The Castledine Electronics v2 Fuzz is a hand-made fuzz pedal from UK builder Castledine Electronics. Its circuit is based on the Violet Ram's Head muff from 1973, but as Pedal of the Day's review puts it, "it isn't a clone, but one revisit circuit," meaning Castledine reworked the original design rather than copying it part for part1. It sits in the wider family of fuzz pedals, the saturated, compressive distortion style that predates modern distortion pedals.
Sound and controls
Pedal of the Day's reviewer, writing in March 2014, described the character this way: "Its sound is very growly and full, the medium frequencies are enough present and help it to get out to the mix"1. For a player, that midrange presence is the practical point: fuzzes often sit badly in a band mix, and this one is described as cutting through.
The controls are the classic three-knob fuzz layout:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sustain | Sets the amount of fuzz and sustain |
| Tone | Shapes the treble content |
| Volume | Sets the output level |
The reviewer called the V2 "very suitable for lead guitar," with the best sound coming from settings short of full distortion, suggesting it rewards backing the Sustain off from maximum rather than running it flat out1.
Power and bypass
The V2 runs from a standard 9V DC center-negative supply, the same type most pedalboard power supplies provide, and it can also be powered with a PP3 battery1. The pedal has true bypass switching, so, in the reviewer's words, "there is no loss of treble when bypassed"1.
Where it comes from
Pedal of the Day describes the V2 as "completely hand made in UK" by Castledine Electronics1. The unit reviewed was "number #3 from the first batch," which points to small early production runs1. For players tracing the circuit's family tree, the Violet Ram's Head name refers to the 1973 version of the muff circuit, and the violet-colored variant is also the reference point for the Aion FX Halo Distortion Sustainer kit project, which likewise uses a purple bag for that variant2.
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Questions
Is the Castledine Electronics V2 true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review notes that the V2 has true bypass switching, so there is no loss of treble when the pedal is bypassed. That means your guitar's signal passes through the pedal untouched when it is switched off, which matters on a board with several pedals in front of the amp.
Does the Castledine V2 run on a 9V battery?
Yes. According to Pedal of the Day, the pedal may be powered with a PP3 battery, and it can also run from a standard 9V DC centre-negative supply. Either way it takes the same 9 volts, so a regular pedalboard power supply output will run it.
What power supply does the Castledine V2 need?
A standard 9V DC centre-negative supply, the same type used by most compact pedals, or a PP3 battery. Pedal of the Day's review of a unit from the first batch gives both options, so no special adapter or higher voltage is required.
Where is the Castledine Electronics V2 made?
Pedal of the Day describes the V2 as completely hand made in the UK by Castledine Electronics. The reviewer's unit was number 3 from the first batch, which gives a sense of how small the early production runs were.
What is the Violet Ram's Head?
The Violet Ram's Head is a 1973 version of the muff fuzz circuit, named for the era's violet enclosure. The Castledine V2 uses a circuit based on that 1973 muff, but as Pedal of the Day puts it, it is not a clone, it is one revisit of the circuit.
Sources (2)
- Castledine Electronics V2 Fuzz, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-03-17
- Halo Distortion/Sustainer / EHX Big Muff Pi, Aion FX, 2018-06-30
