The Fredric Effects Petite Super Unpleasant Companion is a fuzz pedal that combines two vintage Shin-Ei fuzz circuits in one small box: the FY-2 Companion Fuzz and the FY-6 Superfuzz. Fredric Effects describes the circuit as a faithful reproduction of both pedals, and a push-button switch chooses between them1. It is part of a family of Unpleasant Companion pedals that also includes the Deeply Unpleasant Companion, a bass-oriented take on the FY-21.
Controls and footswitches
Each circuit has its own control set, and three footswitches handle mode, voicing and octave1:
| Control | Circuit | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Fuzztone, Volume | FY-2 mode | Fuzz amount and output level1 |
| Gain/Sustain, Volume | FY-6 mode | Fuzz amount and output level1 |
| Push-button switch | Both | Chooses either the FY-2 or FY-6 circuit1 |
| Tone footswitch | Both | Selects either a flatter or more scooped EQ, active in either mode1 |
| Octave button | Both | Listed by the maker among the pedal's footswitches1 |
Size and layout
The Petite is the compact version of the design. It sits in a custom enclosure which is smaller than the Classic Super Unpleasant Companion. It features top-mounted jacks and has the controls on the front face, a layout that keeps the pedal's footprint narrow on a board1.
Where it came from
The Petite supersedes the Nouveau Super Unpleasant Companion, which Fredric Effects built for almost a decade. The maker describes the Nouveau as "very successful"1.
About the Shin-Ei originals
The FY-2 Companion Fuzz is a vintage fuzz design that independent builders still work with. On the Guitar FX Layouts technical blog, builder Purple Cat reported that replacing the FY-2's 390 ohm resistor with a 1k makes the output volume much more manageable, writing: "i put a 1k in place of the 390ohm resistor and the output volume is MUCH more manageable now."2 The FY-2 is classified as a fuzz circuit2, and Tonebox has a dedicated page on the Shin-Ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz.
For other fuzzes from the same maker, see the Standard Fuzz Machine, based on the Ibanez Standard Fuzz, and the DuoFace, a dual silicon and germanium Fuzz Face-style design. More circuits of this kind are collected on the Fuzz Pedals page.
Videos
Pedal Experiments
Questions
Which Shin-Ei circuits does the Petite Super Unpleasant Companion combine?
It combines the Shin-Ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz and the FY-6 Superfuzz in one enclosure. Fredric Effects describes the circuit as a faithful reproduction of both pedals, and a push-button switch chooses between the two circuits.
What does the tone footswitch do on the Petite Super Unpleasant Companion?
The tone footswitch is active in either FY-2 or FY-6 mode and selects either a flatter or a more scooped EQ, giving two voicing options for whichever circuit is engaged.
How does the Petite differ from the Nouveau Super Unpleasant Companion?
The Petite is a smaller version of the same idea. It sits in a custom enclosure smaller than the Classic Super Unpleasant Companion, with top-mounted jacks and the controls on the front face, and it supersedes the Nouveau Super Unpleasant Companion, which Fredric Effects built for almost a decade.
How big is the Fredric Effects Petite Super Unpleasant Companion?
Fredric Effects lists the dimensions as 110 mm long by 80 mm wide by 40 mm high.
What does the octave button do?
The maker's product page lists an octave button among the pedal's footswitches, alongside the push-button circuit selector and the tone footswitch. The page does not describe its function in detail.
Sources (2)
- Petite Super Unpleasant Companion, Fredric Effects
- Guitar FX Layouts: Shin-Ei FY-2 Companion Fuzz with mods, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2024-01-10
