VOX releases the VFZ-1 Fuzz pedal

January 15, 2026 · 3 sources

VOX announced the VFZ-1 Fuzz on January 15, 2026, a compact effect pedal available now through retailers and online worldwide¹². The pedal is one of two vintage-inspired VOX releases reported that month, alongside the VTB-1 Treble Booster³.

The VFZ-1 is built around what VOX describes as one of the most influential late-1960s two-transistor fuzz circuits, commonly associated with the Mk 1.5 design¹². Instead of germanium, it uses two Silver Can BC108 silicon transistors, each biased to replicate the response of the originals¹². VOX says this approach gives the pedal the compression, breakup and sustain associated with overdriven vintage valve amplifiers, with reduced noise and a wider sweet spot than vintage units allow¹². The maker also cites unusually high input impedance for a vintage-style fuzz, which it says keeps the first transistor stage compatible with buffered pedals and wah effects¹².

Controls are Volume, Fuzz, Tone Cut, Bass Cut and a Crunch/Fuzz Voicing toggle switch³. VOX describes the Fuzz control as setting the core voice, the Bass Cut as managing how much low end enters the gain stages, and the Tone Cut as shaping high-frequency response at the output¹². The Crunch switch is intended to provide lower-gain, overdrive-like textures without changing the guitar's volume¹². The enclosure is compact and, per Guitar Pedal X, gold-accented black in a vintage style³.

Bass Magazine lists a price of $149.99². Guitar Pedal X, writing on January 19, 2026, noted availability from the VOX webstore and dealers including Andertons in the UK³. VOX directed enquiries to NAMM Booth #6802 and its website¹².

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson wrote that the BC108 is "the more aggressive Type II Fuzz Face variant," and that the BC183 or 2N3904 are typically the more germanium sound-alike transistors, suggesting VOX used supporting components to add softer germanium-style grit³. That is the reviewer's assessment, not VOX's.

More on fuzz pedals.