Boss FZ-1W

The Boss FZ-1W is a fuzz pedal from Boss, part of the company's Waza Craft series of premium pedals built in Japan. It is an all-analog pedal built around silicon transistors, with two modes selected by a switch: Vintage, which Boss describes as a retro fuzz experience with aggressive tone, dynamic touch response and extreme sensitivity to input volume, and Modern, which the company says provides a fatter sound and more mid focus to suit a wider range of music styles¹.

It was announced in November 2021 and is a regular production model, not a limited release². Boss states that, unlike previous Waza Craft models, the FZ-1W does not reproduce a past design: it is a modern interpretation of vintage fuzz built on an original circuit¹.

What the two modes do

The mode switch, labeled "V" and "M", selects between the two voices⁵.

• Vintage mode delivers what Boss calls "the classic fuzz voice with more gain and wider expressive range… raspy and assertive without being harsh"⁵. The company says you can smoothly transition from heavy fuzz to crunch to crystal clean simply by riding your guitar's volume knob¹.
• Modern mode delivers, in Boss's words, "a more refined and versatile fuzz voice with focused midrange and fatter tone, making it ideal for all types of current music styles"⁵. Its gain range is even wider than Vintage mode's¹.

Guitar World's buying guide describes the modern mode as voiced for a bright, articulate sound with a significant amount of gain, while the vintage setting delivers classic tones of the early '60s⁶. Premier Guitar's reviewer characterized the modern mode as one that adds body and midrange presence⁷.

The controls: Level, Tone, Fuzz and the mode switch

The pedal has three knobs plus the mode switch³. Each knob behaves differently depending on the mode selected.

The boost trick is worth noting for players who also want a boost pedal: Boss says that by turning down the Fuzz knob and cranking the Level, the FZ-1W works great as a boost for your amp and other gain pedals¹.

Bypass, power and build

The FZ-1W uses buffered bypass only, with a high-quality buffer for clean and clear tone when bypassed¹. Guitar World's buying guide called the lack of true bypass disappointing⁶. This is a difference from Boss's own TB-2W Tone Bender, released earlier in 2021, which offers selectable true or buffered bypass⁵⁹¹⁰.

Power comes from a 9-volt mains supply only, not supplied, with no battery operation³. The enclosure is a chunky metal box with side-mounted sockets, three knobs at the top and a soft-action footswitch, with a battery compartment beneath it³. GuitarPlayer described it as a rock-solid circuit in a virtually bulletproof enclosure, noting that the silicon circuitry limits vintage fuzz frustrations such as component tolerances, battery type and air temperature⁵. It carries the Boss five-year warranty¹.

History: a new Waza Craft design, not a reissue

The FZ-1W followed the TB-2W Tone Bender in the Waza Craft series, released earlier in 2021⁵. MusicRadar was clear that "this isn't the return of the much-loved Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz, the FZ-1W is something" new, reporting that it came from a "deep analysis of many legendary fuzz pedals"⁸. GuitarPlayer reported that Boss analyzed several vintage fuzz circuits, including vintage Sola Sound Tone Bender units, to create the FZ-1W¹¹.

Boss itself states that unlike previous Waza Craft models, the FZ-1W does not provide a reproduction of a past design, and that it carries the number "1" in its name out of respect for the classic fuzz circuits that helped shape the sound of rock guitar¹. Delicious Audio likewise describes it as sporting an original circuit that's not directly inspired by existing vintage ones⁴.

Premier Guitar's review adds detail on the lineage: Boss is quick to point out that the FZ-1W is an original design, but also says much of the inspiration and practical development came from the Tone Bender MkII work behind the TB-2W⁷. Guitar World notes that Boss's use of silicon circuitry is less traditional compared to the original Tone Bender it's aiming for⁶.

How it differs from the FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz

Players sometimes assume the FZ-1W revives the FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz, Boss's gray fuzz from 1993¹²¹. It does not. The FZ-2 was an enormous circuit broken into four distinct parts, boost, fuzz, filter and tone, derived from the Superfuzz with an input boost and tone stack added¹²¹³. The FZ-1W is instead a compact three-knob silicon fuzz with two modes, built as a new design³⁴.

What reviewers said

Guitar.com's review rated the pedal 9 out of 10 and concluded:

Richard Purvis, Guitar.com³

The same review found the mids even more pronounced in Modern mode, for a rich and raunchy but fundamentally contained sound, something like a fuzz equivalent of Boss's own SD-1 overdrive³. Premier Guitar's reviewer found that played alongside authentic clones of various Tone Bender versions, the FZ-1W's voice is unquestionably unique, though easy to hear the Tone Bender influence, with similarities shining through against Tone Bender clones⁷. That review also noted the practical trade-off of silicon: the FZ-1W won't be as dynamically responsive to volume attenuation as a germanium Fuzz Face⁷.

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