Great Eastern FX Co launches limited edition Focus Fuzz pedal
February 27, 2023 · 2 sources
Great Eastern FX Co announced the Focus Fuzz, a limited edition fuzz pedal, on 27 February 2023. The Cambridge, England company made 250 units, according to Guitar.com1, a figure MusicRadar also reports2.
The pedal has three controls: Fuzz, Focus and Level. MusicRadar writes that the Fuzz control adds gain as it turns and also adjusts the bias voltage, changing the character of the gain, and that at low settings the pedal behaves like an overdrive, moving toward distortion before reaching "square-wave vintage fuzz animal at its extremes"2. Guitar.com describes the Focus knob as picking a spot "anywhere on a line with warm, thick tones at one end and something tighter and more incisive at the other"1. The circuit mixes new silicon and NOS germanium transistors; Guitar.com reports the germanium parts are an old Soviet type sourced from Russia before the invasion of Ukraine, and that their scarcity is the reason for the limited run1. MusicRadar describes the pedal as handmade in Cambridge with top-mounted jacks2.
Guitar.com lists true bypass, 9-volt mains power only and dimensions of 124 x 70 x 56mm1. It is the third pedal from Great Eastern, after the Small Speaker Overdrive and Design-A-Drive1.
The US list price is $285, available direct or via select retailers2.
"We wanted to create a pedal that would give fuzz-like sustain, aggression and rich overtones, but deliver all the other things we want as well"
Guitar.com's reviewer, Richard Purvis, wrote that the Focus Fuzz does not sound like a Fuzz Face or a Tone Bender and called it "an altogether more modern-voiced pedal than we were expecting," rating it 9 out of 101. MusicRadar's piece reports the pedal is marketed as one that will play well with all kinds of guitar amps and guitars2.