SolidGoldFX unveils If 6 Was 9 BC183 MK II fuzz

May 1, 2022 · 5 sources

SolidGoldFX has introduced the If 6 Was 9 BC183 MK II fuzz, a revised version of its silicon Fuzz Face style pedal, with top-mounted jacks, a soft-relay footswitch, a variable voltage pump and a design the maker describes as more wah friendly¹. Guitar World reported that the pedal arrives 10 years after the original², and Delicious Audio quoted the maker saying, "It's been at least 10 years since we launched our original If 6 Was 9 BC183"³.

The circuit uses two BC183 transistors¹⁴²³ and is based on the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face¹³. SolidGoldFX selected the transistors, in its words, "as a happy medium between the potentially mushy compression of germanium and the brash sawmill-like fuzz of silicon"⁴⁵³. The variable voltage pump supplies between 5 and 15VDC internally from a 9V supply¹⁴²³. A Bias knob varies the operational voltage, and the new Saturate control trims the circuit's input for cleanup or impedance matching, which the maker says suits use with a wah¹⁴³. A three-way Body switch selects Fat, Treble Boost and Classic modes¹⁴⁵³. Volume and Fuzz controls set output and distortion amount⁴⁵².

Guitar World lists five knobs (Volume, Bias, Fuzz, Volts and Saturate) and one toggle switch²; Delicious Audio describes the Bias knob as replacing the bias toggle of the MKI³. The pedal is true bypass⁴²³, takes a 9V DC power supply with a listed 20 mA current draw⁴³, and is hand-made in Montreal, Canada³.

The If 6 Was 9 BC183 MK II is available now, priced at $199¹⁴⁵².