The Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz Selenium is an overdrive and fuzz pedal built around a vintage selenium rectifier1. It combines that selenium rectifier overdrive circuit with the LED fuzz circuit of the Screamer Fuzz V3, in a run of only 20 sellable pedals that sold out immediately12. The pedal is discontinued, and because the rectifiers came from a finite vintage stock, it is not a run that can simply be repeated1.
Guitar Pedal X describes the format as a combination of TS808 and Fuzz Face styles in one box, and Cusack Music says it was the first company to use selenium diodes to process audio34.
Selenium overdrive and LED fuzz in one box
The pedal pairs two circuits. The overdrive side runs the signal through the vintage selenium rectifier; the fuzz side is the LED fuzz circuit from the Screamer Fuzz V312.
Cusack Music describes the overdrive as behaving differently at different settings. At low levels it fattens the signal with warm tube-like compression without limiting dynamics, which the maker likens to a parallel compressor with a low mid-range EQ shift. At higher drive settings it describes a zippery, smooth, fat overdrive, with the blended LED fuzz sitting distinct and three-dimensional alongside it1.
"At low levels, it fattens up the signal adding warm tube-like compression yet, it doesn't limit your dynamics."
The controls
The pedal carries four controls, reported by Delicious Audio2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fuzz | Sets the amount of LED fuzz blended in |
| Drive | Sets the amount of selenium rectifier overdrive |
| Tone | Shapes the frequency balance |
| Volume | Sets the output level |
The knobs are custom milled aluminum parts, the same as those used on the Cusack Music Germanium Fuzz1. Delicious Audio also lists soft switching among the pedal's features2.
The vintage selenium rectifier
The core of the pedal is the rectifier itself. Cusack Music owner Jon Cusack sourced the parts while working on a repair for a vintage amplifier, then bought the supplier's remaining inventory of 26 pieces and kept them for over 20 years before building this project1.
The component is large. Cusack Music describes it as a massive part, riveted to the side of the enclosure for stability and support1. Each pedal is signed inside by Jon Cusack1.
How the rectifier shapes the sound, in the maker's own description: the signal runs through a series of plates coated in the element selenium, each plate functioning as a diode that clips a portion of the waveform, so dynamics are retained1. Guitar Pedal X calls it a super rare 1960s selenium rectifier delivering a totally unique tone and timbre3.
Cusack Music has looked for a modern component that could deliver the sound of these particular vintage rectifiers and reports finding nothing like them, so the circuit is not something the company can currently reissue1.
How it differs from the Screamer Fuzz V3
The layout and signal path are identical to the Screamer Fuzz V3, but as Cusack Music puts it, that is where the similarities end1. The V3 is a production pedal; the Selenium is a 20-unit run built around a part that no longer exists in quantity13.
The Screamer Fuzz line has appeared in several versions over the years, per Cusack Music's own pages: the Screamer Fuzz V2, a Screamer Fuzz Germanium, a Screamer Fuzz Bass, the Selenium, and the Scruzz6. The V3 itself carries all the tone of the V2 with the addition of a low-pass tone control6. Pedal of the Day's review of the V3 Fuzzdrive found it a very versatile pedal, with a really cool combination of sounds from mixing the two sides, and noted that with the Screamer control all the way down it works as a gnarly fuzz pedal on its own7.
The Selenium's enclosure also sets it apart. Each one received a custom 1930s-era Duco frost finish from Steve Olsen in Lansing, Michigan, similar to the finish used on a National resonator guitar. The finish crystallizes as it dries, so each pedal is unique12. Cusack Music says the finish was so time-intensive and toxic that it will not be used on any other pedal in the future1.
A run of 20 pedals
The numbers behind the run, from Cusack Music1:
- 26 parts and enclosures at the start
- A few enclosures did not turn out, and a number of the rectifiers did not meet spec
- 20 sellable pedals remained, all released to the public
Guitar Pedal X adds that the 20 pedals were released as individual colourway editions, including a vintage pink and coral colourway, priced at $375 for the first batch3. The run sold out immediately5.
Cusack Music made a very small run of 20 Screamer Fuzz Selenium pedals, which sold out immediately89.
Videos
Delicious Audio
Questions
How many Cusack Screamer Fuzz Selenium pedals were made?
Cusack Music began with 26 parts and enclosures, but a few enclosures failed and a number of the rectifiers did not meet spec, leaving 20 sellable pedals. All 20 were made available to the public and the run sold out immediately.
Is the Cusack Screamer Fuzz Selenium still available?
No. The pedal is listed as discontinued and sold out. Cusack Music has said it hopes to source a modern component that can deliver the sound of these particular vintage selenium rectifiers, but has found nothing like them so far.
How is the Selenium different from the Screamer Fuzz V3?
The layout and signal path are identical to the Screamer Fuzz V3, but the Selenium swaps in a vintage selenium rectifier overdrive circuit alongside the V3's LED fuzz circuit. It also has a custom Duco frost finish, custom milled knobs, and a run of only 20 units.
Does the Screamer Fuzz Selenium use true bypass or soft switching?
Delicious Audio's write-up lists soft switching among the pedal's features, along with the custom limited edition finish and custom milled Cusack knobs. The maker does not describe the switching as true bypass.
What is a selenium rectifier and why does it matter in a pedal?
It is a series of plates coated in the element selenium, each functioning as a diode. In this pedal the signal runs through the plates, which clip a portion of the waveform while retaining dynamics. Cusack Music says it was the first company to use selenium diodes to process audio.
Sources (9)
- Screamer Fuzz Selenium, Limited Run of 20, Cusack Music (cusackmusic.com)
- Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz Selenium, Delicious Audio, 2022-06-03
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2022-07-11
- OCTOVERDRIVE™, Godlyke Distributing, Inc.
- Project 34 Selenium Preamp and Drive Pedal, Cusack Music
- Screamer Fuzz V3 Overdrive and Fuzz Pedal, Cusack Music
- Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz V3 Fuzzdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2022-10-08
- Project 34 Pre/Drive, B-Stock Discount, Cusack Music, 2021
- Project 34, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2021
