The Buzzing Bugs Mortal Joy is a signature lo-fi style overdrive, filter and tape saturation and modulation pedal made by Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices, developed with the Cardiff band Los Campesinos! to recreate the guitar sounds on their records. It combines a 3-knob discrete transistor overdrive with a Lo/Hi gain structure, a fixed band filter, tape saturation and dual LFO modulation in one enclosure1. RockBoard's PedalPedia lists it as a dirt and modulation pedal, filed among distortion, booster, overdrive, compressor and vibrato types2.
What it does to your sound
Buzzing Bugs' own description is blunt: "It's gain, it's lo-fi, it's saturation, it's tape, it's all hell."2 Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson put it another way when the pedal was announced: it "is designed to make your guitar sound worse, in the best possible way!"1 The pedal is built around three independent sections, each with its own footswitch, so a player can bring in as much or as little degradation as the song needs.
The fixed band filter and its cut footswitch are the character piece. Guitar Pedal X described that section as something that "sort of emulates the sounds of a transistor radio and cigarette box amp"1, which places the pedal firmly in lo-fi and filter pedal territory as much as overdrive.
Karlsson's verdict on the announcement: "This is the very essence of a signature sound all-in-one pedal, while there's sufficient range onboard to shape it to your own preferences overall."1
The controls
The Mortal Joy's front panel is split into three labeled sections, each with its own footswitch1.
| Section | Controls |
|---|---|
| Drive | Volume, Tone, Gain, Lo/Hi Gain Structure, Drive footswitch |
| Filter | Fixed Band Filter Cut footswitch |
| Tape Saturation & Dual LFO Modulator | Volume, Saturation, Sensitivity, Rate A, Depth A, Rate B, Depth B, Tape footswitch |
The drive stage is a 3-knob discrete transistor overdrive, with a Lo/Hi Gain Structure switch extending its range1. The tape section carries the saturation controls plus two LFOs, A and B, each with its own rate and depth, which is what earns the pedal its modulation half1.
Built on the BB03
The dual LFO modulation in the Mortal Joy uses the same circuit as Buzzing Bugs' BB03 Lo-Fi Chorus, but in duplicate1. The BB03 is the pedal the Mortal Joy's modulation side descends from: Guitar Pedal X described it as "a proper ambience chameleon - covering classic Chorus and Vibrato, as well as more tastefully mangled lo-fi and ambient tones"3, and its review noted that the Age knob adds warble, wow and flutter3. On that review, Karlsson placed the BB03 alongside pedals like the Chase Bliss Generation Loss, Fairfield Shallow Water and Zvex Instant Lo-Fi Junky among lo-fi modulators3. Players who know the chorus and vibrato sides of the BB03 will recognize the modulation engine here, doubled.
Price and availability
The Mortal Joy was announced on 8 August 2024 and put up for pre-order at the Buzzing Bugs Webstore for £2401. That figure is the pre-order price in pounds sterling as reported at the announcement; no US dollar price was given for this pedal.
The £240 figure dates from the August 2024 announcement, when the pedal was a pre-order item1. The BB03 Lo-Fi Chorus, by comparison, was listed at £149 / $189 in a December 2024 review34.
Videos
Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices
Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices
Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices
Questions
Who designed the Buzzing Bugs Mortal Joy?
Buzzing Bugs' Dan developed the Mortal Joy with Cardiff band Los Campesinos!, replicating the core of the band's signature sounds. It is sold as a signature pedal, and Guitar Pedal X called it the very essence of a signature sound all-in-one pedal, with enough range onboard to shape the sound to your own preferences.
What does the Mortal Joy sound like?
Buzzing Bugs describes it as gain, lo-fi, saturation and tape, all at once. Guitar Pedal X said it is designed to make your guitar sound worse, in the best possible way. The fixed band filter section emulates the sound of a transistor radio and cigarette box amp, and the drive section is a discrete transistor overdrive with lo and hi gain structure.
How many footswitches does the Mortal Joy have?
Three. A Drive footswitch for the overdrive section, a Fixed Band Filter Cut footswitch for the filter, and a Tape footswitch for the tape saturation and modulation section, so each part of the circuit can be switched independently.
How much does the Buzzing Bugs Mortal Joy cost?
At its August 2024 announcement it was available for pre-order from the Buzzing Bugs Webstore for £240. That was the pre-order price in pounds sterling as reported at the time.
Sources (4)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-08
- Mortal Joy, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-03-20
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-19
