The Freakshow Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Big Joe Stomp Box Company, offered in two versions built around the same design: the B-312 Freakshow Fuzz (Silicon) and the B-313 Freakshow Fuzz (Germanium). As the maker puts it, "Be it Germanium or Silicon, we've designed a fuzz box to suit your preferred tonal flavor"12. Both pedals were announced in July 2018 and became available on Halloween 20183.
Both versions carry the same control set: Tone, Fuzz and Output knobs on the top row for the base fuzz sound, plus external Bias and Trim controls and a Buffer switch3. The germanium version adds a Temp control that the silicon version does not have4. Guitar Pedal X listed the pair at $190 in a June 2024 roundup of compact fuzz pairs5.
Germanium and silicon versions
The two Freakshow models are the same fuzz design with different transistors, and the choice changes the character of the pedal123.
| B-312 (Silicon) | B-313 (Germanium) | |
|---|---|---|
| Transistors | Silicon transistors16 | Two 1960s NOS matched germanium transistors24 |
| Character | More modern, brighter sound4 | A bit warmer, without quite as much gain and bite4 |
| Temp control | Not available4 | Yes, for temperature drift4 |
| Other controls | Tone, Fuzz, Output, Bias, Trim, Buffer13 | Tone, Fuzz, Output, Bias, Trim, Buffer43 |
The germanium B-313 uses two NOS matched transistors that the maker says "nail all of the vintage-style fuzzed out fun," and Big Joe describes it as "highly responsive, fat sounding, and harmonically-rich"2. Guitar.com's launch coverage characterized it as delivering "rich, fat creamy fuzz tones"3.
The silicon B-312 is the more aggressive of the pair. Guitar.com described it as "modern-sounding and has more gain," suited to more aggressive styles of rock31, and Pedal of the Day found it "a completely different animal than its big brother, the B-313 Germanium Freakshow Fuzz"6. Big Joe's own positioning is blunt: "The Silicon version is the way to go if you're after a totally freaked out fuzz"1.
The Temp control on the germanium version addresses a practical quirk of germanium transistors: it "allows the user to re-adjust the germanium transistors depending on varying temperature conditions"4. Germanium circuits drift with heat and cold, so a knob that rebalances them is a working fix rather than a novelty.
Controls: Bias, Trim and the Buffer switch
The top row of Tone, Fuzz and Output handles the base fuzz sound46. Below that, the Bias and Trim controls are where the two pedals get their depth. Big Joe describes them as "offering flexibility with symmetry, gain structure, and clipping"1, and Guitar.com made the same point at launch: "The latter two open up the tonal textures of the pedals by offering latitude in clipping, gain structure and symmetry"3.
The Buffer switch is a selectable input impedance buffer circuit. Pedal of the Day explains what it does for a player: it "offer[s] a brighter sound, but also help[s] to remove high-end roll off and oscillation when the Fuzz is not first in the signal chain"4. Guitar.com put it more simply: the switch "can be activated to eliminate high-end roll-off when the pedal is placed after other effects"3. For anyone running the Freakshow later in a pedalboard rather than straight after the guitar, that switch is the difference between the fuzz sounding as intended and sounding dulled.
What reviewers said
Published reviewers have covered both versions, and the verdicts have been positive on build and sound alike564.
- Pedal of the Day on the B-312 (October 2019): "a killer pedal" with ample fuzz sounds and "a wide array of controls with many options and combinations"6.
- Pedal of the Day on the B-313 (November 2019): "one complete and tasty fuzz"4.
- Guitar Pedal X (June 2024): "the Freakshow fuzzes are built like tanks, with primo components and superior sound"5.
"they have provided a killer pedal for you today"
Pedal of the Day also noted the enclosures, crediting the B-312 with "the rugged good looks and hard-as-nails builds we've come to know and love from all Big Joe Stomp Box" pedals6, a view Guitar Pedal X echoed years later with its "built like tanks" assessment5.
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What is the difference between the Freakshow Fuzz B-312 and B-313?
The B-312 is the silicon version and the B-313 is the germanium version of the same fuzz design. The silicon model is brighter and more modern sounding with more gain and bite, while the germanium model is warmer and uses two 1960s NOS matched germanium transistors. The B-313 also adds a Temp control, found on the top of the pedal, that the B-312 does not have.
What does the Bias knob do on the Freakshow Fuzz?
The Bias control is an external knob that gives flexibility with the symmetry, gain structure and clipping of the fuzz. Together with the Trim control, it opens up the tonal textures of the pedal by offering latitude over how the transistors are biased, which changes the character of the fuzz rather than just its amount.
Does the Freakshow Fuzz have a buffer?
Yes. Both versions have a Buffer switch that turns on a selectable input impedance buffer circuit. It gives a brighter sound and helps remove high-end roll off and oscillation when the fuzz is not first in the signal chain, such as after other effects.
Who makes the Freakshow Fuzz?
The Freakshow Fuzz is made by Big Joe Stomp Box Company, an effects pedal builder whose products are known for rugged enclosures and hard-wearing builds. The Freakshow line launched with both the germanium and silicon versions in 2018.
Sources (6)
- B-312 FREAKSHOW FUZZ (SILICON), Big Joe Stomp Box Company
- B-313 FREAKSHOW FUZZ (GERMANIUM), Big Joe Stomp Box Company
- Big Joe Stomp Box unveils two Freakshow Fuzz pedals, Guitar.com, 2018-07-30
- Big Joe Stomp Box Co. B-313 Freakshow Fuzz (Germanium), Pedal of the Day, 2019-11-19
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-06-24
- Big Joe Stomp Box Co. B-312 Freakshow Fuzz (Silicon), Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2019-10-12
