The Drunk Beaver Bucha Square Wave is a fuzz pedal released as a limited run of 40 units, with no demos made. Drunk Beaver described it as a rapid prototyping project, with the 40 units going up for sale at 18:00 CET1.
Sound and circuit
Guitar Pedal X describes the pedal as "quite an aggressive fuzz with an interesting circuit that combines JFET with Silicon transistors"1. Where the original Univox design used germanium diodes, Vitalii Bobrov instead used germanium transistors for clipping, specifically NOS Polish ASY33S transistors1.
"The Bucha Square Wave is based on Univox Square Wave Fuzz."
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Balance | Output level |
| Voice | Tone control, renamed from the original's Distortion control |
| Fuzz | Fuzz amount |
Bobrov explained the renaming: "I renamed the control that was called 'Distortion' in the original - to Voice, as it's a tone stack essentially"1.
Availability
The Bucha Square Wave was a rapid prototyping project, so no demos were made ahead of release. The 40 units went up for sale at 18:00 CET as the announcement article went live1.
This was a limited run of 40 units. As with other Drunk Beaver pedal drops such as the Ivano-Frankivsk Fuzz and the Huliaipole Anarchy Fuzz, the run is likely to have sold out after launch1.
Questions
What is the Drunk Beaver Bucha Square Wave based on?
The Bucha Square Wave is based on the Univox Square Wave Fuzz, the same-named vintage fuzz associated with Kurt Cobain. Drunk Beaver designer Vitalii Bobrov made his own modifications to the circuit, including using germanium transistors for clipping where the original did not, and renaming the original's Distortion control to Voice.
How many Bucha Square Wave pedals were made?
The Bucha Square Wave was released as Drunk Beaver's 29th pedal drop, a limited run of 40 units. They went up for sale at 18:00 CET on the day the announcement article was published, on 25 May 2025, from the Drunk Beaver Rocks webstore.
Who designed the Drunk Beaver Bucha Square Wave?
The pedal was designed by Vitalii Bobrov, the builder behind Drunk Beaver. According to Guitar Pedal X, Bobrov made his own modifications to the Univox Square Wave Fuzz circuit, including the germanium transistor clipping stage and the renamed Voice control.
What does the Voice control do on the Bucha Square Wave?
Voice is a tone control. Bobrov renamed it from the Distortion control on the original Univox Square Wave Fuzz, explaining that it is essentially a tone stack. The pedal's other controls are Balance and Fuzz.
What transistors does the Bucha Square Wave use for clipping?
Instead of germanium diodes, the Bucha Square Wave uses germanium transistors for clipping, specifically NOS Polish ASY33S transistors. These work alongside the circuit's JFET and silicon transistors.
How much did the Bucha Square Wave cost at launch?
The Bucha Square Wave was priced at $150 at launch and was available from the Drunk Beaver Rocks webstore as a limited run of 40 units.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-05-25
