Fairfield Circuitry's New Compact About 900 Twin Cascading JFET Gainstage Fuzz is the natural heir to the discontinued Four Eyes Crossover Fuzz

2021 has been another solid year for fuzz pedals - and the Fairfield Circuitry About 900 Fuzz is another superb example of enormously versatile and dynamic fuzz.

The 4 Knobs control Input Gain, Second Stage Bias and Gain, Second Stage Gain, and Output Level - where you essentially balance the input and output of the Two Cascading JFET’s. This hugely variable fuzz takes you from overdrive / fuzz-drive, through full-on fuzz and dense distortion - depending on how you dial in each of those highly interactive controls.

Andy Martin’s demo provides a great reference for the core different tones onboard - and this looks like another killer fuzz that’s going to have a very loyal following for years to come. The only down-side for me is the horizontal orientation - which I never understand really - in this day and age of congested pedalboards - footprint space is usually a premium, and it almost always makes more sense to have the enclosure as narrow as possible. I can better understand when there are dual-footswitches onboard - while here we just have the standard engage/bypass.

That said, the positioning of the footswitch is such that you can use it in vertical orientation - just with all the ports down the right-hand-side of the pedal - surely still a much narrower profile than fully-horizontal.

The ~900 (About 900) is named for the relative amount of gain in the circuit, it is descended and derived from Fairfield’s classic, long-retired Four Eyes Crossover Fuzz. Where its Twin Cascading JFET Stages make it capable of a huge range and array of tones - from ripping, gated fuzz, to mellow overdrive and chunky distortion. Its 4 simple controls are highly interactive, making it an incredibly nuanced and shapeable dirt box, and obviously giving plenty of scope for sonic exploration and experimentation.

The enormous range with that incredible raspy texture is exactly how I like my fuzzes - so even though the form factor is somewhat imperfect for me - I will still most likely be getting one of these. Pricing is at a reasonable $259.00 CAD ($205) - and these will soon be in stock at most quality dealers - including Andertons in the UK, Axe and You Shall Receive in Canada, Effekt Boutique in Germany, and These Go To 11 in Sweden.

Who among you will be targeting one of these?