The Dirty Haggard Audio Torsion Fuzz is a fuzz pedal built around a fully original circuit: three gain stages, an onboard noise gate, and tone controls aimed at keeping the sound usable in a full band setting. Delicious Audio's René Cobar described it as "a monstrous general-purpose fuzz with enough tonal options to cut through a dense mix in any style of rock or metal"1.
What it does
The Torsion Fuzz delivers what Delicious Audio called "a heavy and saturated fuzz that can be attenuated by its mighty gate"1. The gate is the distinguishing feature here: rather than a fuzz that washes out into noise between phrases, the Torsion tightens up its own decay, which suits high-gain rock and metal playing where a noisy pedal becomes a problem on a stage or in a mix.
The circuit was, in the maker's intent as reported by Delicious Audio, "Built with three goals in mind: to sound terribly badass, to provide minimal noise/hum/buzz, and to last for decades"1.
Controls
The pedal keeps its control layout focused on tone shaping rather than a long row of knobs:
- Tilt EQ: shifts the balance of the tone across the spectrum
- Mids: adjusts the midrange, the band that decides whether a fuzz sits in a mix or disappears under guitars and drums
Delicious Audio noted that "The Tilt EQ and Mids knobs allow for even more sound control and give this edgy stompbox a sophisticated tinge"1. That midrange control is what separates the Torsion from one-note fuzzes: between the tilt control and the mids knob, a player can dial the pedal toward a scooped metal voice or push the mids so it cuts through a dense band.
Where it sits in Dirty Haggard's range
The Torsion Fuzz is one of several fuzzes from the maker. The Dirty Haggard Audio Fiddy for an Ounce Fuzz is a much simpler take, a one-knob two-stage silicon fuzz, while the Dirty Haggard Audio DH-2 Death Fuzz covers the heavier end of the maker's fuzz output. The Torsion is the option aimed at players who want a fuzz with enough tone shaping to behave like a main distortion voice; for more on the category, see Fuzz Pedals.
Videos
Dirty Haggard Audio
AndyDemos
60 Cycle Hum
Sources (1)
- Dirty Haggard Audio Torsion Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2021-04-09
