This box is capable of some of the coolest tones - including a sort of Caribbean steel drums sound - just an infinitely cool Multi-FX box - with so much range and prowess!

Controls - Vibe Speed, Vibe Depth, Fuzz Level, Engage Vibe Footswitch, Engage Fuzz Footswitch.

It turns out that Daniel is quite the talented video producer too - and his ambient video for the SOL is a masterclass in evoking atmosphere and emotion - it's like a sunrise in a box. This is a different take on the same kind of sounds that you get with the Frei + Freia combination - while the Fuzz circuit here is more of Fuzz Face type - the 4th variant in this selection, and there are some distinct differences in the Uni-Vibe site too. A little like the Hedda - these are more vintage-leaning, and for me suffers a little lower output. They still sounds pretty darn amazing - but this comes in third for me after the Frei + Freia and Njord Reslytone modulation. Still the best all-in-1 Fuzz-Vibe out there though as far as I'm concerned!

Controls - FILTER } Filter Cutoff, Filter Type : Band Pass / Resonant Low Pass, Engage Filter Footswitch; FUZZ } Fuzz Gain, Fuzz Type : Low Gain, High Dynamics / High Gain, Low Dynamics, Fuzz Level, Engage Fuzz Footswitch.

And so to the latest realise - the Fuzz rollercoaster / joyride of a Filter Fuzz - where you absolutely have to deploy an expression pedal to get the full visceral joyful experience. This is that classic kind of raw and visceral Fjord Fuzz sound that we fans love so much - really sounds immense and is an absolute joy to deploy. A really fun fuzz experience!

And of course Daniel has already announced his next release - the Dover Fuzz-Verb - a 2-in-1 box featuring a version of the Spring Reverb from the recent MIME II, and another different take on the Fuzz Face - of course that one sounds immense too - but my copy has yet to land - hopefully I will have a feature for you on that before long - that launch goes live on the 15th!