Tru-Fi's Superb Dizzy Buzz Fuzz is finally at Joe's Pedals - and in the reference collection at last

I first featured the Dizzy Buzz back in June of last year and it’s taken this long to get into UK distribution - just recently arrived at my good friend Joe Light’s Joe’s Pedals Boutique. And of course where I got my Silver Sparkle Edition from. Joe also has it in standard silver finish - which looks pretty fine too. Both of those varieties feature 3 x Polish-made military spec Germanium Transistors - which are the exact equivalents of OC71’s. You can also special order a version of this pedal with original OC71 transistors, Mullard I think those are - at an extra premium of $25 / £25.

My version of the pedal features the Polish-made transistors which sound amazing - I’m not sure it’s wholly worthwhile to update to the OC71’s - I love the way mine sounds. As of writing this Joe still has at least one Standard Edition Dizzy Buzz available - which goes for £199. My Sparkle version was a little bit more!

The Dizzy Buzz was inspired by the circuit which started off in 1966 as the Harmonic Generator Fuzz - made by the tiny and now still rather unknown G.P. Electronics of Bovey Tracey (Newton Abbot), Devon. London’s Baldwin Burns then did their own take on that circuit which was of course the Buzzaround format we all know so well. This was an adjacent somewhat predecessor to the MKIII Tone Bender - with which it shared some similarities - the MKIII came out 2 years after the Buzzaround which was surely a partial inspiration for that evolution. And then in 1969, Italian firm Elka did their own take on the circuit - and called it the Dizzy Tone. Hence the Dizzy Buzz carries the names of both its better known predecessors and features a further refined version of the circuit - with additional Master Volume / Level control on the side of the pedal.

Controls - Sustain (Gain), Balance (Bias), Timbre (Tone), Level (on side).

I’ve always thought there were incredible similarities in sound between the TB MKIII and Buzzaround - and I have some supposed MKIII’s (like the Blammo Tomb Sender) which sound more like Buzzarounds and vice versa - while the difference can be quite subtle to many ears. 

Generally my favourite take on the MKIII is PigDog’s JuJu fuzz - while I have a few favourite Buzzarounds - the aforementioned Blammo Tomb Sender, Function F(x) Hive Mind Mini, Magnetic Effects Buzzer, and Mojo Head FX’s Rounder Fuzz - plus of course this Dizzy Buzz.

My friend Henry Kaiser is a particular fan of this circuit type and has a sizeable capsule collection of that format in every conceivable shape and size - and he picked up his own Dizzy Buzz - around the same time as I published my article last June. He has several really cool versions of that circuit - including one by his good friend Toshihiko Tanabe called the Sunkudo - a variety I’ve always wanted for myself!

I love the Dizzy Buzz - it percolates and blooms beautifully - but can be a little bottom-heavy at times - which I mostly like! - even with the Timbre dial maxed out. So I often apply an additional low-cut via the EQ section of my JA Bloom - which delivers perfection!

Preferred Settings : Sustain @ 9 o’c, Balance @ 3 o’c, Timbre @ 3 o’c, Level @ Max.

Great Sounding fuzz for sure - and a superior take on that circuit. If you used to like the Chase Bliss wooden boxes - then you need to get in on the Tru-Fi wooden boxes - which are even finer quality.

All in all a beautifully engineered and expertly calibrated Buzzaround type - at just the right price point. I’m so glad I managed to pick up one at last!

While Henry Kaiser likes these in all shapes and sizes - I tend to favour more practical compact editions. My friend Sof Tebboune at Expresso FX makes a cool BB-sized Buzzabout take on this circuit - while I never got around to persuading him to make me an evolved compact version of that. There were a couple of other projects in the works between us - which never materialised. Possibly it’s time to revisit Expresso FX again this year - it’s certainly been a while - where Sof nowadays follows more of a Paul Trombetta style schedule - where he makes between 2 and 4 at a time (small batches) - of exactly what he wants to make!

It’s funny how even with the Kernom Moho Fuzz in all its magnificence - the fuzz fan in me still seeks out quality single function fuzz pedals too!

There are alas very few demos of this Dizzy Buzz - in fact - only one that I found (as below - partial).

Any more Buzzaround fans feeling the need to add this to their collection?