The Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace is a gated fuzz pedal with a twist: a short-timed delay you trigger by holding a momentary footswitch. Fuzzrocious describes it as "an original gated fuzz touting a big, open sound free of tone tampering," and the delay side can push the repeats from a single echo into swirling oscillation1. The pedal came out of a collaboration between Fuzzrocious and Lehigh Mining & Navigation, and was released in June 20172.
A gated fuzz cuts the signal when it drops below a threshold, so instead of a smooth sustain tail you get an abrupt, sputtering cutoff. Premier Guitar's reviewer put the appeal plainly:
"For fans of these gated fuzzes (yeah, I'm one) an abrasive kronk followed by a failing fzzzt is a fine expressive tool."3
The Blast Furnace adds the momentary delay on top of that. Hold the left footswitch and repeats stack on the fuzz; lift your foot and they vanish1. Gearnews found that with the repeats control turned up, the delay "can almost get it to take off and sound like it's" about to explode, with oscillating repeats that add girth to the fuzz tone4.
The controls and footswitches
The front panel is sparse: two knobs, two footswitches and one toggle2. The knobs are marked only "V" and "R", which Gearnews identifies as volume and repeats4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| V knob | Volume for the pedal4 |
| R knob | Repeats for the delay, from one repeat up to oscillation24 |
| Right footswitch | Turns the fuzz on and off2 |
| Left footswitch | Momentary switch that triggers the delay while held; releasing it removes the delay21 |
| Toggle | Switches to a heavy, semi-mid scooped sound that Fuzzrocious says excels with chords and chugs1 |
Two trim pots inside the enclosure handle the rest. One adjusts the tone, and the other adjusts the delay time. As Delicious Audio put it, "There is also a trimpot to adjust the delay time if you don't like where we set it"2. Neither is reachable from the outside, so the delay time and the base tone are set-and-forget adjustments rather than performance controls.
The momentary left footswitch is the pedal's defining feature. Because the delay only exists while your foot is down, you can drop repeats into a phrase for exactly as long as you want them and then have them disappear instantly. Gearnews' writer liked this design: "I really like this feature, as it gives you some interesting options. I love a nice gated fuzz, so this pedal ticks a few boxes"4.
The delay and the Anomalies connection
The fuzz and delay circuits live on separate boards inside the pedal, and the delay board is the same one Fuzzrocious uses in its Anomalies delay, built around a PT2399 chip3. The PT2399 is a common delay chip in compact pedals, and here it provides the short delay times the momentary switch is designed around.
The delay is not locked to the fuzz. Fuzzrocious says "the delay can be used without the fuzz! Pair the delay with your clean tone or other pedals to expand their sound too"1, and Delicious Audio confirms the same2. With the fuzz bypassed, the pedal works as a hold-for-repeats delay you can stack with the rest of your board.
Versions, pricing and availability
The Blast Furnace launched with a staggered release: it went on sale exclusively through Chicago Music Exchange in the US, then worldwide through all Fuzzrocious dealers on June 18, 20171. UK players could order direct from the Fuzzrocious webstore4.
The pedal came in two finishes with identical circuits4:
- Hand-painted: $200 USD plus shipping and taxes, reported sold out at launch4
- Screen-printed: $180 USD plus shipping and taxes4
The press-release list price was $180 USD as of May 20171. By November 2018, Guitar.com listed the UK price at £2295. Premier Guitar's review unit wore its graphics as decals, and Fuzzrocious also sells hand-painted versions3. The enclosure is a standard B-sized box decorated with, in the reviewer's words, "a cool, colorful illustration of an evil furnace"3.
What reviewers said
Premier Guitar reviewed the pedal in August 2021 and summed up its character in three words: "Uncompromising, ultraviolent distortion," listing it as a pro overall3. That verdict matches the pedal's design brief: a gated fuzz with no tone control on the outside, an internal tone trimpot instead, and a delay that will oscillate if you push the R knob far enough2.
Gearnews, covering the launch in May 2017, framed it as a pedal for gated fuzz fans specifically, praising the momentary footswitch as the feature that opens up interesting options4.
There is no battery compartment, so the Blast Furnace needs a 9V power supply from the start3. Players building a first pedalboard should plan for a power source rather than expecting a battery option.
Videos
Fuzzrocious Pedals
Chicago Music Exchange
Patrick Hunter
Questions
Does the Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace take a battery?
No. Premier Guitar's review notes there is no battery compartment, so the pedal needs an external supply. It runs on conventional 9V power supplies, the same kind most pedalboards already use.
Can you use the Blast Furnace delay without the fuzz?
Yes. Fuzzrocious says the delay can be used without the fuzz engaged, and suggests pairing it with a clean tone or with other pedals to expand their sound. Hold the left momentary footswitch to add repeats, and the delay disappears when you lift your foot.
How do you change the delay time on the Blast Furnace?
The delay time is set by an internal trim pot inside the pedal. Delicious Audio reports Fuzzrocious ships it set to a short delay time they chose, and the trimpot lets you adjust it if you prefer something different. There is no external delay time knob.
Where is the Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace made?
It is made in the USA by Fuzzrocious. The pedal was a collaboration with Lehigh Mining & Navigation, and at launch it was sold in the US exclusively through Chicago Music Exchange before going to all dealers worldwide on June 18, 2017.
Is the Blast Furnace delay the same as the Anomalies delay?
The delay board is the same board Fuzzrocious uses in its Anomalies delay, built around a PT2399 chip, according to Premier Guitar's review. The fuzz and delay components sit on separate boards inside the Blast Furnace.
Sources (5)
- Fuzzrocious Pedals Announces the Blast Furnace, Premier Guitar, 2017-05-01
- New Pedal: Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace Gated Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2017-06-27
- Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace Review, Premier Guitar, 2017-08-06
- Fuzzrocious Pedals' Blast Furnace: A hot new gated fuzz guitar pedal, gearnews.com, 2017-05-02
- Fuzzrocious Cat King & Blast Furnace Review, Guitar.com, 2018-11-14
