BearFoot FX Arctic White Fuzz

The BearFoot FX Arctic White Fuzz is a boutique analog fuzz pedal designed by Björn Juhl, a renowned effects pedal designer¹. It is based on the classic silicon Fuzz Face circuit¹, and Juhl's own take on the design, the BJFE/Bearfoot Arctic White Fuzz, is the same circuit sold under the BJFE name². Compared with a stock Fuzz Face, the Bearfoot FX version adds a Treble knob for enhanced EQ versatility¹.

Circuit and designer

The Arctic White Fuzz is, at heart, a redone Fuzz Face. An analysis of the schematic on the Guitar FX Layouts blog put it plainly: the Arctic is nothing but a redone Fuzz Face, with even the Q2 collector biased at 4.5 volts². In this build the second stage is a JFET, with the drain sitting around 4.5 volts, set by a 9K1 drain resistor from the 9V supply². The original also uses a zener diode as part of the LED circuit, which the blog's layout omits as unnecessary².

Björn Juhl's approach shows through in the character of the pedal. One commenter on the Guitar FX Layouts analysis observed²¹:

The same analysis noted that Juhl wiped out the background noise found in most fuzzes, which makes it a great recording fuzz².

Controls

Pedal of the Day's reviewer, Mike B, found the Volume, Tone and Fuzz knobs easily adjustable to suit tonal needs, with a nice range of sounds available in a small layout and enclosure, perfect for saving space on a pedalboard³. The Tone control itself has a limited range, described by a builder on Guitar FX Layouts as going from less bright to really bright².

Sound and amp settings

The Arctic White Fuzz plays well with both clean and dirty amp settings, so no matter what type of music you play, it will add a new voice to your rig³. Mike B described its character:

He found it able to get as dirty and gritty as you want, but never too over-the-top and out-of-control, like some other types of fuzz³.

Power and current draw

The pedal runs on 9V DC with a center negative plug and draws 10mA¹. The circuit itself is rated for 8 to 18 volts, and there is no charge pump inside: the rating means an 18V supply can be used if you want, with 25V minimum capacitors fitted to allow it².

Bearfoot FX and BJFE

Both names carry Björn Juhl's designs, and the Arctic White Fuzz appears under both the BJFE and Bearfoot labels². The Bearfoot FX version adds a Treble knob for enhanced EQ versatility¹. A related variant, the Arctic White Rooster, is the Arctic White Fuzz with a Range control added, in the manner of the Red Rooster².

For builders

The Guitar FX Layouts blog published a stripboard layout for the circuit in August 2013, based on a schematic provided by Matt². Builders working from that layout have reported a few issues and fixes:

• The 100pF ceramic capacitor fails to filter out high-frequency noise; the recommended fix is replacing it with one of at least 330pF, or adding another 220p cap in parallel or finding a capacitor between 270 and 370p².
• The wire to fuzz 2 sits under extremely high impedance from the 1M resistance between the input and the circuit, and is extremely microphonic in that setting; the recommended fix is shielded wire, or aluminum foil grounded from the enclosure, and avoiding running other wires parallel to it².
• The J201 transistor can work as a substitute if the bias resistor is lowered, for example 7K5 or 5.1K in place of the 9K1².

One builder summed up the experience: "It's worth the time fiddling with it for the tone you get"².

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