The IdiotBox Effects Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz is a bass fuzz pedal, and the maker describes it in plain terms: "If you want a blastin' bad ass bong rock bass fuzz then this it."1 It sits in the fuzz corner of the bass pedal world, alongside other fuzz and distortion pedals built for bass, and it is one of the simpler circuits IdiotBox sells: three controls, a footswitch, and not much else between your bass and your amp.
Controls and how the pedal evolved
The Cool Buzz has not always looked the way it does now. IdiotBox describes its own progression on the product page, and it is a useful picture of how the pedal landed where it is1:
- The original Cool Buzz had no controls at all. As the maker puts it, "The Cool Buzz WAS a NO controls bass fuzz :)"
- A switch was then added to turn the scoop filtering on and off.
- The switch was dropped and a volume knob and mid knob were added in its place.
- The current version has fuzz, low and high controls.1
So the pedal you buy today is a three-knob fuzz: a fuzz control for the amount of fuzz, and low and high controls for shaping the bass and treble of the fuzzed signal. Earlier versions you may run across secondhand will differ, from the no-controls original through the volume-and-mid layout.1
Power, bypass and enclosure
The Cool Buzz runs on a common 9-12vdc center negative BOSS style power input and draws 16mA, and it also has a battery snap, so it can run on a battery where a higher-draw pedal could not.1 A power supply is not included.1 Switching is true bypass.1 The enclosure is a 1590BB sized box measuring 4.7" x 3.7" x 1.18".1
A power supply is not included with the pedal.1 The 9-12vdc center negative BOSS style input means it works with standard pedal power supplies and daisy chains at its 16mA draw.1
Where it sits
For a player comparing bass dirt pedals, the Cool Buzz is the set-and-shape option: three knobs rather than a deep control panel, in the same family as IdiotBox's other bass-oriented dirt such as the Landphil Bass Distortion. If you are browsing the wider field, the bass pedals and fuzz pedals pages cover the types it sits among1.
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Questions
Does the IdiotBox Cool Buzz come with a power supply?
No. IdiotBox Effects states on the product page that a power supply is not included with the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz. The pedal uses a common 9-12vdc center negative BOSS style power input, and it also has a battery snap, so it can be run from either a standard pedal power supply or a battery, but you need to supply the power supply yourself.
Is the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. IdiotBox Effects lists the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz as having true bypass switching, so when the pedal is off, your bass signal passes through without the fuzz circuit in the path.
How much current does the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz draw?
IdiotBox Effects lists the current draw of the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz at 16mA. That is a light load by pedal standards, so it is well within what a standard pedalboard power supply output provides.
Can the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz run on a battery?
Yes. The pedal has a battery snap alongside its BOSS style power input, so it can run on a battery as well as a 9-12vdc center negative supply.
What size is the Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz enclosure?
The Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz is built in a 1590BB sized enclosure measuring 4.7 x 3.7 x 1.18 inches, which is a common size for pedals with a bit more control panel room than a compact box.
Sources (1)
- Cool Buzz Bass Fuzz, IdiotBox Effects
