The Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe is a guitar and bass effects pedal from Blackout Effectors, a fuzz design built around two separate fuzz channels rather than one1. It is true bypass, 100% analog, and made in the USA2. Pedal of the Day featured it as its Pedal of the Day on December 29, 20151.
Two fuzz channels
The core of the pedal is its pair of fuzz stages. Each channel is selectable by a small toggle switch on the top row and is controlled by its own Gain knob2. According to Pedal of the Day's reviewer Mike B, the two channels are completely different in design and sound, which makes experimenting with them and mixing and matching settings a major part of the pedal's appeal2.
The controls: Gain, Filter, Boost and Output
Each channel's Gain knob sets how hard its fuzz stage is driven2. Around the two fuzz engines sit further controls:
- Filter: a switch that can completely alter the current tone with a flick. Depending on the gain stages and knob settings, it gives either buzz-filled, thinner fuzz sounds or chunkier, warmer and beefier tones2.
- Boost: a control with a huge range. Mike B described it as able to easily go from a nice line driving buffer, to a sweet, clean boost, all the way up to a full-on overdrive, able to push the amp and the fuzz signal2.
- Output: sets the overall output volume of the fuzz. It is separate from the four toggle controls, which allows the pedal to be used as a sort of reverse boost even with the four stages bypassed2.
"Turns out, it is, but in the best possible way. With all of these adjustable options, this brilliant fuzz truly allows"
Mike B's overall verdict was that despite looking tricky and complicated, the pedal is so in the best possible way, allowing a wide range of sounds from a simple basic fuzz to previously unencountered sonic dementia overall2.
Related Blackout Effectors pedals
Blackout Effectors also built the Fix'd Fuzz circuit into the Special Twosome Deluxe, a dual-pedal unit3. The company's other fuzz designs include the Musket Fuzz v2, the Fubär Fuzz and the Crystal Dagger.
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Questions
Is the Blackout Effectors Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe true bypass?
Yes. Reviewing the pedal for Pedal of the Day, Mike B described it as true bypass, 100% analog and made in the USA. That means the pedal takes itself out of the signal path entirely when switched off, so your guitar's signal reaches the amp unaltered until you engage the fuzz.
Is the Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe analog?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review describes the Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe as 100% analog. An analog fuzz processes your guitar's signal with continuous circuitry rather than converting it to digital, which is the traditional approach for fuzz designs.
Where is the Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe made?
The Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe is made in the USA. Pedal of the Day's reviewer, Mike B, noted this alongside its true bypass switching and all-analog circuit in his January 2016 review of the pedal.
Can the Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe be used on bass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day presented the Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe as a guitar and bass effects pedal, so bass players can use it as well as guitarists. Its Filter control, which shifts between thinner, buzz-filled fuzz and chunkier, warmer tones, is the kind of control that matters most when dialing a fuzz in for bass.
Can you combine both fuzz channels?
The pedal has two separate fuzz channels, each selectable by a toggle switch and controlled by its own Gain knob. Pedal of the Day's review says the two channels are completely different in design and sound, and describes experimenting and mixing and matching them as a major part of the pedal's appeal.
Sources (3)
- Blackout Effectors Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe, Pedal of the Day, 2015-12-29
- Blackout Effectors Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe, Pedal of the Day, 2016-01-03
- Blackout Effectors' Special Twosome Deluxe Now Shipping, Delicious Audio, 2014-09-10
