The Anasounds Crankled Bitoun Fuzz is a dual fuzz pedal from the French builder Anasounds, released in October 2017 as a limited edition of the company's first Bitoun Fuzz, with four knobs on the faceplate1. It carries two independent fuzz circuits: one inspired by the Super Fuzz and the other by the Fuzz Face1. Press coverage at launch described it as handmade in France and aimed at players who enjoy a good quality dirt box2.
Controls
The faceplate has four knobs, and each of the two fuzz stages gets its own gain control12.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level1 |
| Tone | Tone shaping1 |
| Fuzz | First stage of fuzz; per Anasounds, the Superfuzz side13 |
| Buzz | Second stage of fuzz; per Anasounds, the Feed Me side13 |
Inside, the pedal carries four more controls: Bias, described in the press release as the way to unleash the beast; Ring Freq, to adjust the modulation; and Feed, to fine control the guitar's signal1.
The two circuits and where they came from
The pedal grew out of a collaboration with Julien Bitoun, a French artist. "But today with Julien Bitoun, a French artist we wanted to do something different," the press release quoted the maker as saying1. The two circuits draw on two classic fuzz designs: the Super Fuzz and the Fuzz Face12. The Feed Me side of the pedal relates to Anasounds' separate Feed Me fuzz, and the maker has since explored the same territory further with the modular Full Story.
The Crankled version ships preconfigured with the crankled tone, but the internal settings also allow the original Bitoun Fuzz sound to be restored. As Premier Guitar's press release put it: "The new version is pre configured with the crankled tone but you can set it back to the original Bitoun fuzz tone"1.
Build and availability
The enclosure is white plexiglass with the logo laser engraved inside the wood, and the maker lists its dimensions as 14 x 8 x 16 cm3. At launch the pedal was available at select retailers and directly from the Anasounds online store1. The maker's product page lists a price of 249,00 EUR3.
The Anasounds Crankled Bitoun Fuzz was announced in October 2017 as a limited edition pedal. Anasounds listed it at $239 (VAT excluded) as the US street price and 249€ (VAT included) in Europe1, so availability depends on remaining stock.
What reviewers said
Coverage of the pedal was positive. Guitar Pedal X, writing about the wider octave fuzz field, placed the Crankled Bitoun at the top of it: "Probably right at the peak of that genre alongside my other all-time favourite - Anasounds' Crankled Bitoun," wrote Stefan Karlsson4.
Videos
Anasounds
Julien Bitoun - Guitare Obsession
Neogeofanatic
Questions
What is the difference between the fuzz and buzz knobs?
The Crankled Bitoun Fuzz carries two independent fuzz circuits, and each knob drives one of them. According to Anasounds, the fuzz knob manages the Superfuzz side of the pedal, while the buzz knob manages the Feed Me side. Each circuit has its own gain control, so the two can be blended or set independently.
Is the Anasounds Crankled Bitoun Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. Anasounds describes the pedal as using a soft touch switching system with a relay for true bypass, so the effect is removed from the signal path when the pedal is off.
Can the Crankled Bitoun Fuzz be set back to the original Bitoun Fuzz sound?
Yes. The pedal ships preconfigured with the crankled tone, but Anasounds says the internal settings allow you to restore the original Bitoun Fuzz sound, or, in the maker's words, unleash the beast and discover the old Bitoun Fuzz.
Who designed the Bitoun Fuzz?
The Bitoun Fuzz was made with Julien Bitoun, a French artist. Anasounds worked with him on the original Bitoun Fuzz, and the Crankled Bitoun Fuzz is a limited edition version of that first pedal with four knobs on the faceplate.
Where is the Anasounds Crankled Bitoun Fuzz made?
The Crankled Bitoun Fuzz is handmade in France by Anasounds, according to the press coverage that accompanied its release.
Sources (4)
- Anasounds Unveils the Crankled Bitoun Fuzz, Premier Guitar, 2017-10-18
- Jef's Pedal roundup this week: Anasounds, EHX, NUX and DarkGlass, gearnews.com, 2017-10-23
- crankled bitoun fuzz, Anasounds, 2025-01-17
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-06-25
