The Buzzing Bugs Stargazy is a hand-built reverb pedal from Cornish maker Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices, first reported as open for orders on the Buzzing Bugs webstore in February 2025 at £179 (around $229)1. It is a 7-knob, preamp-driven design that combines a digital reverb with a highly tweakable overdrive/distortion circuit built around a transistor preamp12.
What sets it apart from a standard reverb box is that the dirt is baked in. With the Load and Gain controls raised high, it produces a wide range of output, from a clean shimmer to a gritty, fuzzy growl1. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson called it "a really flavourful cool and unusual take on Reverb - with Feedback, Oscillation, Shimmer, and Wall of Noise capabilities driven by a Transistor Preamp"3.
A preamp-driven reverb with built-in dirt
Most reverb pedals leave the dirt to a separate overdrive or fuzz pedal. The Stargazy takes the opposite approach: its transistor preamp drives the reverb, so the two stages interact rather than sitting in series as separate boxes. Guitar.com's reviewer Richard Purvis described it as "combining digital reverb with a highly tweakable overdrive/distortion circuit"2.
The practical result is a range most reverb pedals do not offer on their own1:
- Clean shimmer at low preamp settings1
- A gritty, fuzzy growl with Load and Gain raised high1
- Feedback, oscillation and wall-of-noise textures via the Infinity controls13
The name comes from Cornish folklore: Stargazy Pie, traditionally eaten on Tom Bawcock's Eve, 23 December, a pie with fish heads poking through the crust staring at the sky. Guitar Pedal X noted that the pedal's artwork connects it to that folklore1.
The controls and the Infinity footswitch
The Stargazy carries seven knobs and two footswitches. Guitar.com and Guitar Pedal X describe the controls as follows12:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Body | Signal fullness / input gain, the fullness of the signal at the input stage12 |
| Gain | The dirt itself, from light crunch to full-on filth2 |
| Tone | Classic OD EQ, a standard treble-cutting tone control12 |
| Load | Reverb gain, from clean to grating shimmer, controlling the density of the reverb12 |
| Wet Mix | The level of the reverb in the signal12 |
| Infinity | Feedback / oscillation / shimmer / wall of noise1 |
| Master Volume | Overall output level1 |
The two footswitches are an On/Bypass switch and an ∞ Infinity footswitch1. The Infinity footswitch sends the reverb into infinite feedback2, which Guitar Pedal X describes as adding "more textural, shoe-gazy output"1. The big feedback knob on the left dictates the intensity of that feedback when the switch below it is engaged2.
For a player, that means the Stargazy can work as a conventional reverb with the Infinity switch off, then flip into swelling, self-oscillating washes on demand, with the feedback knob setting how far it runs away21.
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed the Stargazy in March 2025, covering the control set and the interaction between the preamp and the reverb2. Guitar Pedal X named it among the best new delay and reverb pedals of 2025, with Karlsson's verdict:
"A really flavourful cool and unusual take on Reverb - with Feedback, Oscillation, Shimmer, and Wall of Noise capabilities - alll driven by a Transistor Preamp."3
Guitar Pedal X also credited the designer, Dan, as having "delivered a really cool effect here"1.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Buzzing Bugs Stargazy true bypass?
Yes. The Stargazy Reverb is true bypass, and it carries two footswitches: an On/Bypass footswitch for engaging the effect and an Infinity footswitch that sends the reverb into infinite feedback for more textural, shoegaze-style output.
What power supply does the Stargazy Reverb need?
It runs on 9V DC with a center-negative plug, the same standard supply as most modern pedals. No current draw figure has been published, and no battery option has been mentioned, so a standard 9V center-negative adapter is what the pedal calls for.
Can the Stargazy do shimmer and self-oscillation?
Yes. The Load knob sweeps the reverb gain from clean to a grating shimmer, and the Infinity knob covers feedback, oscillation, shimmer and wall-of-noise territory. The Infinity footswitch sends the reverb into infinite feedback, with the big feedback knob dictating its intensity.
Who makes Buzzing Bugs pedals?
Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices, a Cornish maker whose output also includes the BB01 Fuzz Pre-Amp. The Stargazy Reverb is hand-built and was open for orders on the Buzzing Bugs webstore at £179 when it launched in February 2025.
Sources (3)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-02-27
- Buzzing Bugs Stargazy review: downright eccentric, Guitar.com, 2025-03-17
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-12-10
