Will Galluccio's Triungulo Lab unleashes the Smart Extended-Range Scar Fuzz take on John Frusciante's favourite 2000 NYC Big Muff Pi Circuit

I’ve been peripherally aware of Italy’s Triungulo Lab since the launch of its Barbanera Low Pass Filter back in 2019. I do try to cover as many brands as possible - but since I’m constantly stacked with work - some unfortunately slip through the net every now and again. And the coverage of Triungulo Lab is for sure well overdue.

I wasn’t aware that Triungulo had a similar trajectory to PastFX where in fact Triungulo was the first to start making authentic and vintage inspired Boss CE-1 infused Chorus Ensemble style pedals - and that is still a significant part of the business. Its JF Fuzz is a very authentic take on the original Germanium Mosrite Fuzzrite - with top-mounted knobs. Triungulo also makes the Malombra Warped Chorus, the WH-X Wah (based on Ibanez WH-10), and the Major Amp (based on the Vintage 200W Marshall Major).

The Scar Fuzz is Triungulo Lab’s latest release, and is a really clever take on John Frusciante’s favourite Big Muff - the 2000 NYC edition. It goes way beyond the original with 6 smart controls and dual-footswitches.

Controls - Bias, Tone, Sustain, Clean (Blend), EQ : Mid Boost / STD (Stock) / Flat, Fuzz (Output Level), No Name = Feedback + Oscillation, Bypass = Engage Fuzz. Internal switch = Phase Inversion.

There’s just two quirks here - that the Output Volume knob is labelled Fuzz (Level), and that the 2nd ’No Name’ footswitch is actually feedback / oscillation which you can then manipulate by twiddling the top array of knobs. The EQ 3-way switch is incredibly useful while the Feedback / No Name function is really more suitable for a tabletop setup - as to make the most of that you do need to twiddle some knobs in tandem. It is very reminiscent of the ’Drift’ switch / function of the Spaceman Sputnik Fuzz.

It creates a beautiful even singing tone - which to my ears could do with a little more Low-end control to balance the full frequency output. Also the No Name / Feedback switch isn’t that particularly useful to me - I would have preferred a boost instead probably - as I always like to have a little more volume on my fuzzes - as the interplay of volume and gain delivers some wonderful textures at extreme levels.

It’s a significantly extended range pedal - where it sounds better for me with just a bit of Clean blend added. Dave Simpson likes the Bias, Tone, Sustain and Fuzz on Max, Clean at Min, and EQ switch at Mid+. I’m not that different - a little bit more nuanced, and unlike Dave I’m quite happy to go direct into amp - i.e. not needing to ameliorate the signal with another overdrive in tandem.

My own preferred settings are - Bias at 4 o’c, Tone and Sustain at 3 o’c, Clean at 10 o’c, EQ at Mid+ and Volume / Fuzz at Max.

I’m sure a lot of people will have a lot of fun with this pedal - and of course John Frusciante fans in particular. It looks beautiful too - with its colourful and sparkly purple finish and contrasting knobs - and with the car’s headlights lighting up with the footswitches. It’s beautifully put together too - and uses SMD 2N5088 Silicon Transistors which are the same type as in the original 2000 NYC Big Muff.

The Scar Fuzz is available right now from the Triungulo Lab Webstore - priced at €189.

This is for sure a very unique and different take on a Big Muff!