The Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol is a fuzz and vibe workstation: a single pedal that combines three modes of fuzz with a phasing and rotary-style vibe section offering 256 combinations of vibe1. Fjord Fuzz is the Norwegian pedal builder run by designer Daniel Thornhill, and the Midnattssol is his largest and most involved circuit, sitting at the top of a range that also includes the Fjord Fuzz SOL Fuzz-Vibe, the Fjord Fuzz Frøy Resly-Vibe and the Fjord Fuzz Thor2. The maker describes the pedal as a homage to the endless summer nights of the far north: "MIDNATTSSOL is my hômmage to this very concept."1
What it is and how it works
The Midnattssol pairs a three-mode fuzz with a vibe section built around a phasing circuit. Guitar Pedal X's review, by Stefan Karlsson with Daniel Thornhill, describes the topology: the phasing section is based on a standard Small Stone Phaser, with its phase filter caps replaced to produce the Uni-Vibe and Resly-Tone complements, placed between the original Uni-Vibe preamp and mixer. Thornhill explained the approach in his own words12:
"I initially took what is essentially the phasing section on a standard Small Stone Phaser, replaced its phase filter cap..."
The pedal uses OTAs rather than Vactrols. In a later piece on the Frøy Resly-Vibe, Karlsson explained that the last two iterations, the Frei and the Midnattssol, were made with OTAs because the core light-dependent resistors, or Vactrols, contained cadmium sulphide, a banned material3. For a player, this matters less as a spec than as a design constraint: the classic throbbing vibe character usually comes from Vactrols, and Thornhill's circuit reaches for that character through a different component. The same review credits him with solving OTA clipping and cut-out with high-output humbuckers using correct impedance, Sziklai buffers and gain staging2.
Controls
The control layout, as described by Guitar Pedal X, runs clockwise from a large central dial2:
- SPEED: a large central dial varying the speed of the vibe LFO
- CHORUS / VIBRATO footswitch: switches the vibe between chorus and vibrato behavior
- Vibe depth: sets how strongly the vibe section modulates
- EXPRESS: expression control
- Footswitches: CHORUS / VIBRATO, EXPRESSION (LFO / EXTERNAL), FUZZ and VIBE2
The EXPRESSION footswitch and EXPRESS control mean the vibe speed can be handed off to an expression pedal while playing, rather than only set from the panel2.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X reviewed the Midnattssol in June 2025, calling it a black-enclosure Fuzz & Vibe Workstation with three fuzz modes, and describing it as delivering the full flavor of Fjord Fuzz's styling in the most modern and streamlined all-black enclosure2. On the fuzz voices, the reviewer said:
"My favourite here is probably the Fuzz Face as that is the thickest and the one with the most low end."
The review also notes two enclosure editions, a gold enclosure edition and a shiny obsidian monolith edition, with the reviewed unit being the shiny obsidian monolith edition2.
Price and availability
Fjord Fuzz lists the Midnattssol at $399.00 USD on its product page1. Guitar Pedal X's 2025 review gave the price as $399 / €399 / £3992. The maker's page says the pedal usually ships in about 2 to 6 weeks1.
Videos
Fjord Fuzz AS
AndyDemos
Sasha Ivantic
Sources (3)
- MIDNATTSSOL, fjordfuzz.no
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-06-20
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-01-21
