The Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz V3 Fuzzdrive is an overdrive and fuzz pedal in one box. It carries the tone of the earlier Screamer Fuzz V2 forward and adds a low-pass tone control that the V2 did not have1. The idea behind the pedal is simple: instead of choosing between the two effects or stacking two boxes, a player gets both circuits under one set of knobs and can blend between them.
Premier Guitar's reviewers framed the problem the pedal solves: guitarists often want fuzz and distortion together, and the Cusack Screamer Fuzz "attempts to alleviate this problem by combining both effects in one compact package"2. Pedal of the Day found the blend to be the pedal's strength, calling it "a very versatile pedal" with "a really cool combination of sounds by mixing various amounts of each"3.
Overdrive and fuzz in one pedal
The Screamer Fuzz V3 is built around Cusack's Screamer overdrive circuit. Cusack Music describes the Screamer as a "clean" overdrive with about twice the gain of a typical Tube Screamer, offering more clarity than a typical overdrive5. The fuzz side is layered on top of that, and the two can be set against each other at any balance.
How the two halves interact is the heart of the pedal:
- Fuzz all the way down: Cusack says it is "like a screamer with the tone at noon," a straight overdrive1.
- Screamer all the way down: Pedal of the Day describes it as "a gnarly fuzz pedal"3.
- Anywhere in between: the Drive and Fuzz knobs set how much of each effect is in the signal, and Pedal of the Day found lots of "amp-driving tones" available from mixing the two3.
The pedal sits in a wider family of Cusack overdrive and fuzz designs. Cusack Music's product page lists the Screamer Fuzz V2 as an overdrive and fuzz pedal, and the V3 carries all of that pedal's tone with a low-pass tone control added1. The line grew out of Cusack's overdrive pedals: the Screamer V2 and Screamer V3 are straight overdrives562, and the Screamer Fuzz V2 combined fuzz and distortion in one compact package562. The Screamer Fuzz V3 Fuzzdrive combines elements of overdrive and fuzz in one pedal3.
The controls
The V3 keeps the control set of the V2 and adds the tone control. The V2 had Scream (gain) and Level (volume) knobs plus a three-way clipping toggle4. The V3 renames Scream as Drive and adds the low-pass tone control1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Adjusts the gain of the Screamer overdrive section1 |
| Fuzz | Adjusts the amount of fuzz1 |
| Level | Sets the output volume1 |
| Tone | Low-pass tone control, new to the V31 |
| Clip toggle | Selects silicon (Si), schottky (SBD), or asymmetrical LED clipping on the Screamer half of the pedal1 |
The Clip Selector is the control that most changes the overdrive's character. Silicon, schottky, and asymmetrical LED clipping each shape the waveform differently, so the same Drive setting yields three distinct overdrive voices. The V2 offered the same three options on its toggle: silicon on the left, asymmetrical LED in the center, and schottky on the right4.
The Screamer Fuzz V2 is discontinued. The V3 is the current version, and its low-pass tone control is the main difference: the V2 had no tone knob of its own14.
Videos
Cusack Music
Mike Hermans
Texas Blues Alley
Questions
What is the difference between the Screamer Fuzz V3 and the V2?
The V3 includes all of the tone of the Screamer Fuzz V2 and adds a low-pass tone control, which the V2 lacked. The V2 is now discontinued, while the V3 is the current version of the pedal in Cusack Music's lineup.
What clipping options does the Screamer Fuzz V3 have?
A Clip toggle switch on the Screamer (overdrive) half of the pedal selects between silicon (Si), schottky (SBD), or asymmetrical LED clipping. Each diode type shapes the overdrive's character differently, giving three distinct voices from one control.
Can the Cusack Screamer Fuzz V3 be used as just an overdrive?
Yes. With the Fuzz control all the way down, Cusack Music says the pedal behaves like a Screamer overdrive with the tone set at noon. The Drive knob then adjusts the gain of the Screamer overdrive section on its own.
Is the Cusack Screamer Fuzz V2 discontinued?
Yes. Cusack Music lists the Screamer Fuzz V2 as discontinued. The Screamer Fuzz V3 carries the same tone forward and adds a low-pass tone control.
What is the Cusack Screamer Fuzz Selenium?
The Screamer Fuzz Selenium was a limited version of the Screamer Fuzz built around vintage selenium rectifiers over 60 years old, released in 2022. Only 20 units were made available for sale.
Sources (6)
- Screamer Fuzz V3 Overdrive and Fuzz Pedal, Cusack Music
- Stomp on This! 28 Stompboxes Reviewed, Premier Guitar, 2008-10-15
- Cusack Music Screamer Fuzz V3 Fuzzdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2022-10-08
- Screamer Fuzz V2 Overdrive and Fuzz Pedal, Cusack Music
- Screamer V3 Tube Style Overdrive Pedal, Cusack Music
- Screamer V2 Tube Style Overdrive Pedal, Cusack Music
