Anasounds Bitoun

The Anasounds Bitoun Fuzz is a fuzz pedal handmade in France that puts two fuzz circuits in one box: a Fuzz Face style fuzz taken from Anasounds' own Feed Me, and an octave up fuzz drawn from the Shin-Ei Superfuzz of the 1960s¹. Anasounds is careful about the distinction: it is not a dual fuzz with a toggle between two voices, but a double fuzz, two circuits designed to work together as one signal². The result is a fuzz with an octave up component that can be tuned from subtle to full ring modulation, all inside a bamboo enclosure.

The pedal was designed in partnership with French guitarist Julien Bitoun, and Anasounds says it took years of what it calls intense fuzzy research to arrive at the final circuit²³. On the maker's own description of the sound: "it ain't easy to find a fuzz that is all at once huge, brutal, musical, and easy to play"².

Two fuzz circuits built to work together

The Bitoun's character comes from the two circuits stacked inside it. The first is the Feed Me circuit, a Fuzz Face style fuzz that Anasounds builds with BC108 transistors¹⁵. The second comes from the Shin-Ei Superfuzz, the 1960s Japanese pedal known for its octave up fuzz, the sound behind a whole family of octafuzz pedals¹³. Delicious Audio described the Bitoun simply as Anasounds' "double fuzz with octave up"⁴.

Because the two stages are designed to feed each other rather than sit side by side, the octave character of the Superfuzz side can be pushed harder or tamed by how the Feed Me side is set. Pedal of the Day found the internal controls give real tonal flexibility for players who want to dig in, while the external knobs keep it simple for everyone else⁶.

The pedal also carries a hum and noise filter inside, which Anasounds includes to keep the double circuit quiet¹.

The controls, outside and inside

On the outside the Bitoun is deliberately minimal, with just two knobs. Inside, six trimmers shape everything else. Pedal of the Day noted that "it's easy to get a great sound right out of the box, but gives you some options and tonal flexibility inside if you're a" tweaker⁶.

There is also an additional internal potentiometer that adjusts the brightness of the bypass light⁶. The naming carries the pedal's personality: the output knob is called Tea and the tone knob Biscuit, a nod to the French maker's sense of humor⁶.

History: Julien Bitoun, the Feed Me and the Superfuzz

The Bitoun Fuzz grew out of two lineages. On one side is the Anasounds Feed Me, part of the company's Origins range, a fuzz "inspired by the Fuzz Face from late 60s" and built around the BC108⁵. On the other is the Shin-Ei Superfuzz from the 1960s, the pedal that defined the octave up fuzz sound⁶. The Bitoun borrows from both: Pedal of the Day describes it as based around the Superfuzz while also incorporating aspects of the Feed Me⁶.

The pedal's name comes from its co designer. Julien Bitoun is a French artist and guitarist who worked with Anasounds on the design, and Premier Guitar reported that the collaboration came from Anasounds wanting to do something different with him⁷.

The Bitoun Fuzz came out of a partnership between Anasounds and French guitarist Julien Bitoun, who the maker says they wanted to do something different with: "But today with Julien Bitoun, a French artist we wanted to do something different"⁷⁶². The circuit is based around the Shin-Ei Superfuzz pedal from the 60's⁶, and its controls are internal potentiometers: Ring_F sets the octave part, with more ring modulation-type sounds as it's increased; Feed sets the impedance for your guitar's signal; and Fuzz 1 represents the Feed Me side of things⁶. The Feed Me itself is a BC108 fuzz inspired by the Fuzz Face from late 60s⁵.

What reviewers said

Published reactions to the Bitoun were positive. Delicious Audio, highlighting a demo video by Gear Man Dude in July 2017, called it a fuzz "that sounds pretty nasty (in a good way)"⁸. Pedal of the Day found it easy to get a great sound right out of the box, with the internal trimmers rewarding players who tweak⁶.

Writing at Guitar Pedal X in 2024, Stefan Karlsson placed the Crankled Bitoun among the best of its kind, calling it "probably right at the peak of that genre alongside my other all-time favourite" octave fuzzes⁹. The same writer's broader view of the maker: "Anasounds pedals are unmistakable, and always sound full-fat and beautifully textured"¹⁰.

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