The Arbiter Add-A-Sound was a fuzz pedal made by Arbiter, the British company also behind the Fuzz Face. What set it apart from a straightforward fuzz was its octave function: as the maker history published on treblebooster.net describes it, "This was a Fuzz that could generate an octave higher and an octave lower at the push of a button."1 That put a fuzz and an octave effect in one box, covering ground that players today would split between a fuzz pedal and an octave and pitch pedal.
What it does
The Add-A-Sound works as a fuzz first, adding the harmonic saturation and sustain that fuzz circuits are known for. Its distinguishing feature is the push-button octave control, which generates a note one octave above and one octave below the played note. A player could therefore use it as a plain fuzz or engage the octaves for a thicker, more layered sound from a single unit.1
Who used it
The pedal has a documented place among players of the era: treblebooster.net's history notes it was "also used by Frank Zappa from approx. 1973."1
The Add-A-Sound is a vintage unit and is not in current production. Arbiter's better-known fuzz design, the Fuzz Face, has its own history and reissues covered on the Arbiter Fuzz Face Reissue page.
Videos
Мурат Шидаков
Мурат Шидаков
Sources (1)
- Effect Units, treblebooster.net (BSM - Finest Treble Booster), 2025
