2021 Best of New Fuzz Pedals for the Year

Controls - Volume, Gain, Dual-Mode Footswitch : Gated Fuzz (FUZZZZ) / Upper Octave Fuzz (STINGER).

A cool diminutive innovative dual-voiced fuzz enabled by a smart hold and flip Footswitch - which switches between core Gated Fuzz and Upper Octave Fuzz voicings. Could do with just a touch more volume for my preferences - but otherwise a great example of fuzz innovation.

Controls - Tone, Mids, Clip 1, Clip 2, Fuzz and Volume.

Essentially a greatest hits of Black Arts Muffs :

1. Pharaoh
2. Green Russian
3. NYC Reissue with Creamy Dreamer Mod
4. High Gain (BAT)LSTR

This is just a perfect Big Muff for me - amazing artwork too - clipping options, ramping gain stages, Mids control and lots of fantastic flavours. This was a blink-and-miss Black Friday exclusive which sold out in seconds - with more fortunately coming next year. Will be the perfect companion to my existing Son of Pharaoh and Pharaoh Supreme Fuzzes!

Controls - Level, Filter, Gain, Clip : Silicon / Red LEDs / Vintage Germanium / Quad Silicon / Asymmetrical Silicon / MOSFET / Germanium+Silicon / Asymmetrical MOSFET.

A great sounding 8-clipping mode Rat with internal 18V charge pump. In many ways sounds every bit as impressive as the JHS PackRat - while that of course has 9 separate circuits. A truly great sounding Rat distortion.

Controls - Level, Pregain, Body (Mids), Fuzz, Bass. Internal Impedance Switch.

A wonderfully textured thick and deep silicon fuzz. Will be getting one of these from Break the Machine early next year.

Controls - Level, Mode : Vintage / Modern, Tone, Fuzz.

A superb totally bullet-proof - place anywhere 60's style fuzz. In many ways my favourite new fuzz this year - just beautifully textured and versatile - huge amount of range - and sounds fantastic - really easy to dial in too!

Controls - Level, Battery : 7V / 9V / 12V, Attack, Output : But / Thru.

A superb technical achievement in creating an exacting Germanium Transistor (2N404) replica of the Sola Sound Tone Bender MKII Fuzz - in fact a replica of unit number #500 specifically. Really sounds the part - with wonderful nuanced dynamics and all the harmonic texture of the original. By default a slightly sharper / colder / more cutting Tone Bender - where I have other examples that are somewhat warmer in flavour. Sounds pretty magnificent with a suitably complex character. I've said before that I kind of prefer the FZ-1W overall as it has a slightly more balanced output and is somewhat easier to dial in - pretty much every spot on the knob tapers is a sweet-spot!

Controls - Level (Output), Voltage Range : Lower/Higher, Texture (Voltage), Frequency Range : Tuba/Megaphone, Voice (Tilt-EQ), Clipping : More / Less / Most, Attack (Input Gain).

Slightly reminiscent of my Paul Trombetta Bone Machine GTX - this all-rounder fuzz has an incredible depth of flavours including those wonderful smooth horn sounds. Really cool combination of controls - I plan to snag one of these next year too!

Controls - Shift (Contour/Mids), Tone, Fuzz, Boost, Octave, Level, Fuzz Footswitch, Boost Footswitch.

Quite simply one of my favourite all-time Muffs loosely based on a Violet Ram's Head, but with extra range, alongside Upper Octave, and Second Boost Footswitch - trust sounds immense and has an exceptional muff texture. Think of his as a Violet Ram's Head with bells on!

Controls - Clean Blend, Filter, Low, Mid, High, Distortion, EQ Mode : Heavy (HM-2) / Classic (Filter-only), Volume A, Volume B, Clipping Mode A : LED / None / SI / Soviet SI / Hybrid / Mosfet / GE / Bat, Clipping Mode B : LED / None / SI / Soviet SI / Hybrid / Mosfet / GE / Bat, Op-Amp Selector : Classic / Soviet / Modern / Ancient, dual footswitches : Bypass + Channel A/B.

This has to be my friend Vitalii Bobrov's crowning achievement so far - and is my ultimate Rat pedal. Two 8-clipping-mode channels with a choice of 4 different opamps, clean blend, and HM-2 3-Band EQ tone stack. Just immense in every way - I tend to like Soviet and Ancient Opamps best on LED and Mosfet Modes.

Controls - Volume, Sustain, Tone.

Another of my all-time favourite Big Muff types - with such a unique tone-stack and frequency profile. Retains tonnes of high and low end frequencies throughout its tone sweep and sounds majestically distinct and better balanced than most muffs. In fact I so like it that I'm tempted to get the Wren and Cuff White Elk post haste - as a custom edition.

Controls - Volume, Rip (Bias), Tone, Fuzz.

A really smart and perfectly monikered dirty fuzz - which you can though clean up with the Rip knob - for rather more conventional Fuzz-Face-ish and fuzzy-drive tones. Just a really cool fuzz - very reasonably priced - every home should have one!

Controls - Volume, Tone, Sustain.

Superb primitive / raw sounding Triangle Big Muff derivative here made with BC549C transistors - in place of the very original's 2N5133 types. Incredibly nuanced texture - while it could do with a little more output volume for my liking. Obviously a pristine and exacting David Main hand-made pedal.

Controls - Level, Tone, Gain, 1+2 Switches : →→ = Crunch / ←→ = Overdrive / →← = Distortion / ←← = Fuzz / Forbidden Mode.

The return of the Bixonic Expandora - now officially in compact enclosure. I of course went for the smoother / more harmonic LM308 variety - where the first two modes are superb - and beautifully textured. The Distortion mode is mostly OK, while the Fuzz / Forbidden mode sounds slightly choked and compromised - not nearly as good as the 4th mode of the 2000R Expandora. The first two modes pretty much make it worth it though!

Controls - Second Stage Bias and Gain, Volume, Fuzz (Second Stage Gain), Input (Input Gain).

A really cool twin cascading JFET gainstage Fuzz - with 4 smart and interactive controls - for beautiful output textures. Only think I don't like about this is its horizontal orientation - it should work fine vertically though with the Footswitch at the bottom! One to get for sure!

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

Internal Trimmers - Impedance, Output Gain, Bias, LED Trim.

Daniel Thornhill set to tackling and updating the Silicon Fuzz Face to a much better behaved and more versatile as well as more rounded and robust and evenly tempered fuzz. He ads Echoplex style booster to solve the typical output volume issue, and an Impedance control to handle Buffers and Wah Pedals - and you also have a Thickness Tone control - which ramps up the low end. Just a superb take on the format - which can approach Tone Bender style voicings too for added versatility!

External Controls - Master Volume, Octave Gain, Non-Octave Gain.

Internal Trimmers - Octave Gain LED Trim + Gain LED Trim

Danie's Odin is even better now as it adds a Gain Control for each Channel / Circuit - Non-Octave and Octave. Otherwise all the extended and enhanced Foxx Tone Machine flavour of the original - now just with more controllability. For sure one of my most favourite octave fuzzes.

Controls - Gain, Transistors : Silicon / Germanium, Volume, Silicon Bias, Germanium Bias.

A really smart Type I and II Fuzz Faces in one enclosure - where you get to flip between Silicon and Germanium Transistors. You can't mix and match here like on my DanDrive and Expresso FX similar pedals - but this is unique in having separate Bias knobs for each of Silicon and Germanium Transistors. A really cool Fuzz Face edition - and every reasonably priced - will add this for sure sometime soon.

Controls - Volume, Tone, Sustain, Dual-Mode Footswitch : Darker Blue Channel / Smoother Open Red Channel.

A really smart dual-channel / dual-voiced Big Muff - with the standard 3 controls, but with a Dual-Mode footswitch - which you hold to change Channel / Mode - and the LED corresponding shifts from Blue to Red and back - at your behest.

Controls - Conventional (Fuzz), Low Spectrum (Lows), High Spectrum (Highs), Synthetic (Synthy Fuzz), Overload (Feedback/Oscillation), Feedback Latch Switch, Pristine (Clean Blend), Sub-Octave Latch, Submerge (Sub-Octave Fuzz), Feeback Footswtich, Fuzz/On Footswitch, Sub-Octave Footswitch.

A cool and quirky sort of surplus fuzz - meaning created with available parts while Hungry Robot's Eric waits for essential Wardenclyffe parts to come back Into stock. You essentially have 3 Fuzzes at your disposal here that you can combine and blend - Traditional Transistor Fuzz, CMOS Synthy Fuzz, and CMOS Sub-Octave Fuzz - the last of which is footswtichable. You then also have Low and High Tone controls, footswitchable Feedback / Oscillation, and Clean Blend. Just a really unique and distinctive Multi-Fuzz! Note - still no demo yet - but should be back in stock again early next year.

Controls - Volume, Distortion, Filter, Mode / Circuit : The OG V1 (1979-83) / White Face V3 (1984-1986) / Turbo V5 (1989) / BRAT V6 (1997) /  Dirty (2004) / LA  Metal(1986)  / Landgraff MO’D (1999) / Caroline Wave Cannon (2010) / JHS Mode (2007).

A superb technical achievement by Josh Scott - 9 actual fully distinct Rat circuits in one compact enclosure. All sound pretty authentic to my ears - and there are some very special and unique flavours here - including my current favourite LA Metal voicing.

Controls - Master Volume / Gain

Giulio's one-knob fuzz is a textured Silicon BC109 Type Twin Transistor fuzz with a menacing presence and a texture and tone quite of its own - and quite distinct from other one-knob Colorsound and Meathead types.

Controls - Balance (Level), Tone, and Expander (Gain).

I first spotted this courtesy of my Insta friend Mat Bradford - and I just had to have the same version as him. This is an incredibly musical sounding Super Fuzz - where Aisha's specially selected Diodes really deliver exquisite tones and texture.

Controls : Level, High, Low, Gain, Mode : Fuzz I/Fuzz II/Fuzz III/Boost, Extra, Clean, second Mode footswitch too.

Tony Pepers superb take on the Boss FZ-2 with extended voicings, controls and dual footswitches - the second of which allows you to step through the 4 modes. I love my Boss original - and I would really like to start a FZ-2 capsule collection with this at its heart too.

Controls - Dry/Wet Mix, Reverb Decay, Reverb Upper Octave Shimmer Amount, Master Volume, Effect Order - Fuzz>Crush>Reverb / Fuzz>Reverb>Crush, Crush Bit Sample Rate, Crush Resolution, Fuzz Volume, Crush On/Off switch. The Left Footswitch engages the Crush and Reverb effects, while the right engages the Fuzz.

A unique combination effect of Fuzz, Bitcrusher and Reverb - which I typically frame as the perfect Shoegazer style effect - giving you those essential drone-y fuzz sounds in a single enclosure - where the Bticrusher is optional - and you can have is come before or after the Reverb. Just a really cool effect - and for sure my favourite one-pedal take on the Shoegazer tonality.

Controls : Level, Tone: Bass Boost / Stock, Bias.

Markus Reeves all-silicon take on the MKII Tone Bender is every bit as impressive as his RedHatSound MKI variety. Just beautiful workmanship and killer unfettered and unadulterated tone. These are for sure some of the very finest silicon fuzzes out there with superb dynamics and authentic near-germanium textures from silicon components.

Controls - Gain, Blower Switch : Silicon Diodes / No Clipping, Output, Bias, Detail (Character / EQ).

Overall probably my favourite fuzz of the year - has the best mix of versatility, form factor, practicality, tones and value of any of these. It was touch an go in the end between this and the Boss FZ-1W for top of the fuzz pile - where this just about wins out overall - of course lots of very close competition from a lot of these others - but for sure Tom Cram's first Spiral Electric FX Compact Fuzz hit it out of the park - and is easily his most successful solo pedal to date. Here's hoping he converts a few more of his classic to compact enclosure - like the Allegra and Brute fuzzes!

Controls - High Cut, EQ : In/Out, Octave Mix, Fuzz Engine : Single Transistor / ’M’ for Maestro / ’Smiley’ for Fuzz Face / ’Th’ (Thermion) Symbol for Muff, Low Cut, Volume, Clean Mix, Gain, Bypass/On Footswitch, Add Clean Footswitch, Add Octave Footswitch.

José Manuel Martínez García-Casarrubios's superb new fuzz combines 5 separate Fuzz circuits in a single enclosure - Sigle Transistor, Maestro, Muff and an Octave Fuzz mode you can apply via footswitch to each of those. Also footswitchable Clean Blend and High + Low + Tone Bypass Controls. I don't think we've every had these many classic fuzz flavours in a single enclosure - a must surely for every fuzz fan. I will be looking to add very early next year.

Controls - Volume, Distortion, Gain/Boost : Mids+Highs / Stock / Full Range, Filter, Voice : Classic / Modern.

Brian Wampler's smart diminutive TL071 take on the Rat format - with extended range options that elevate it above several larger alternatives. I quite enjoy running this together with my Pigtronix Octava Mini for a pseudo Life Pedal style combination!

Controls - Volume, Sensitivity + Range {Vocal Envelope, Bright (Tone) + Fuzz (Gain) {Fuzz, Rate (Phaser), Sub (Octave).

Jeorge Tripps superb Octave Filter Phaser Synth-Fuzz. Just a really cool combination effect which is always a joy to deploy - while typically more for specialist applications versus a whole song!

Controls - Gain, Tone (Muff Tone Stack), Shift (Mids), Body (Lows), Octave Level, Clipping : Germanium / Silicon / LED / Asymmetrical Germanium / Asymmetrical Silicon / Asymmetrical LED / Transistor+Mosfet / No Diodes, Fuzz Level.

I really love all of Alex Millar's multi-clipping fuzzes, while my two most used of his this year are the Foxxton and Siva varieties. The Foxxton is especially easy to dial in and delivers superior octave fuzz tones across all 8 clipping options. 

Controls - Gain, Tone (Classic Muff Tone Stack), Shift 1 (RC Filter Adjust), Shift 2 (RC Filter Adjust), Blast (Max Gain), Clipping : Germanium / Silicon / LED / Asymmetrical Germanium / Asymmetrical Silicon / Asymmetrical LED / Transistor+Mosfet / No Diodes, Level.

It's a tough choice between the American Geek and Siva - but something about the percolating smoothness of the LM741 opamp really appeals to me - and I tended to reach for the Siva rather more than the American Geek - which is also excellent - the two of them cover pretty much every sort of Muff between them - the Shift 1+ 2 controls are the only thing that it takes a while to get used to - essentially Muff Tone-Stack adjusters which restore some of the Mids which are otherwise scooped by that circuit.

• 3 Leaf Audio Doom 2 Fuzz - $249
• Acorn Amps TMA-1 4-Transistor Fuzz (Muff) - $199
• Bardic Audio Devices The Beast Fuzz - $150
• Bardic Audio Devices Thunderclap V3 Fuzz/Distortion (Rat) - $165
• Beetronics FX Vezzpa Dual Mode Gated / Octave Fuzz - $199
• Benson Germanium Fuzz (Fuzz Face) - $299
• Black Arts Toneworks Priestess Fuzz/Distortion (Muff) - $189
• Black Mass Electronics 1312 V3 Fuzz/Distortion (Rat) - $189
• Black Mass Electronics Missionary Fuzz V2 - $169
• Black Mass Electronics The First Herald Fuzz - $189
• Boss FZ-1W Waza Craft Fuzz (Fuzz Face) - $199
• Boss TB-2W Waza Craft Fuzz (TB MKII) - $349
• BSRI Audio TFZ Fuzz - $199
• Drolo FX Lilac Cloud Self-Oscillating Fuzz - €180
• Drunk Beaver V2 Standard Bat (Rat) - $175
• Drunk Beaver V2 Cold War Bat (Rat) - $175
• Drunk Beaver Heavy Bat (Rat) - $220
• Drunk Beaver Bloom Crunch / Ovedrive / Distortion / Fuzz (Expandora) - $180
• Drunk Beaver Disambiguation MuffRat - $120
• Drunk Beaver Fluff Muff + Octave + Boost - $180
• Drunk Beaver Fuzz Master Fuzz [Maestro]) - $180
• Drunk Beaver Secret Sauce (Harmonic Percolator) - $200
• Drunk Beaver Taras Bulba (TB MKII) - $200
• EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Sustainar Fuzz  (Muff)- $149
• El Diablo HEQ1.2 Harmonic Equalizer + Fuzz - $215
• Electro-Harmonix Metal Muff - $73
• Electro-Harmonix Ripped Speaker Fuzz - $99
• Electronic Audio Experiments / Mask Audio Electronics Eldritch Blast Octave Fuzz - $235
• Emanating First Electronics Dope Priest DP-70 (Muff - 2021 Edition) - £309
• Expandora Squared LM308AN Edition Crunch / Overdrive / Distortion / Fuzz - $250
• Fairfield Circuitry About 900 JFET Fuzz - $205
• Fjord Fuzz Berserk Fuzz (Fuzz Face) - $230
• Fjord Fuzz Bifrost Delay-Fuzz (PT2399 Delay + Embla Jr) - $300
• Fjord Fuzz Embla Fuzzy-Drive - $220
• Fjord Fuzz Fenris Harrmonic Octave Fuzz (Super Fuzz) - $240
• Fjord Fuzz Odin Octave Fuzz (Foxx Tone Machine) - $200
• Fredric Effects Duo Face Ge/Si Fuzz - £140
• Greenhouse Effects Roots Fuzz Dual-Switching (Muff) - $149
• Hungry Robot The Collective Triple-Fuzz with Feedback and Sub-Octave - $220
• Jackson Audio Modular Fuzz - $220 + $50/card
• JHS Pedals PackRat 9 Mode Rat - $249
• JPTR FX Warlow Fuzz - €139
• Kuro Custom Audio Apophis Fuzz - €99
• Loe Sounds Superfuzz (June 2021 Edition) - $250
• Mas Effects Sona Fuzz - $149
• Mask Audio Electronics Cascader Fuzz - $175
• Oneder Effects Red Ryder Distortion (Rat) - $185
• Pepers' Pedals Humongous Fuzz (FZ-2) - $185
• Polarbear Effects Drowner Fuzz Crusher Reverb - €199
• Reeves Electro RedDotSound JR Fuzz (TB MKII) - £259/£279
• Shnobel Tone Ratatouille Distortion (Rat) - $269
• Spiral Electric FX Demhe Silicon Fuzz - $149
• Thermion Electronics Stone Age 5-Circuit Multi Fuzz - €235
• Valco KGB Fuzz - $360
• Wampler Ratsbane Distortion (Rat) - $150
• Way Huge Atreides Analog Weirding Module Octave Filter Phaser Synth-Fuzz - $199
• Weird Noise WTF Fuzz - $140
• Zander Circuitry American Geek Silicon Muff - £149
• Zander Circuitry Cranium Distortion (Rat) - £149
• Zander Circuitry Foxxton Woods Octave Fuzz (Foxx Tone Machine) - £149
• Zander Circuitry Siva Opamp Muff - £149