The FTelettronica Pedals Zero-Sum Game is a 2-in-1 fuzz and filter effect in a single pedal, combining two effect types players usually buy separately: a fuzz for saturated, harmonically rich distortion and a filter for envelope-style sweeps. Pedal of the Day featured it in August 2019 with a demo video1.
Controls
Each side carries its own set of controls, laid out like this:
| Side | Control | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Fuzz | Knob | Adjusts the fuzzy output1 |
| Fuzz | Toggle switch | Picks between two wave shapes, sine or square1 |
| Filter | Resonance, Frequency, Output knobs | Each has its own knob on the filter side1 |
| Filter | Normal/High toggle | Adjusts your resonance to taste1 |
Running the two sides
The pedal has two footswitches, one for the fuzz and one for the filter, and Pedal of the Day notes that "this 2-footswitch pedal allows you to run each side individually or in tandem"1. In practice that means the Zero-Sum Game can stand in for a fuzz pedal, a filter pedal, or both at once without taking two slots on a board.
Expression pedal control
An expression pedal input lets you control the filter with your foot, leaving both hands on the guitar. The reviewer found this combination especially effective1:
"which sounds especially killer when you add in some fuzz on the backend"
If you already own an expression pedal, it plugs straight in and drives the filter sweep1.
Build
On FTelettronica's pedals generally, Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote that "These pedals from FTelettronica are built like tanks"1.
Videos
FTelettronica Handmade Pedals
Pedal of the Day
FTelettronica Handmade Pedals
Questions
Can the fuzz and filter on the Zero-Sum Game run separately?
Yes. The pedal has two footswitches, one for each side, and Pedal of the Day notes that this lets you run the fuzz and the filter individually or in tandem. That means you can use it as a standalone fuzz, a standalone filter, or stack the two in one enclosure.
Does the Zero-Sum Game have an expression pedal input?
It does. Pedal of the Day reports that you can plug an expression pedal in to control the filter, which opens up hands-free sweeps of the filter while you play. The reviewer found this especially effective with some fuzz added behind the filter.
What waveforms does the Zero-Sum Game fuzz offer?
A toggle switch on the fuzz side lets you pick between two different wave shapes, sine or square. Pedal of the Day describes this as the way to shape the character of the fuzz output.
What does the Normal/High switch do on the Zero-Sum Game?
The Normal/High toggle switch adjusts the filter's resonance to taste, according to Pedal of the Day. It works alongside the filter side's own knobs for Resonance, Frequency and Output.
Sources (1)
- FTelettronica Pedals Zero-Sum Game Fuzz Filter, Pedal of the Day, 2019-08-23