Kyle Chase Releases 70's style BC108C Fuzz Fella companion fuzz to now discontinued '68 Red Velvet Fuzz

For many players the BC183/2L loaded Chase Tone ’68 Red Velvet Fuzz was/is the perfect warm 60’s ’Germanium’ style voicing Fuzz Face type of Fuzz - with all the flavour and none of the downsides of Germanium! It kind of follows through from the lineage of the former Roadster Fuzz - which I also have - as well as the also discontinued Blue Stardust Fuzz.

The control topology of the Fuzz Fella is that same 5-knob layout that we’re familiar with from the Red Velvet, while the two main knobs are now vintage British plastic versus the slightly classier black milled aluminium knobs of the Red Velvet. Controls are - Volume | Fuzz | Mids | Feel | Bass - and this is voiced as your typically more strident and aggressive 70’s style Silicon Fuzz Face.

I’m a keen fan of extended-range Fuzz pedals - i.e. ones with more output, gain, saturation and tone-sculpting options - whether tone controls or biasing knobs. The Fuzz Fella becomes my 3rd Chase Tone Fuzz, and looks like it will build on the stellar reputation of the fantastic and now classic Red Velvet Fuzz. My main issue with the Roadster is its low output volume, but Kyle most definitely sorted that out with the Red Velvet - the fact that you have Mids, Feel and Bass to tweak the output gives you a far more versatile fuzz platform to really make the most of the superior transistors deployed - which are high-gain BC108C types on this occasion.

I have been somewhat tempted too by Kyle’s equally well received ’Secret Preamp’ pedal - which is his recreation of the Echoplex PreAmp circuit / tone. There’s no doubt that Kyle has a great ear for Tone - Fuzz in particular, and his recent circuits really move his pedals to the front of the pile in terms of practical musical ability and utility. They sound great and are easily accommodated in any rig.

I put my order in pretty much as soon as I received the email notification - while I feel it very unlikely it will arrive in time for 2019 - considering the usual transit and quarantine period for customs when shipping in to the UK! I keep telling myself I really don’t need another Fuzz Face - but could not resist this one - which will surely be my last of this type for a while! I do seem to have a thing for ’matched pairs’ though! I feel that Chase Tone pedals are usually exceptionally good value - and the Fuzz Fella is just $135!

There are no official YouTube demos out of the Fuzz Fella yet - so in the mean time I will simply remind everyone how great the ’68 Red Velvet was / is! :