IdiotBox Effects Blackout

The IdiotBox Effects Blackout is a fuzz pedal built around two Muff-style fuzz circuits running at the same time. As the maker puts it, "The Blackout is a double muff," and the two circuits are "Not one into the other, but mixed parallel," meaning both fuzzes see your guitar signal and their outputs are blended together rather than one fuzz feeding the next¹. That gives you two independent fuzz voices in one fuzz pedal box, and the character of the combined sound depends on how you set the blend between them.

Controls and how the two circuits differ

Each of the two fuzz circuits has its own separate FUZZ, TONE and OUTput controls, so you can dial in one voice, dial in the other, and set how much of each reaches the output¹. The tone stages are not identical:

• Top fuzz circuit: the traditional Muff tone control¹
• Bottom fuzz circuit: more of a mid boost/scoop control in place of the standard Muff tone¹

That difference is the point of the design. A conventional Muff tone control rolls off highs in a particular way, and players often note the mid scoop that gives the classic fuzz its voice. By giving the second circuit a mid boost/scoop control instead, the Blackout lets one side sit in familiar Muff territory while the other can be shaped to fill in or cut mids, and the parallel mix lets the two work together rather than one replacing the other¹.

Power and bypass

The Blackout runs on a common 9 to 12V DC center negative BOSS style power input, the same connector type as most pedalboard supplies. A battery snap is included among its features, so it can run from a battery as well. IdiotBox Effects notes "Power supply not included," so you will need to bring your own supply¹. The maker lists the current draw as "?mA," so no figure has been published for it¹.

Switching is true bypass, so when the pedal is off it is removed from your signal chain¹.

Size and price

The Blackout fits in a smaller 4.7" x 2.6" x 1.5" 125B sized enclosure, which is a compact footprint for a pedal carrying two complete fuzz circuits and six knobs¹. The list price is $139.00 USD¹.

The name: Blackout the pedal and Blackout Effectors

The Blackout's name can cause confusion with Blackout Effectors, a separate builder known for fuzz pedals of its own. The Blackout Effectors Musket Fuzz v2 is described by RockBoard's PedalPedia as "a best selling, highly tweakable, highly fuzzed-up iteration of the vintage muff-type circuit," and Aion FX describes it as "a unique and modern take on the Big Muff while retaining the character of the vintage circuit"²³. Blackout Effectors also made the dual-fuzz Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe, of which Pedal of the Day's reviewer wrote, "Both of these fuzz channels are completely different in design and sound, making experimentation and mixing-and-matching" a major part of the appeal⁴. The IdiotBox Blackout is a different product from a different maker, but the shared idea of two distinct fuzz voices in one box runs through both.

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