The Henretta Engineering Bluebird Fuzz is a fuzz pedal built into one of the smallest enclosures the reviewer had come across1. Vintage Guitar, reviewing the Henretta Engineering mini pedal lineup, described it as "packing a wallop into the smallest pedal enclosures I have ever come across"1.
What it does to your sound
Pedal of the Day's review describes the fuzz tones as thick and chewy, and singles out how the pedal works with the guitar's volume knob: from a sweet overdriven sound at lower settings to a wall of fuzz when the guitar is wide open1.
"The fuzz tones are thick and chewy, and this thing is a wonder when working with your guitar's volume knob"
The reviewer found a great range between low and high guitar volume settings, which he said made for lots of fuzzy experimentation1. That makes the Bluebird a pedal for players who set the pedal once and shape it from the guitar, rather than one for tweaking knobs mid-song, of which it has none.
Controls
| Control | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Bypass switch | Exterior, the only outside control | Switches the effect on and off1 |
| Output trimmer | Inside the pedal | Controls the overall output volume1 |
| Brightness switch | Inside the pedal | Adds brightness for darker-type amplifiers1 |
Both the output level and the brightness setting live inside the enclosure. If you want to change either, you are opening the pedal up, not reaching for a knob.
Size and placement on a board
The tiny enclosure is the headline feature. The Pedal of the Day reviewer called it one of the smallest pedal enclosures he had come across and said that packing this much sound and dirt into it was an incredible feat1. On a crowded board, that footprint leaves room that a conventional fuzz pedal would take up.
Related pedals
Hudson Electronics makes a pedal also called the Bluebird, a hand-crafted recreation of the all-germanium Fuzzrite built by Mosrite in the mid sixties, described by the maker as producing a darkish, cleanish boost on one side and a super bright, buzzy full-on fuzz on the other3. See the Hudson Electronics BLUEBIRD page for that circuit. Pedal of the Day later reviewed the Henretta Engineering Lake Effect, a 2-in-1 pedal combining the Bluebird Fuzz with the Crimson Tremolo, made with Chicago Music Exchange1.
Videos
Chicago Music Exchange
Phil Vickman
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Does the Bluebird Fuzz have a volume knob?
No. The only exterior control is a single bypass switch. The overall output volume is set by a trimmer inside the pedal, so you open the enclosure to adjust the level rather than turning a knob on the outside.
How do you change the output level on the Bluebird Fuzz?
With an internal trimmer. Pedal of the Day's review notes that a trimmer inside the Bluebird controls the overall output volume, so changing the level means opening the pedal up rather than reaching for an external knob.
How does the Bluebird Fuzz respond to the guitar volume knob?
The review describes a wide range: from a sweet overdriven sound at lower settings to a wall of fuzz with the guitar volume up, with what the reviewer called a great range in between for fuzzy experimentation.
How big is the Henretta Engineering Bluebird Fuzz?
The Pedal of the Day reviewer called it one of the smallest pedal enclosures he had come across and said packing that much sound and dirt into it was an incredible feat.
What does the internal switch on the Bluebird do?
It adds brightness. The review describes a switch that adds in some brightness if you are playing through a darker type of amplifier, which is useful for tightening the pedal up on a dark amp.
Sources (3)
- Henretta Engineering Bluebird Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2015-07-03
- Henretta Engineering Bluebird Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2015-06-10
- BLUEBIRD, Hudson Electronics UK
