The Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz is an overdrive and fuzz pedal that puts two classic circuits in one compact box: a Tube Screamer-style overdrive and a Fuzz Face-style fuzz, blended by the player. Guitar Pedal X described it as "a superb confection of Fuzz Face into Tube Screamer - all in the same box"1, and Cusack Music's own description of the V2 says it carries all the tone of the Screamer V2 overdrive (minus its Tone knob) with a fuzz circuit added2. With the fuzz rolled off it works as a straightforward overdrive; with the overdrive rolled back it is, in the maker's words, "a gnarly fuzz pedal"3.
The pedal sits in the overdrive and fuzz lane at once, which is the point: Premier Guitar noted that it "attempts to alleviate this problem by combining both effects in one compact package"4. The current version is the Screamer Fuzz V3, listed at $1853.
A Fuzz Face into a Tube Screamer in one box
The core idea has stayed constant across every version: two gain stages, one overdrive and one fuzz, that you mix with two knobs. Guitar Pedal X's longer write-up called it "essentially a Tube Screamer and Fuzz Face in the same box - where you blend those voicings together to your own preference"7. The overdrive half is the Cusack Screamer circuit, itself Tube Screamer-derived, and the fuzz half is Cusack Music's own LED fuzz circuit design8.
A 2008 Guitar World review of the original pair observed that the Screamer Fuzz "replaces the Screamer's Tone knob with one labeled Fuzz, which acts almost like a tone control, adding extra teeth to the basic Screamer sound"5. That early layout, Level, Scream (gain) and Fuzz, was still the control set described in 20199; the V3 later restored a dedicated Tone control.
The controls: Level, Drive, Fuzz, Tone and the clip toggle
The V3 control set, from Cusack Music's product page3:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the output volume |
| Drive | Adjusts the gain of the Screamer overdrive section |
| Fuzz | Adjustes the amount of fuzz |
| Tone | A simple low-pass filter; start at maximum and roll back to tame high frequencies |
| Clip toggle | Selects silicon (Si), schottky (SBD), or asymmetrical LED clipping on the Screamer half |
The V2 used the same idea with different names: Level, Scream (gain) and Fuzz, plus a 3-way clipping toggle with silicon on the left, asymmetrical LED in the center and Schottky on the right2. Premier Guitar's round-up described the V2 as "four controls on the MXR-sized unit: Level, Fuzz, Scream (distortion), and a 3-position selector switch"4.
The V2 also introduced the LED Clip-O-Meter. Cusack Music's page explains: "That's right, you can now SEE your guitar clipping! What's more, if you drive it hard" with another pedal, the LED can serve as a strobe tuner2. Not everyone loved it; Premier Guitar's review of the related Screamer V2 listed a "Distracting 'clip-o-meter' and confusing dual-color status LED" among its cons10.
Power: 9V, about 6mA
Every version runs on a standard center negative 9V DC supply or a 9V battery, with the battery not included3256. Current draw is about 6mA on the V3 and Germanium editions38 and about 7mA on the V2 and Bass26, light enough that it shares easily with other pedals on a powered board.
One battery note from the press: Guitar World's 2008 review found that "At approximately 6.5V the pedal goes into bypass until you change the battery"5. On a fading battery the pedal simply cuts out rather than degrading gradually.
History and versions: V2, V3, Germanium, Bass and Selenium
Cusack Music's V3 page lists the family as the Screamer Fuzz V2, Screamer Fuzz Germanium, Screamer Fuzz Bass, Screamer Fuzz Selenium and the Scruzz3.
- Screamer Fuzz V2: discontinued2. Added the Clip-O-Meter and the three-way clip selector over the earlier Level, Scream, Fuzz layout29. Listed at $195 while current2.
- Screamer Fuzz V3: the current version at $185, adding the low-pass Tone control to the V2's circuit3. Pedal of the Day described it as including "all of the great tone of the Screamer Fuzz V2, with the addition of a low-pass tone control"11.
- Screamer Fuzz Germanium: a limited production model with germanium overdrive clipping and the original LED fuzz circuit, plus compatibility with higher voltage supplies and custom milled aluminum knobs8. Guitar Pedal X notes the Germanium edition comes in a gray box and the silicon variety in a gold one, and that the earliest Limited Edition had a 3-way clipping switch (Silicon / LED / Germanium) that later models dropped17.
- Screamer Fuzz Bass: a discontinued bass version whose Tube Screamer-inspired overdrive is modified for bass, with a Scream gain control and the same 3-way clipping toggle6.
- Screamer Fuzz Selenium: a limited edition, released in 2020 according to Godlyke's page12, with the same layout and signal path as the V3 but a different clipping element. The overdrive comes from running the signal through a series of plates coated in selenium, each functioning as a diode13. Cusack Music says it was the first company to use selenium diodes to process audio12. It is discontinued and sold out; Cusack hopes to source a modern component matching the vintage rectifiers but, in the maker's words, has "found nothing like it"13.
The Selenium edition was built from a finite stock of vintage selenium rectifiers and is discontinued and sold out13. The V2 and Bass versions are also discontinued26; the V3 is the version in production.
What reviewers said
Guitar World's 2008 review of the original found "amazingly natural fuzz and overdrive sounds in a '60s vein, with the Screamer Fuzz throwing in some cool 'broken amp' simulations," and concluded that "Experimenting with different combinations offered hours of fun and a plethora of different tones-all musical"5.
Pedal of the Day's 2022 review of the V3 Fuzzdrive found "lots of sounds and amp-driving tones" available, with the verdict that "exploring them all will put a giant grin on even the grumpiest face"11.
Guitar Pedal X has repeatedly singled out the format, calling the TS808-plus-Fuzz Face combination a favorite "Fuzzy Drive" pairing14 and including the Screamer Fuzz in a capsule collection of compact fuzz pairs14.
Videos
Prymaxe
Reverb
Mike Hermans
Questions
Does the Cusack Screamer Fuzz run on a battery?
Yes. Every version takes a standard center negative 9V DC supply or a 9V battery, with the battery not included. A 2008 Guitar World review noted that when the battery falls to approximately 6.5V the pedal goes into bypass until you change it, so a fresh battery or a powered supply is the safer option.
What does the Clip-O-Meter LED do?
Introduced on the Screamer Fuzz V2, the LED Clip-O-Meter shows your guitar signal clipping in real time. Cusack Music also says that if you drive it hard with another pedal, the flashing LED can be used as a strobe tuner. A Premier Guitar review of the related Screamer V2 called the clip-o-meter distracting, so it is a feature players either enjoy or ignore.
Is the Cusack Screamer Fuzz discontinued?
Partly. The Screamer Fuzz V2, the Screamer Fuzz Bass and the limited Screamer Fuzz Selenium are all marked discontinued by Cusack Music. The Screamer Fuzz V3 remains the current version, listed at $185, and the Screamer Fuzz Germanium is a separate limited production model.
What clipping diodes does the Screamer Fuzz use?
On the Screamer (overdrive) half of the pedal, a three-position Clip Selector chooses silicon, schottky, or asymmetrical LED clipping. The fuzz half uses Cusack Music's LED fuzz circuit. The Germanium edition swaps in germanium overdrive clipping, and the Selenium edition clipped the signal with vintage selenium rectifier plates.
Sources (14)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-06-24
- Screamer Fuzz V2 Overdrive and Fuzz Pedal, Cusack Music
- Screamer Fuzz V3 Overdrive and Fuzz Pedal, Cusack Music
- Stomp on This! 28 Stompboxes Reviewed, Premier Guitar, 2008-10-15
- Cusack Screamer & Screamer Fuzz, Guitar World, 2008-03-27
- Screamer Fuzz Bass Overdrive and Fuzz, Cusack Music
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2021-08-23
- Screamer Fuzz Germanium Overdrive and Fuzz, Cusack Music
- Cusack Screamer Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2019-01-26
- Quick Hit: Cusack Screamer V2 Review, Premier Guitar, 2016-11-29
- Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz V3 Fuzzdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2022-10-08
- OCTOVERDRIVE™, Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- Screamer Fuzz Selenium, Limited Run of 20, Cusack Music (cusackmusic.com)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2022-07-11
