28 Favourite Fuzzy-Drive Pedals

Controls - Volume, Gain, High, Low.

The Colorsound Overdriver / Power Boost is another excellent ambassador variety for the genre of Fuzzy-Drive and there are a few in this listing including this Basic Audio variety, and the ThroBak variety below. PastFX is doing some cool derivatives of the Buffalo FX varieties - which I will be acquiring too! Obviously I prefer these in compact vertical enclosures! The Basic Audio Futureman is a great representative of both types!

Controls - D1 : Lo/Hi, D2 : Lo/Hi, Instrument : Bass / Guitar.

the perfect ambassador for this genre overall is of course Billy Gibbons favourite Bixonic Expandora, best for me in its 2000R edition with external Mode selection controls. What you have is 3 external switches in addition to the 3 knobs - where you can have both down, one or the other up, or both up - for - Crunch / Overdrive / Distortion / Fuzz varieties. The 3rd switch is the Instrument Selector - where you can select Bass or Guitar input mode. The D1 + D2 switches both up deliver that most textured 'Forbidden Mode' with a really rich Harmonic Fuzz / Fuzzstortion. In the selection we have one original Expandora and 3 clones - including the forthcoming Decibelics The Reverend, Drunk Beaver's Bloom, and JHS Pedals' The Kilt V2.

Controls - Output Level, Voltage Cut / Starve , Input Trim (Clean-Up).

Actually a Fuzz-Face derived circuit originally with some significant changes - and typically consisting of 2 x 2N5088 Silicon Transistors. A fairly untypical control topology - which is actually most descriptive in the pictured limited CCCP edition - which Is the one I was fortunate enough to snag (second-hand mint!). This is another great Fuzz-Drive variety - which of course I would prefer in compact enclosure box - but is good enough to justify its slightly over-sized BB-vertical box. I really like this one, and am delighted to have it in the rather more usual CCCP form-factor.

Controls - Gain A, Tone A, Voice A : Boost / Drive / Fuzz, Gain B, Tone B, Voice B : Fuzz / Drive / Boost, Master Volume, Mix Channel A/B, Stack : Parallel / A>B / B>A, Preset : 1 / Manual / 2, Channel A Engage, Channel B Engage.

This is one of 2 Fuzzy-Drives which are almost permanently rooted to my pedal-chain - this on slot #19, and the Demon Kondo-Shifuku typically on slot #12. Actually one of the most versatile Fuzzes ever and with its two channels each having Boost, Overdrive and Fuzz voicings - the sky's the limit here. Also the ability to stack in Parallel as welll as series - for incredibly richly textured output. I can't understand why Chase Bliss Audio discontinued this - I guess it wasn't selling in sufficient numbers any more - while this is an all-time classic for me and so very very versatile!

Controls - Gain, Tone, Volume, Voicing : Gain + Mid Boost (Up) / Low Gain (Down).

A genuine secret weapon - beautifully aptly described as a liquid fuzz-distortion. I really don't deploy this in the chain as much as I should - lots of players really love this - while it still seems to be somewhat under the radar for most. This is obviously slightly more towards the higher level fuzzstortion side of things versus more subtle fuzzy-drive. It really does have a superb breakup character and texture with just the right amount of fuzz sizzle to go with the distortion.

Controls - Level, Gain, Tone, Mode : I (Crunch) / II (Overdrive) / III (Distortion) / (-) IV / Forbidden Mode (Fuzz/Fuzzstortion).

Most of you know legendary circuit engineer Gullem Vilademunt by now - courtesy of his superb Mini Golden Horse and Angry Swede Pedals. Third in that series as such is his forthcoming Expandora clone which he has been refining and honing for nearly a couple of years now. I'm looking forward to reveal just how fantastic this sounds this coming Autumn. A great Expandora is all about having the right balance in the voicing - where it sounds open / slightly loose and elastic - where some Expandora clones have a tendency to be a little dark and dense. So the skill here is getting the balance of texture to harmonics exactly right. I always have a preference for the more open-pored of Expandoras - while the JHS Kilt is right on the cusp as a slightly darker and denser variety of this sound.

Control - Level, Drive, Tone, Fuzz, Clip : Si / LED / Ge.

This is such a smart concept - essentially a Tube Screamer and Fuzz Face in the same box - where you blend those voicings together to your own preferences. The earliest version of this pedal has a 3-way clipping diode switch - Silicon / LED / Germanium - which is absent on the very latest version - which does though have a $20 reduction in price. For me this is most definitely the version to have - and is a really unsung variety of fuzzy-drive - there is a straight-up stock Silicon version too - which I will also look to get my hands on at some stage

Controls - Gain / Push, Level, Bass / Low, Treble / High.

Another really clever format where a Soviet Germanium Transistor generates the Higher Frequency Output - as a sort of Treble Booster circuit, and an Opamp generates the lower frequencies - you then essentially balance each of those voicings with the Treble and Bass knobs. This is capable of some really great fuzzy-drive voicings - and has a very elegant breakup character.

Controls - Drive, Volume, Tone, Accent, Clipping : D (Deep) / C (No-'C'lipping) / B (Bright), Voice : Jazz / Rock, Type : OD / ODS.

Still my favourite compact Dumble-style overdrive for that more fuzz-accentuated variety of voicing. This is the second pedal in this listing alongside the Chase Bliss Audio Brothers that is largely a permanent feature of my pedal-chain - in slot #12. Dumble-style drives tend to lean towards either the smoother Jazzier side - like the Zen Drive and Cornerstone Gladio SC, or they're happier operating at the Rockier side of things - with a more textured and accentuated voicing - like the Kondo. It really does sound stellar!

Controls - Gain, Tone, Volume, Mode : Overdrive / Crunch / Distortion / Fuzz, Voice / Clipping : Ge / LED / Si.

A fantastic take on the Bixonic Expandora by my good friend Vitalii Bobrov - where he was one of the first to introduce a 4-way rotary selector fo the 4 playback modes - Overdrive / Crunch / Distortion / Fuzz. He also adds a 3-way Clipping Diode switch - Germanium / LED / Silicon among some other circuit tweaks. This is one of the great varieties of its type, and well worth getting your hands on. Note that the demo accompanying this is a little odd and goes very much into metal stylings - versus the typical Texas Boogie / Blues that we're used to hearing for this circuit - a la Billy Gibbons and ZZ-Top!

Controls - FUZZ } Filter : LP | None | HP, Gain, Volume, OVERDRIVE } Filter : LP | None | HP, Gain, Volume, DISTORTION } Filter : LP | None | HP, Gain, Volume, UNIVERSAL } Mid Frequency : 500 | 250 | 2K, Hi, Mid, Low, Output (Master Volume), Select Channel Combo A / B.

Actually this was probably my very first Fuzzy-Drive as such and really deserve another rotation again in the chain soon - on slot #25 of course! You have 3 different voicings across 4 clusters of controls - where you can combine them as 2 sort of presets via 6 internal dip-switches. So I usually have it configured as Fuzz + Overdrive and Fuzz + Distortion - where I can set up both Fuzzy-Drive and Fuzzstortion Voicings. In fact the Distortion Channel is very much a sort of MIAB style voicing which just sounds amazing with the right hint of fuzz - it just beautifully accentuates that Marshall flavour. The 4th closer of Universal controls essentially allows you to further tweak the balance of the EQ. This pedal is somewhat under the radar nowadays but is well worthy investing in - albeit one of the larger ones on this listing. In some ways it's kind of a larger version of the Chase Bliss Audio Brothers - but is capable of even richer textures in how you can mix the 3 voicing channels together versus 2 of the Chase Bliss Audio!

Controls - Level, Bright : On / Off, Drive, Bias : High Gain / Low Gain, Scoop / Mids.

I've actually written this pedal up already as part of a Flower Pedals Range Roundup - while even though that article has been loaded to the site - it has still to go live to all! This is a single Germanium Transistor Overdrive - which has that lovely vintage warmth and grit to it - and indeed delivers some gorgeous fuzzy-drive textures - particularly with the Bias set to Low. This is one of the 4 here I've yet to acquire - while I will most likely have this soon enough - especially if I ever spot one on sale - say around Black Friday time1

Controls - Volume, Distortion, Color (Tone), Heat (Gain Structure).

A really cool Fuzzstortion / Fuzzy-Drive where the interaction of the Distortion and Heat knobs gives you amazing granular control over the intensity and texture of the Gain Structure. Lots of different tones onboard here through a fairly minimal 4 controls - delivering excellent Fuzzy-Drive, Distortion and Fuzz tones. Has a smart Colour / Tone control too which gives you various shades of dark to warm to bright.

Controls - Low Cut, Gain Trim, Level Low, Level High, Engage, Low / High Gain Select.

Michael Hudson's Dual Broadcaster Germanium Preamp already has a sufficiently stellar reputation without my needing to add my two cents here. A gorgeous warm and vintage style preamp with that very evident nuanced texture of Germanium grit. So many players deploy this as one of their core sounds that you don't really need my convincing here as to its merits - while the Empress Multidrive can actually delivery a somewhat similar type of voicing with a little more granularity on the control-side. This is for sure another classic fuzzy-drive variety that should be part of your considerations for this particular genre.

Controls - Volume, Gain, EQ : Hi-Cut/Flat, G1 : Up/Down, G2 : Up/Down, Tone.

Another handy take on the Bixonic Expandora circuit - here with D1/D2 renamed as G1/G2 but essentially working much the same way - for 4 different voicings - Overdrive / Crunch / Distortion / Fuzz. This is voiced slightly darker and tenser than the classic Expandora - so will be better suited to brighter / Single-Coil guitars. Mainly Humbucker players like myself will likely find that the other 3 Expandora varieties here suit those guitars better. The Kilt is still just the right side of 'Dark' - sitting on the demarcation line versus going overboard in the darker direction. The main innovation here is the addition of a Hi-Cut / Flat EQ toggle - which considering this voicing is relatively dark - further underlines that this is more suited to Single-Coils!

Controls - Volume, Drive, Tone.

A smart dedicated Fuzzy-Drive circuit by Mad Professor - pretty much as simple as they come with just those 3 classic controls - really easy to dial in too for that maximum fuzzy-drive impact. Another variety that sits somewhat under the radar - but one also well worth getting your hands on!

Controls - Output (Master Volume + Gain)

This is essentially Zach Broyles's lower gain take on his Golden Fleece - made specifically for the Mass Street Music Store - which is the only place you can acquire this from! A Mini One-Knob Wonder with really elegant breakup texture - I of course have the Golden Fleece, but have still to add one of these to the collection - will happen soon enough!

Controls - Output, Gain.

A very Simple 2-Knob circuit which many say is based to a degree on the Way Huge Red Llama - which has yet to find its way to 'Smalls' format. I've alway liked the sound of Zach Broyle's Chupacabra which he very much bills as being the Billy Gibbons Texas Boogie sound! I would quite like some sort of third / tone control here for further granularity and tone-tweaking - while most of the time you don't really need ti. At one stage this was looking like a rather more permanent alternative to the Kondo on slot #12 - while that has rather won out overall with somewhat more range, versatility and granularity.

Controls - Output (Master Volume + Gain)

This was the very first Mythos Pedal I ever acquired and was kind of sparked off by me experience with the Analogwise Pocket Rocket as far as I recall. A single knob Fuzz essentially which yields some very pleasing Fuzzy-Drive tones when the one knob is somewhat dialled back - and further tempered by your guitar controls. I believe this is just a single Transistor variety fuzz - which lends itself very well to fuzzy-drive lower down the gain range. Lot of people love this - while mins should probably go back into rotation again soon. I'm determined to get the Au Gold lower-gain variety of this too - which is a Mass Street Music Store exclusive!

Controls - Level, Gain 2 : Low Gain/Medium Gain/Nuke , Gain 1, Lows, Mix : Gain 1 > Gain 2, Highs.

I've wanted one of these for a while - and indeed have only got my hands on one of these fairly recently - in fact it's currently in the chain in the Kondo's usual #12 slot right now. This is my eighth Pettyjohn Electronics pedal and probably the last of the current crop as I move on to explore other ranges. A really cool Dual Fuzz circuit where you can mix and balance the 2 circuits to your preferences - there's just 6 controls here where the Gain of the 2nd Fuzz is handled by a 3-way switch and it's Volume is essentially a component of the Mini Mix knob. The 1st Fuzz Circuit has large Level and Gain controls, while the Lows and Highs are common to both sides. It took me a few attempts to get this at the right sort of price and condition. And I got a brand new one from America in the end - two other varieties that I thought I had snagged on Reverb.com turned out to be sold already!

Controls - Gain, Volume, Drive Tone, Fuzz Shape : No Filter | Mid Bump (808) | Low Pass (Carlos) | Mid Scoop (Muff) | Low Pass (Bass!), Mode : Series / Parallel.

In many ways this is the perfect first Fuzzy-Drive pedal as you get lots of variety here in such a handy form factor. Lots of players like this nowadays, while it was under the radar for quite a while in its earlier days. Some really smart controls here and very elegant to deploy as soon as you figure out the Impact of the Fuzz Shape knob. The Series / Parallel Mode switch is excellent too.

Controls - Level, Clipping : [I] Open/No Clipping | [II] Clipping Diodes Engaged, Drive, Scoop. Tone.

Actually one of my favourite Marshall-style distortion pedals too - with that cool fuzzy edge. While mostly I deploy this with the Drive knob significantly knocked back for an excellent fuzzy-drive flavour. This pedal has a fantastic breakup texture and core tonality and really deserves to be in greater circulation. I've often wondered if it's moniker does it a disservice in some way - for sure one of my all-time favourites though - and a great introduction to the Sitek Guitar Electronics range - where this was my second of those after the Pandora Super Fuzz. I have most of the Sitek pedals nowadays - people should really check these out if they haven't yet - the new Phasia Phase-Shifer is excellent too.

Controls - Volume, Fuzz, Tightness, Presence, Mid Boost.

A classic case of Nominative Determinism and another excellent ambassador for the Fuzzy-Drive genre. 5 elegant tone-shaping controls which deliver everything you would want out of this format. Another pedal that should really be in greater circulation - I need to bring it back into the rotation again soon!

Controls - Level, Gain, Mids, Tone.

One of my favourite Stomp Under Foot varieties - which I always sort of classify as a Tweedy-Fuzz - alongside the True North Rocky Mountain - which is slightly raspier but along somewhat similar lines. Really useful Mids control here too - to accentuate an already glorious texture. I'm somewhat surprised this is discontinued already as I've always thought is sounded pretty great.

Controls - Pre / Gain Boost, Gain, Bass, Treble, Master Volume (L-Side), Germanium Clipping (R-Side).

Controls - Presence : Normal/Bright/Dark, Transistor : Ge/Si Transistor selector switch, T Input Cap : Stock / Thin, Mood Range : Hi/Lo, Volume, Gain, Bore (Thickness), Mood (Bias - Overdrive>Fuzzstortion)

Pricey for sure - but a real super-versatile wonder - does all kinds of Fuzz Face, Tone Bender, Fuzzy-Drive and Horn sounds even. I was really lucky to get hold of one of these some years ago via a collector in Italy. Nowadays nigh impossible to track down as Paul Trombetta only ships within the USA, and post-Brexit logistics make those kinds of acquisitions hugely impractical nowadays. If you have the means and if you can get your hands one - these are really amazing!

Controls - Volume, Tone, Fuzz, Tone Select : Tone Bypass, Mid Scoop, Mid Boost, Gated.

Sheldon Ens has a wonderful way with gain structure and his Rocky Mountain Silicon Fuzz delivers a beautiful raspy sort of Tweed Fuzz texture. Not at all the same circuit as the Stomp Under Foot Dirt Preacher - while I place them both into the same sort of category - so we'll say somewhat adjacent. The 4-way Rotary Tone Select is a smart way of shifting the EQ profile of the pedal - this one's a lot of fun too!