The Daredevil Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz is a silicon fuzz pedal built to mark ten years of Daredevil Pedals. Daredevil describes it as having a slightly gated fuzz tone that is big and aggressive, cuts through, sustains into feedback, and can grind. It is hand built in Chicago, hand wired inside with individually tested silicon transistors and unique asymmetrical clipping, and it lists at $195.00 on the maker's product page1.
Why it exists: Daredevil's tenth anniversary
Daredevil calls the Ten Tone "an ode to vintage pedals from the 60's, boasting both the style and simplicity of operation." The project was originally intended to be released in 2022, but the maker says it took over a year to finally be put into production because of the process of building the original design wedge enclosures. "So here we are in 2023, finally loaded up and ready to go," the product page reads1.
Delicious Audio, covering the release in June 2023, framed it the same way: "Chicago's Daredevil is celebrating a decade of existence with the Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz," and noted that "it's voiced after the vintage fuzz pedals of the '60s, delivering a range of tones going from crunchy to huge"2.
Daredevil's Johnny Wator explained the intent behind the design:
"The goal was to create my ultimate favorite fuzz. An overwhelming and lengthy undertaking, but well worth the effort."
Controls and how it works
The Ten Tone keeps operation to a minimum. There is one control on the pedal1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the output level; the only knob on the pedal |
Daredevil is explicit that there is no fuzz or tone control to tweak: "A single volume knob is all you get. The crunchy wall of fuzz is dialed in on each unit, biased according to a 9V DC supply." In other words, the fuzz character is set per unit at the factory, and the player's job is to plug in and adjust level1.
Because each unit's fuzz tone is biased according to a 9V DC supply, the power you feed it matters. Daredevil recommends a high quality isolated power source and warns that any individual wall plug or cheap power adaptor may cause noise or damage1.
Power and switching
The pedal is designed to run on a 9V battery or a DC power source, with a negative pin (ground) connection drawing 100mA minimum. Switching is true bypass1.
The 100mA minimum current draw means this pedal needs its own adequate power supply output. A daisy chain or a low-current output may not be sufficient, and Daredevil specifically advises against cheap adaptors, which it says may cause noise or damage1.
Enclosure and build
The aluminum enclosure was custom built by Hammond mfg exclusively for Daredevil, in the wedge shape the maker uses. Everything is hand built in Chicago, and the circuit inside is hand wired with individually tested silicon transistors1.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's coverage by Paolo De Gregorio and Johnny Wator describes the pedal as voiced after the vintage fuzz pedals of the '60s, delivering a range of tones going from crunchy to huge, and lists a 2-year warranty, true bypass, and battery or 9VDC power among its practical points2.
Daredevil's other fuzzes
The Ten Tone sits in a fuzz-heavy lineup from the Chicago maker. Other Daredevil fuzz pedals covered on this site include the Northern Creeper Wedge Fuzz, the Real Cool Fuzz and its Ron Asheton signature version, the Almighty Bass bass fuzz, the DAISHO octave fuzz, and the Cry Baby Fuzz Wah made with Dunlop2.
Videos
Daredevil Pedals
Reverb
No Frills No Skills Guitar
Questions
Where is the Daredevil Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz made?
Daredevil builds the Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz by hand in Chicago. The circuit is hand wired inside, with individually tested silicon transistors, and the custom aluminum wedge enclosure was built by Hammond mfg exclusively for Daredevil.
Does the Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz have a tone or fuzz knob?
No. A single volume knob is all you get. Daredevil says the crunchy wall of fuzz is dialed in on each unit, biased according to a 9V DC supply, so the fuzz character is set at the factory rather than adjusted by the player.
Is the Daredevil Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. The pedal has true bypass switching, and Delicious Audio's coverage also lists true bypass alongside its 2-year warranty and its battery or 9VDC power options.
Is the Daredevil Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz a limited edition?
It is an anniversary edition, made to celebrate Daredevil's decade of existence. The pedal was originally intended for release in 2022 but took over a year to reach production because of the process of building the original design wedge enclosures, arriving in 2023.
Does the Daredevil Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz have a warranty?
Yes. Delicious Audio's product coverage lists a 2-year warranty for the Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz, along with true bypass switching and its battery or 9VDC power options.
Sources (2)
- Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz, Daredevil Pedals
- New Pedal: Daredevil Ten Tone Anniversary Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-06-01
