Farmer Factory's Pep Box Fuzz is a really smart extended range compact take on that Beatles-favoured Fuzz Circuit

I may be courting some controversy here by supporting a clone of a still sort of in-production classic - the WEM-Rush Pep Box. While readers will surely know by now how I really don’t get along with those old-fashioned unergonomic and way over-sized enclosures. When I did my overview of the Fresh Fuzz I noted how that had just 18 proper circuit components - well this particular incarnation of the Pep Box Circuit has only 11 - So sticking that tiny board in a massive enclosure is just insane to my reckoning.

Moreover the Farmer Factory edition has extended range via an additional 3rd knob - Tone Control.

Controls - Level, Pep (Fuzz / Gain), Tone.

The circuit has a tendency to compress up quite a lot as you turn those dials - where the perfect harmonics are found with all 3 dials between 1 and 2 o’c. At that point you get the most beautifully balanced output. While if you crank the circuit further it can get very dense and overloaded even.

The Pep Box is another classic fuzz - from 1966 - and it’s important to note that due to the simplicity of some of those earlier fuzzes that they sometimes had quite a narrow optimal range - often with just 1 or 2 tones that the pedal has become known for.

Sebastien uses 2 quite rare Black-Dot BC2088B transistors here to great effect. I have wanted to add this particular fuzz variant to the collection for a while - but I guess I never came across the perfect version for my preferences until now! I really like everything about this particular edition - the graphics, knobs, and of course output tones too - a really great version of this circuit!

Turns out there is a compact 2.0 Lucy Rush Pep Box - while that has only the 2 controls and retails for £359. Basic audio also occasionally makes a neat 3-knob version of the Pep Box (Level, Body, Bias) for around $199. And Ghost Effects used to make a few different versions with input from Stu Castledine - all of which seem to be discontinued now.

I chose the Farmer Factory version partly because of its looks and features, as well as for its great sounding output. The favourable price tag of course was a bonus!

I would be great to hear of your own experiences with the Pep Box circuit and which your favourite version is - and where you prefer to set the dials!

I got mine from the Reverb.com Farmer Factory Store - where it was priced at a very reasonable €150 plus shipping. I think only two of those editions have been made to date as far as I understand - while I’m sure Sebastien will make more if there is a demand. Sebastien typically makes what he likes / when he likes and in fairly small batches - so you always need to react quickly if you see a Farmet Factory pedal you like the look of!