Third Man launches $75 Fuzz-a-Tron DIY fuzz kit at NAMM

January 1, 2024 · 5 sources

Third Man Hardware, Jack White's pedal brand, launched the Fuzz-a-Tron, a do-it-yourself fuzz pedal kit priced at $75, during NAMM 2024, which ran January 25 to 28 at the Anaheim Convention Center¹²³. MusicRadar reported on January 25 that the kit was available to pre-order⁴.

The Fuzz-a-Tron ships as parts: a black metal enclosure, a circuit board and components, hook-up wire, a battery lead, 1/4-inch input and output jacks, a footswitch, an external power jack, rubber feet and a Third Man sticker pack⁵⁴. A 9V battery and a power supply are not included⁵. A QR code links to an online, step-by-step build manual³⁵⁴. Guitar World reported that the kit requires some soldering, unlike the solderless JHS Notaklön³.

Assembled, the pedal has two knobs, Tone and Volume, and one footswitch to engage or bypass the effect³⁵⁴. Delicious Audio describes the Tone control as moving from "dark and swampy" to "bright and screeching"⁵; MusicRadar describes the same range as running from "dark and swampy" fuzz to the "more piercing, treble-forward aggressiveness of classic '60s sounds"⁴. The pedal can run on a 9V battery or a center-negative 9V supply⁵. Guitar World noted the design's resemblance to the Maestro Fuzz-Tone³.

Guitar World put the kit's price below the $99 JHS Notaklön and the $85 Knight School Overdrive³. MusicRadar reported the Fuzz-a-Tron as one of two budget pedals Third Man debuted that day, alongside the $99 Triple Threat multi-effects pedal made with Donner Music⁴. Donner's NAMM page also lists the Fuzz-a-Tron at $75¹².