Spaceman Effects delights with its new versatile Charon Ge/Si Hybrid Fuzz

It’s funny how we often get two similar sorts of pedals emerging around the same time, and in the wake of MXR releasing a 2-knob Ge/Si Hybrid Fuzz we now get a slightly more evolved variety from Spaceman - with 3 controls.

Controls - Level, Gain, Tone.

The description mentions that the Tone control reduces Bass as you dial it up - so it sounds somewhat like a Tilt-EQ. While the fuzz output the pedal generates has some beautiful harmonic content to it and delivers some cool crunch textures too at certain settings.

In fact I really like the sound of this new Fuzz - it’s something Spaceman always does really well. And while I keep hoping for a reissue / revival of their very first Rumblefuzz pedal - this is a really nice consolation prize.

I’m not sure why the text needs to be quite as opaque as it is - where I presume this is a classic sort of 2-Transistor circuit. All we know is that one of the Transistors is Germanium  - likely some Soviet variety as Spaceman tends to favour those - and they sound so magnificent in the Sputnik varieties.

It’s hard to say how essential this pedal is yet - and where I’ve still to pick up the MXR Hybrid Fuzz - I of course want both - be interesting to see which I land first.

I like that fact that there is a tone control here to help you get closer to your preferred sound/s. I typically favour the granularity of 3 knobs fuzzes - versus 2-knob varieties - while there is something very appealing about the MXR one too. Overall I feel I would probably get a little more out of this Charon - which is very slightly dearer.

The Spaceman Charon is available in Standard Silver and Gold varieties - which both go for $199 - available on the Spaceman Effects Webstore and at US dealers right now - and surely imminent for the rest of the world.

I will definitely be picking up one of these - I would never let a new Spaceman Fuzz pass me by - it sounds pretty darn great!

In terms of the visual - I was playing around with different Silver and Gold lattice  / chevron patterns - when I chanced up the variation pictured above - which kind of reminds me of two startled or somewhat surprised bunny rabbits - can you see it too?