The Acorn Amps ADHD Fuzz is a fuzz pedal with an oscillator-driven synthesizer element, built for guitar or bass. Acorn Amplifiers spells the name out as the Adaptive Droning Hyperfuzz Device and describes it as "a glitch, filter, bit crushing, octave, square wave guitar synth oscillator disguised as a fuzz pedal"1. In practice, that means an adjustable square wave oscillator runs alongside a fuzz circuit, and the two interact as you turn the pedal's controls1.
Premier Guitar's reviewer put it in the same terms: "Part oscillator-driven synthesizer and part fuzz"2. The review lists the pedal at $149.00 USD2.
What it does
Acorn Amplifiers assembles the ADHD using a voltage controlled timer, and the maker describes the range of sounds this makes possible: "8-bit vintage video game tones become searing octave leads with the turn of the five control knobs on board the ADHD"1. The pedal face carries five shapable controls for designing what the maker calls "your own fuzzy, synth-y soundscapes"1.
The tone can be "sculpted even further along the frequency bandwidth with the tone/filter control"1. There is also an expression jack to control the oscillation circuit externally, so an expression pedal can sweep the oscillator while you play1.
The controls
Premier Guitar's review walks through what the knobs do:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Balance | Adjusts the fuzz/oscillator balance2 |
| Frequency dial | Adjusts the pitch of the oscillator2 |
| Threshold | Sweeps between droning oscillations and gated ones2 |
| Tone | Tone control, fully clockwise at the pedal's mellowest setting2 |
The reviewer found that "the interactions among the oscillator, filter, and fuzz effects yield amazing results"2, and summed the pedal up as "full of beautifully funky, obscene, confrontational, and mysterious tones that can distinguish a guitar part or be the genesis of a whole musical idea or song"2.
Where it sits in Acorn's range
The ADHD is one of several fuzzes from Acorn Amplifiers, a maker whose catalog leans heavily on the effect. Other pedals covered on this site include the TMA-1 Fuzz, the F#%k Face and the Epstein Didn't Kill Himself Fuzz. For more on the effect type itself, see Fuzz Pedals, and for the oscillator side of the ADHD's character, see Synth Pedals.
Videos
Demos In The Dark
ambienttrash
R.J. Ronquillo
Questions
What is the Acorn Amps ADHD Fuzz?
The ADHD, or Adaptive Droning Hyperfuzz Device, is a fuzz pedal with an oscillator-driven synthesizer element. Acorn Amplifiers describes it as a glitch, filter, bit crushing, octave, square wave guitar synth oscillator disguised as a fuzz pedal, and it works for guitar or bass. An adjustable square wave oscillator runs alongside the fuzz circuit, and the two interact as you turn the pedal's five knobs.
How much does the Acorn Amps ADHD Fuzz cost?
Premier Guitar's review lists the ADHD Fuzz at $149.00 USD as of the review's publication in April 2023. Prices can change over time, so the current price from the maker or dealers may differ.
Sources (2)
- ADHD Synth Fuzz, Acorn Amplifiers
- Acorn Amps ADHD Fuzz Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2023-04-10
