The Dr Green The Hairy Tongue is a vintage-style fuzz pedal, a classic two-knob design built around a set of silicon transistors. It comes from Dr Green, a line of stompboxes from British amp maker Hayden, whose pedals are hand-built in the UK with what MusicRadar's reviewer called extremely robust steel construction1. Ashdown Engineering, which lists the pedal, calls it "an outrageously dynamic fuzz pedal"2.
The controls
The Hairy Tongue keeps to the traditional fuzz format of two knobs, Volume and Fuzz. MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen found that with the volume knob up, minimum fuzz brings in a nice dirty boost, and advancing the fuzz knob gradually brings in thick, fat fuzz1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets output level; with volume up, minimum fuzz works as a dirty boost1 |
| Fuzz | Advances from dirty boost into thick, fat fuzz1 |
The jacks sit input left and output right, which Curwen noted is out of kilter with most current pedal designs, worth bearing in mind when planning a board layout1.
Sound and character
Ashdown describes the pedal as "an outrageously dynamic fuzz pedal"2, and Premier Guitar's press release on the Dr Green line said the Hairy Tongue is "an outrageously dynamic pedal filled with thick, lush fuzz tones", ranging from lightly boosted through to huge fat fuzz full of rich harmonics3. Curwen's verdict on the voicing:
"thick, fat fuzzy goodness with a natural voicing not unlike a good Fuzz Face"
In other words, players looking at other two-transistor style fuzzes in the Fuzz Pedals category will find a familiar response here, in a traditional British fuzz box as Curwen put it1.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's review came down in favor of the pedal's simplicity and build: Curwen summed it up as "A traditional Brit fuzz box. Nice.", praising the solid build, simple layout and nicely voiced fuzz1. The one reservation was flexibility: "A tone knob could have added more versatility"1. With only Volume and Fuzz on offer, shaping the pedal's character means working the guitar's volume and tone controls and the fuzz knob itself.
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Questions
Is the Dr Green Hairy Tongue similar to a Fuzz Face?
MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen described the Hairy Tongue as having thick, fat fuzzy goodness with a natural voicing not unlike a good Fuzz Face. It is a traditional British fuzz box in a classic two-knob design, so players familiar with that style of circuit will find the layout and response familiar, though it is built around a set of silicon transistors.
Does the Hairy Tongue have a tone knob?
No. The Hairy Tongue is a two-knob design with just Volume and Fuzz controls. MusicRadar's reviewer noted that a tone knob could have added more versatility, but the pedal keeps to the traditional two-control fuzz format.
Where is the Dr Green Hairy Tongue made?
Dr Green pedals are hand-built in the UK, according to MusicRadar's review, which also notes their extremely robust steel construction.
Does the Hairy Tongue use silicon or germanium transistors?
The Hairy Tongue uses silicon transistors. MusicRadar described it as a classic two-knob design based around a set of silicon transistors.
Sources (3)
- Dr Green The Hairy Tongue review, MusicRadar, 2013-03-20
- Hairy Tongue, Ashdown Engineering
- Hayden introduces New Dr. Green Guitar FX Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2013-01-18