The Cog Effects Grand Tarkin is a bass fuzz pedal built for gigging bass players, and its defining feature is how it handles your clean signal. Instead of a full-range clean blend layered under the fuzz, the clean channel is filtered so it integrates with the fuzz, which Cog Effects describes as a more musical way to blend than a straight parallel mix1. The result, as the maker puts it, is not two signals sitting side by side but "one huge, fat and brutal fuzz tone"1.
The Grand Tarkin announced in April 2016 is the second iteration of the pedal. It keeps the sound of the original Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz, including the Mids control and the filtered clean blend that made the mk1 popular, and adds a second layer of flexibility: two independent pairs of Fuzz and Clean level controls with a footswitch to swap between them23.
What the Grand Tarkin does to your sound
The core idea is a fuzz circuit with a clean channel running alongside it, where the clean path is filtered rather than full-range. Cog Effects says this filtered blend is what let the mk1 create such huge fuzz tones, because the clean low end reinforces the fuzz instead of sitting apart from it3. The Mids control, carried over from the original, lets you push the fuzz forward in the mix where many bass fuzzes get lost14.
Bass Musician Magazine's reviewer Ty Campbell found the pedal keeps its punch and dynamics even with the fuzz at its highest level, where some fuzz pedals lose their low-end "punch"5. He also noted the Grand Tarkin can run clean or dirty, meaning the clean channel is usable on its own, and that he enjoyed exploring "all the different tones it can make, both with and without fuzz"5.
"While some fuzz pedals seem to lose their “punch"
Controls and the two footswitches
The second iteration replaced the original's single Blend and Level controls with two separate pairs of Fuzz Level and Clean Level knobs1. Everything else from the original design stays: Sustain, Tone and Mids1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fuzz Level (x2) | Sets the fuzz signal level for each of the two presets1 |
| Clean Level (x2) | Sets the filtered clean signal level for each preset1 |
| Sustain | Fuzz sustain, retained from the original1 |
| Tone | Fuzz tone shaping, retained from the original1 |
| Mids | Midrange control carried over from the mk141 |
The second footswitch is the A/B switch. It swaps between the two pairs of level controls, giving you two preset blends of fuzzed and clean signal that you can change between on the fly during a song13. Guitar Interactive Magazine described this as two presets that give "even more flexibility" than the original's single blend2. In practice you could set one preset for a heavy full fuzz and the other for a lighter mix, or even a clean setting, and jump between them without bending down5.
The main footswitch handles bypass, and the pedal is true bypass, so your signal passes untouched when the effect is off35.
Power and build
The Grand Tarkin runs on a 9V DC supply, center negative1, described at launch as a standard 9-volt DC input2. It is an analog circuit1, housed in a CNC-engraved Hammond 1590BB aluminum enclosure3. Bass Musician Magazine's reviewer found the die-cast aluminum box sturdy enough to "withstand the rigors of the road"5.
All Cog Effects pedals are built in Sheffield, South Yorkshire3.
Where it came from
Cog Effects announced the updated Tarkin line on April 14 and 15, 2016, covering both the guitar-oriented Tarkin mk2 in a smaller 1590A enclosure and the Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz in the larger 1590BB box362. The Grand Tarkin kept the mids, tone and clean blend controls from the original and added the dual level settings and extra footswitch6. At launch it retailed at £160 GBP, with the Tarkin at £130, both available directly from Cog Effects36.
The original Grand Tarkin was designed, in the maker's words, as "a work-horse bass fuzz for the gigging bass player"1, and the mk2 keeps that aim while adding the two-preset flexibility.
What reviewers said
Bass Musician Magazine reviewed the Grand Tarkin twice in 2017, in May and again in August. In both reviews, Ty Campbell highlighted the same strength: the pedal holds its punch and dynamics under fuzz where other bass fuzzes collapse54. He also noted the tone, mid and sustain controls as part of what this model offers4.
His overall verdict from the August review:
"While there are a lot of fuzz pedals available on the market for bassists nowadays, the Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz from COG Effects is a step above."
How it compares in the Cog Effects range
The Grand Tarkin sits alongside the smaller Tarkin mk2, a fuzz aimed at guitar rather than bass, and Cog Effects' bass overdrives such as the Knightfall 66. The Grand Tarkin is the company's bass-focused fuzz, distinguished from a plain fuzz by its filtered clean blend and Mids control, and from the original Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz by its dual presets and A/B footswitch12.
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Questions
Is the Cog Effects Grand Tarkin true bypass?
Yes. The Grand Tarkin uses true bypass switching, so with the pedal off your bass signal passes through without the circuit coloring it. Both the announcement coverage and Bass Musician Magazine's review confirm true bypass operation.
Where is the Cog Effects Grand Tarkin made?
All Cog Effects pedals, including the Grand Tarkin, are built in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. The company hand-builds its fuzz, overdrive and octave pedals there.
What does the second footswitch on the Grand Tarkin do?
It is an A/B switch that swaps between two pairs of Fuzz Level and Clean Level controls, giving you two preset blends of fuzzed and clean signal. You can set both mixes in advance and change between them on the fly during a song.
How much does the Grand Tarkin cost?
At its April 2016 launch, the Grand Tarkin retailed at £160 GBP, with the smaller guitar-focused Tarkin at £130. Both were available directly from Cog Effects at launch. No US list price was published.
Sources (6)
- Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz by Cog Effects, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Cog Effects unveils Tarkin and Grand Tarkin Fuzzes MK2, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2016-04-15
- Cog Effects Announces the Tarkin and Grand Tarkin, Premier Guitar, 2016-04-15
- Review - COG Effect Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz - Bass Musician Magazine, The Face of Bass, Bass Musician Magazine, 2017-05-08
- Review - COG Effect Grand Tarkin Bass Fuzz - Bass Musician Magazine, The Face of Bass, Bass Musician Magazine, 2017-08-14
- Cog Effects revamps Tarkin fuzz pedals for guitar and bass, MusicRadar, 2016-04-14
