The Death By Audio Bass War is an octave fuzz pedal built for bass, released in September 2024 as a sibling to the company's long-running Fuzz War. Death By Audio describes it as "a wicked, harmonically rich octave fuzz" with "extraordinary levels of gain, a massive tone sweep, and" a MIX control that blends your clean signal back in12. For a bassist, that clean blend is the headline feature: fuzz circuits tend to swallow low frequencies, and the MIX knob lets you keep the attack and fundamental of your notes underneath the fuzz.
The pedal came out of a direct question, in the maker's own words: "The Bass War began with the idea that we could make a version of the Fuzz War that was even more perfect for bass"1. Bass Musician Magazine announced it on 10 September 2024 as "A sibling to the renowned and best-selling Fuzz War," available at deathbyaudio.com and authorized dealers worldwide3.
Controls and what they do
The Bass War has four knobs, and two of them are deliberately oversized and mounted outboard so you can reach them with your foot. Premier Guitar's reviewer called attention to "the oversized outboard tone and fuzz controls, which can be swept with your toe to achieve wild filter effects"4, which turns the TONE knob into something you can play like a filter effect mid-phrase.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FUZZ | Controls the gain of the fuzz from +16 to +64 dB, from raunchy drive through smooth fuzz to overloaded insanity1 |
| TONE | Sweeps a deep notch filter tuned across 98 Hz to 3.3 kHz, radically reshaping the fuzz sound1 |
| MIX | Blends between your clean sound and the fuzz, keeping notes articulate, balanced, and bassy1 |
| VOLUME | Controls the overall output level from -inf to +27 dB; 10 o'clock is close to unity volume1 |
The gain range is worth pausing on. With the FUZZ knob rolled back the pedal sits in drive territory, and Bass Musician Magazine described the spread in practical terms: "Roll back the FUZZ knob for a grinding drive, crank it to noon for a thick distortion, or push it to the max for a blistering wall of fuzz"3. That means one knob covers ground that would normally sit across separate overdrive and distortion pedals.
The TONE control is not a simple treble roll-off. It is a notch filter, so as you sweep it you are carving out a moving dip in the frequency response rather than tilting the whole spectrum. With a range starting at 98 Hz, the low end of the sweep sits right around a bass's open G string, so the filter can gut or reshape the fundamental itself15.
How it differs from the Fuzz War
The Fuzz War is Death By Audio's flagship fuzz, listing at $180.00 against the Bass War's $195.0015. Both run on the same 9 VDC, 2.1mm negative center barrel supply15. The differences that matter to a bassist:
- MIX knob: the Bass War has one; the Fuzz War does not list a clean blend15.
- TONE circuit: the Fuzz War uses an active multi-curve Tone control that shifts timbre "from super deep bass sludge to screaming highs"5; the Bass War's TONE is specified as a notch filter sweeping 98 Hz to 3.3 kHz1.
- FUZZ range: the Bass War's fuzz gain is stated as +16 to +64 dB1; the Fuzz War's FUZZ knob is described more generally, sweeping "from a booster to an overdrive to a thick distortion to a full on blown out war of fuzz"5.
Premier Guitar's reviewer compared the two directly and came down on the bass version's side for brightness and level: "I'm pretty sure it's louder than the Fuzz War (holy #@*!)", and when running the two side by side, the Fuzz War "sounded positively muddy by comparison"4.
From the Supa Tone Bender to the Fuzz War to the Bass War
The circuit has a traceable lineage. Premier Guitar traced the original Fuzz War's "sonic point of departure" to "the Supa Tone Bender, a Colorsound-branded Big Muff design"6, and the Bass War review describes the Fuzz War as "a creatively twisted derivative of the Colorsound Supa Tone Bender"4. An independent technical analysis of the Fuzz War circuit published on Guitar FX Layouts reached the same conclusion from the board itself, finding the Fuzz War to be the Supa ToneBender circuit with a few component differences and also a modified violet ram's head, a variant of the Big Muff7.
So the family tree runs: Colorsound Supa Tone Bender, itself a Big Muff derivative, then the Fuzz War as Death By Audio's reworking of it, then the Bass War as the bass-adapted version with the clean blend and notch filter. In a Stompbox Book interview, Oliver Ackermann of Death By Audio described the Fuzz War as "a really thick, sustain, distortion pedal," and the book calls it "one of the more aggressive, abrasive, and gnarly fuzz pedals known to man"8.
Power, size, and enclosure
Power is standard pedalboard fare: 9 VDC through a 2.1mm negative center barrel, drawing 33 mA1. That is light enough to run comfortably off most multi-output power bricks, and the center-negative polarity matches the common standard.
The enclosure is large by compact-pedal standards: 5.9" x 4.73" x 2.24" including hardware, at 15.5 oz.1. Death By Audio houses it in what it calls a "DBA punk-style raw enclosure with spray-painted graphics"1, consistent with the maker's hand-finished look across its range.
What reviewers said
Published coverage of the Bass War has focused on its build and availability rather than detailed sound assessment. The maker's own product page describes the pedal's construction, giving its dimensions as 5.9" x 4.73" x 2.24" including hardware and its weight as 15.5 oz., housed in a DBA punk-style raw enclosure with spray-painted graphics1. The pedal is now available at deathbyaudio.com and authorized dealers worldwide3.
Videos
Death By Audio
Pedal of the Day and Death By Audio
The Bass Channel
Questions
What is the difference between the Bass War and the Fuzz War?
The Bass War is a version of the Fuzz War adapted for bass. It adds a MIX knob that blends your clean signal back in so low notes stay articulate, and its TONE control sweeps a deep notch filter from 98 Hz to 3.3 kHz. Premier Guitar's reviewer found it louder and brighter than the Fuzz War, which sounded muddy by comparison.
What does the MIX knob do on the Bass War?
It blends between your clean sound and the fuzz. Death By Audio says blending in clean tone helps your notes stay articulate, balanced, and bassy against the huge sound of the fuzz circuitry, which is the classic fix for fuzz swallowing a bass's low end.
What power supply does the Death By Audio Bass War need?
A standard 9 VDC power supply with a 2.1mm negative center barrel. Current draw is 33 mA, so it is easy on a typical pedalboard power brick. The maker does not list a battery option.
How big is the Death By Audio Bass War?
It measures 5.9 by 4.73 by 2.24 inches including hardware and weighs 15.5 oz. That is a fairly large enclosure, and the oversized tone and fuzz knobs sit outboard where you can reach them with your toe.
How much does the Bass War cost?
The list price is $195.00 on Death By Audio's product page as of October 2026. The guitar-oriented Fuzz War lists at $180.00, so the bass version carries a $15 premium.
Can the Bass War tone and fuzz knobs be swept with your foot?
Yes. Premier Guitar's reviewer noted the oversized outboard tone and fuzz controls can be swept with your toe to achieve wild filter effects, so you can use your foot like an expression source while playing.
Sources (8)
- BASS WAR, Death By Audio
- Death By Audio Bass War Fuzz Distortion, Pedal of the Day, 2024-09-10
- Gear News: Bass War, A Revolutionary Fuzz Pedal for Bassists, Bass Musician Magazine, 2024-09-10
- Death By Audio Bass War Review, Premier Guitar, 2024-11-11
- FUZZ WAR, Death By Audio
- Death by Audio Thee Ffuzz Warr Overload Review, Premier Guitar, 2013-09-05
- Guitar FX Layouts: Colorsound Supa ToneBender, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2016-02-13
- Death by Audio, Stompbox Book, 2019-12-20
