The GUP Tech PhoqueR is a fuzz pedal with a built-in octave-up effect: a germanium Fuzz Face-style fuzz and a Green Ringer circuit in the same box. GUP Tech calls it "the evolution of our Phoque Face," its modern version of the SunFace/Fuzz Face circuit, with a standalone Green Ringer added ahead of the fuzz1. The maker describes the resulting character as "Simple and gritty, exactly how we like them"1.
The practical appeal is flexibility. Two footswitches let you run only the fuzz, only the octave, or both stacked, which covers everything from a straight vintage fuzz tone to the shrieking upper-octave lead sounds octave fuzzes are known for1.
The fuzz circuit
The PhoqueR's fuzz side is the same circuit as GUP Tech's Phoque Face Fuzz, which the maker describes as "the GUP Tech modern version of the SunFace/Fuzz Face" delivering "a pure classic fuzz tone"3. The topology is PNP germanium, the transistor type associated with the original Fuzz Face designs, and GUP Tech adds both an internal bias trimmer and an external bias control along with a clean blend1.
For a player, the external bias matters: germanium fuzzes are sensitive to temperature and transistor characteristics, and a bias knob lets you push the fuzz toward smoother or toward spittier, gating behavior from the outside, without opening the enclosure. The clean blend lets low end or untouched signal sit under the fuzz, which is useful on single-coil guitars or if you want the fuzz to sit less dominantly in a band mix1.
The Green Ringer octave circuit
The second circuit is a Green Ringer, a vintage analog octave-up effect. FuzzHugger Effects, which builds its own octave-up pedal, notes that the Green Ringer name may be a trademark of Dan Armstrong Effects, an unaffiliated company4. An octave-up circuit of this type generates the upper octave by folding the input waveform, and it tracks best on single notes played above the middle of the neck; chords tend to produce artifacts rather than a clean doubled octave.
GUP Tech describes the Green Ringer in the PhoqueR as "a completely standalone Green Ringer circuit" placed upfront of the fuzz and engaged with the left footswitch1. The same circuit is also available on its own in GUP Tech's Poulp pedal1.
"In our PhoqueR, we added a completely standalone Green Ringer circuit (also available in our Poulp) upfront the Fuzz circuit."
PhoqueR or Phoque Face?
The Phoque Face Fuzz is the fuzz alone; the PhoqueR is that circuit plus the octave. GUP Tech first announced the combination on 7 March 2021, when its Douche Edition Phoque Face page was updated to say "We now offer the same circuit but with a Green Ringer added"5. The PhoqueR carries two footswitches, one for the fuzz and the left one for the ringer, giving three modes: fuzz only, ringer only, or both at the same time12.
| Phoque Face Fuzz | PhoqueR | |
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Germanium Fuzz Face-style fuzz | Same fuzz plus standalone Green Ringer |
| Footswitches | Fuzz only | Fuzz and ringer, separately switchable |
| Modes | Fuzz | Fuzz, ringer, or both |
| Maker's description | "A pure classic fuzz tone" | "The evolution of our Phoque Face" |
The Phoque Face line also includes a Douche Edition Phoque Face Fuzz in a sparkle finish5.
Power and practical notes
The PhoqueR runs on 9V DC, center negative, as a maximum. GUP Tech warns that "Anything higher will blow some stuff," so it should not be fed a higher-voltage supply1.
At 5mA current draw the pedal is light on a power supply, leaving room for the rest of a pedalboard1. All GUP Tech pedals, the PhoqueR included, are made by the company in Saguenay, Québec, Canada1.
Editions
Alongside the standard PhoqueR, GUP Tech offered a PhoqueR Gold Rush Edition, now sold out, with pickup at the shop currently unavailable for that version6.
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Questions
What is the difference between the PhoqueR and the Phoque Face?
The Phoque Face Fuzz is GUP Tech's modern take on the SunFace/Fuzz Face, a germanium fuzz on its own. The PhoqueR is described by the maker as the evolution of that pedal: the same fuzz circuit with a standalone Green Ringer octave-up circuit added in front of it, on its own footswitch, so you can use fuzz only, octave only, or both at once.
Can the Green Ringer circuit run without the fuzz?
Yes. GUP Tech describes the Green Ringer in the PhoqueR as a completely standalone circuit placed ahead of the fuzz, engaged with the left footswitch. That means you can run the octave-up effect on its own, without the fuzz, or stack the two together.
What transistors does the PhoqueR use?
The fuzz circuit uses PNP germanium transistors, in the Fuzz Face tradition. GUP Tech also fits an internal bias trimmer plus an external bias control and a clean blend, so you can dial in the fuzz response and mix in clean signal without opening the pedal.
Where is the GUP Tech PhoqueR made?
All GUP Tech pedals, including the PhoqueR, are made by the company itself in Saguenay, Québec, Canada.
What was the PhoqueR Gold Rush Edition?
A version of the PhoqueR offered in a Gold Rush finish. It is now sold out, and pickup at the GUP Tech shop is currently unavailable for it, so it appears as a finished limited run rather than a current product.
Sources (6)
- PhoqueR - Phoque Face Fuzz - Green Ringer, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
- Douche Edition PhoqueR, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
- Phoque Face Fuzz Face, GUP Tech (guptech.ca)
- FuzzHugger Upper frequency doubler / octave up, FuzzHugger Effects
- Douche Edition Phoque Face Fuzz, GUP Tech (guptech.ca), 2021-03-07
- PhoqueR - Gold Rush Edition, GUPtech (guptech.ca)
