JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase

The Fuzz Phrase is a family of fuzz pedals from JAM Pedals, built entirely by hand in Athens, Greece. It began as a germanium, Fuzz Face-style Custom Shop pedal wrapped in suede, and after the germanium transistors ran out it continued as the silicon, BC107-loaded Fuzz Phrase Si, joined by a series of one-of-a-kind hand-painted artwork versions¹².

The circuit is a take on the classic two-transistor Fuzz Face: Guitar Pedal X describes the limited edition as a Type I Fuzz Face style fuzz built with just nine tone components, including a tropical fish capacitor and rarer brown metal film resistors, with premium NOS vintage parts throughout³. Delicious Audio included the Fuzz Phrase LTD in its roundup of Fuzz Face clones, and describes the Fuzz Phrase Si as a silicon version of the same circuit⁴⁵.

A Type I Fuzz Face-style fuzz

The Fuzz Phrase follows the Type I Fuzz Face template: a simple, two-transistor fuzz whose character comes from a handful of vintage-spec parts rather than a complex circuit. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson counts nine tone components in the limited edition, "and using a cool tropical fish capacitor in the mix too, and some of those rarer brown met[al film resistors]"³. Fewer components in the signal path is part of the appeal for players chasing vintage fuzz behavior, and Delicious Audio says the Fuzz Phrase "captures the essence of the best Germanium circuits"⁴.

Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes the result as having "a blend of sought-after tonal characteristics, extended sustain, and remarkable ability to clean-up"⁴. Clean-up, the way a fuzz responds to the guitar's volume knob being rolled down, is a hallmark of the Fuzz Face design the circuit draws on.

Germanium transistors: CV7003 and Philips OC44

The original Custom Shop Fuzz Phrase was loaded with germanium CV7003 variants, military-spec transistors that Delicious Audio's buying guide calls "more stable and heat resistant than the famou[s NKT275]"⁵. Those transistors were always in short supply, and stocks eventually ran out².

In July 2025 JAM Pedals rebooted the limited edition, this time as the Black Fuzz Phrase LTD, built around "an ultra-rare stash of NOS OC44 Philips black glass transistors, manufactured in 1969 and individually [tested and matched by ear]"⁶. JAM Pedals says these OC44s are prized for exceptionally low leakage, musical gain and quiet operation⁶. The reboot also changed the wrap from the original purple suede to black suede, and changed the knobs³.

The Black Fuzz Phrase LTD is point-to-point hand-wired on a turret board, produced in small batches, and each unit is a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece⁶. Its specifications as listed by the maker:

Guitar Pedal X reported the 2025 reboot listed at £519 / €599, with only 15 units available direct on pre-release for subscribers and a further 30 sent to dealers³. JAM Pedals has said production depends on OC44 and CV7003 availability, and that version will be discontinued once the transistors run out³.

From the germanium Fuzz Phrase Ltd to the silicon Fuzz Phrase Si

With the germanium Fuzz Phrase Ltd's production dependent on the dwindling supply of CV7003 transistors, JAM Pedals launched the Fuzz Phrase Si, a silicon version drawing on the same circuit⁴⁵¹. Premier Guitar reported it as the newest addition to the company's standard line of pedals⁷.

Rather than simply swapping transistor types, the Jam Pedal team tested various silicon transistors and settled on BC107s, "fine-tuning every aspect of the circuit to complement them"⁴. JAM Pedals' own description of the Si says it draws inspiration from its germanium predecessor, the Fuzz Phrase Ltd, and "encapsulates the rich harmonic profile and dynami[cs]" of that circuit¹. Delicious Audio's buying guide notes the suede-enclosed, hand-wired germanium original justified its price with its construction, while the Si brings the same circuit to the standard line at a lower price⁵.

Controls

The control set is the same across the Fuzz Phrase Si and its artwork versions, and mirrors the minimal Fuzz Face layout¹⁹⁸:

There is no external bias knob. Guitar World's Jonathan Horsley confirms "there's an internal trimmer to adjust bias," so setting bias to taste means opening the enclosure¹¹. Guitar Pedal X's reviews of both the original germanium version and the 2025 reboot flag the lack of external bias as the main practical drawback, since germanium fuzz bias normally drifts with temperature²³.

Limited and hand-painted artwork editions

Alongside the standard Fuzz Phrase Si, JAM Pedals offers a series of custom artwork versions, each a one-of-a-kind hand-painted piece; the pedal you receive will differ in detail from the photos shown¹¹⁰¹². The maker says they share the same sound and differ only in artwork¹³¹⁴¹⁵. The custom artwork versions are:

• "Achenbach" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "Bad TV" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "Black Data" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "IT" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "Luminous" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "Mandala" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "Relic" Fuzz Phrase Si
• "Shards" Fuzz Phrase Si

All are silicon fuzzes with true bypass, the same Level and Gain controls, and the same internal bias trimmer¹⁰⁸. Bill Frisell is listed among the artists using these pedals on JAM Pedals' product pages⁸.

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed the original germanium Fuzz Phrase in March 2024 and called it "one of the best sounding Germanium Fuzz Faces out there," while noting that "its lack of external Bias contro[l] somewhat held the reviewer off overall"². Of the 2025 OC44 reboot he wrote:

Stefan Karlsson, Guitar Pedal X³

He nonetheless describes it as a fantastic version of a Type I Fuzz Face with premium NOS vintage components and superior build quality, delivering "a fuller flavour output"³.

On the silicon side, Premier Guitar gave the Fuzz Phrase Si a First Look demo video presented by Nikos Arvanitis in May 2024¹⁶, and later published a full review calling it "JAM's Fuzz Phrase Fuzz Face homage"¹⁷. Guitar World's Jonathan Horsley, reviewing silicon fuzzes in 2026, summed up the Fuzz Phrase Si as "It ain't cheap but it's superlative"¹¹.

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