The Expresso FX Germanium CV7005 Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Expresso FX, a maker known for germanium and silicon fuzz designs. It was reviewed by Guitar Pedal X in June 2024 as one half of a matched pair, sold together with the maker's Silicon BC183 Fuzz for $325 for the pair, with the silicon version priced at $315 on its own1.
What it does
The pedal is a germanium fuzz, meaning it uses germanium transistors for its clipping, the stage that turns a clean guitar signal into a fuzzy, compressed one. Germanium circuits are typically run at a lower gain than silicon and respond strongly to the guitar's volume control, which is why a Bias control is common on them: it adjusts the transistor's operating point and changes how the fuzz breaks up.
The controls are simple and shared across both pedals in the pair: Volume, Fuzz and Bias1. Volume sets the output level, Fuzz sets the amount of distortion, and Bias shapes the character of the fuzz, from thinner and spittier to thicker and more sustained.
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing the pair, described both pedals as "each very much at the top of its game"1.
How it compares
Expresso FX builds a range of fuzzes around different transistor types and circuits, including the Germanium Fuzz "Mini", the Silicon Fuzz, the Custom Ge/Si Fuzz and the Fuzz Bender MkII. The CV7005 Fuzz stands apart in using NOS CV7005 germanium transistors, a specification the maker's product pages for related designs do not share.
A similar NOS CV7005 build appears in the Pedal Pawn NOS CV7005 Fuzz (LTD Edition), which Pedal Pawn describes as a "Thick, textured germanium fuzz with humungous FAT tone"2. The two are separate products from different makers built around the same transistor type.
Videos
NUNU:A
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-06-24
- NOS CV7005 Fuzz (LTD Edition), Pedal Pawn
