The FUZZLY BEAR 2 is an analog silicon fuzz pedal from KMA Machines, a Berlin-based builder. It is a reissue of the company's first ever production pedal, the Fuzzly Bear Silicium Fuzz of 2013, itself a take on the obscure 1970s Jordan Boss Tone fuzz box, reworked into a smaller, pedalboard-friendly enclosure with top-mounted jacks and updated electronics12.
KMA describes the tonal range as running from a sizzling and chunky overdriven tone to a furry wall of fuzz, with vintage '70s fuzz sounds in between1. Three knobs, Gain, Skin/Meat and Volume, cover everything from low-end drive to a starved, gated fuzz that almost produces a ghost octave.
A silicon fuzz from drive to wall of fuzz
The circuit is built around silicon transistors rather than germanium, which is the same approach the original Jordan Boss Tone took. KMA's product page pitches it at vintage '70s fuzz sounds, with tones ranging from a sizzling and chunky overdriven tone to a furry wall of fuzz1.
The Gain control sets where in that range you sit. Guitar World's Jonathan Horsley found that set fully counterclockwise it yields beefy drive with more note clarity and separation, and that as you turn it up the fuzz tones thicken, amassing quite the pelt by the end of the knob's travel5. At the far end, the character changes completely: KMA says the pedal's smooth, warm and cosy decay turns into a starved and gated fuzz sound that almost gives a ghost octave, pseudo trumpety kinda vibe1.
"I quite like it, and it certainly has that '60s style silicon fuzz thing going on."
The controls: Gain, Skin/Meat and Volume
The pedal keeps the three-knob layout of the original. Gearnews lists the controls as Gain, Skin/Meat (Bias), and Vol3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Delivers a whole range of different fuzz shapes, from beefy drive with note clarity to a starved, gated fuzz15 |
| Skin/Meat | Bias control for the circuit, from a sharp drive tone to a thick and meaty wall of fuzzy fur14 |
| Volume | Sets output level, with plenty of loudness on tap6 |
The Skin/Meat knob is the one that sets this circuit apart from a straight Boss Tone clone. It adjusts the bias of the fuzz circuit, and Pedal of the Day's Mike B called it the true star of the original pedal, going from a sharper, finer, SKIN-ier fuzz sound to a big, fat, thick, MEAT-y tone in a flash6. In practice it works as a texture control: the same Gain setting can be dialed lean and cutting or fat and thick.
Power and switching
The FUZZLY BEAR 2 runs on 9 V DC from a center-negative 2.1 mm barrel plug, drawing a maximum of 35 mA1. MusicRadar summed up the requirement as "a 9V DC and 35mA of current"2.
The 2.1 mm center-negative plug is the standard guitar pedal format, so the FUZZLY BEAR 2 works with typical 9 V pedalboard power supplies. No battery option is offered.
Switching is true bypass with silent relay-based soft switching1. The relay means the footswitch itself is a low-force soft switch that triggers an internal relay to do the actual bypassing, rather than mechanically breaking the signal path.
From the Jordan Boss Tone to the Fuzzly Bear 2
The story starts in 2013, when KMA Machines' first ever production pedal was inspired by an old, obscure and highly underrated fuzz box, the Jordan Boss Tone1. In a 2019 guitar.com interview, KMA's Enrico Preuss described the starting point as building a Jordan Boss Tone clone with a bias control and a wider frequency range7. Guitar World notes the original added a bias control and a gussied up circuit that gave it a much improved low end compared to the Jordan Boss Tone5.
Pedal of the Day reviewed that original Fuzzly Bear Silicium Fuzz in 2015, finding it easily went from a low, rumbly, stoner-rock, riff-heavy, sludge-of-a-fuzz to a thick, meaty, raucous wall of fuzz, with a Gain control covering deep, ballsy low-end drive through classic-rock fuzz tones6.
The Fuzzly Bear 2 arrived in April 2022 as a new and improved version2. What changed:
- A more compact housing, with input and output jacks moved to the top instead of the side3
- Updated electronics4
- A soft switch upgrade for the footswitch4
- Graphics carried over unchanged from V14
The reissue was part of a run of archive digs by KMA, a company Guitar World notes is known for pedals such as the Wurm HM-2 style distortion and the Fuzzly Bear fuzz5. The Fuzzly Bear 2 was priced at $199 in the US and £149 in the UK at launch, with gearnews also reporting a price of 179 € at Thomann53.
Where it is made
The FUZZLY BEAR 2 is handmade in Berlin, Germany, and was designed there43. KMA Machines is a Berlin-based company3.
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Questions
What does the Skin/Meat knob do on the Fuzzly Bear 2?
Skin/Meat is a bias control for the fuzz circuit. Turn it toward Skin for a sharper, finer fuzz sound, or toward Meat for a big, fat, thick tone. KMA describes the range as running from a sharp drive tone to a thick and meaty wall of fuzzy fur, so it shapes the texture of the fuzz rather than its amount.
What changed between the Fuzzly Bear and the Fuzzly Bear 2?
The Fuzzly Bear 2 keeps the original graphics but moves to a more compact housing with the input and output jacks on top instead of the sides. It also gets updated electronics and a soft relay-based footswitch. The original Fuzzly Bear was KMA Machines' first production pedal, released in 2013.
Is the KMA Fuzzly Bear 2 true bypass?
Yes. KMA specifies true bypass with silent relay-based soft switching, so the pedal's footswitch engages a relay rather than a mechanical click, and your clean signal passes untouched when the pedal is off.
Where is the Fuzzly Bear 2 made?
The Fuzzly Bear 2 is handmade in Berlin, Germany. KMA Machines is a Berlin-based company, and the pedal was designed there as well.
Sources (7)
- FUZZLY BEAR 2, KMA Machines, 2013
- KMA Machines' ursine debut stompbox is rehoused and refreshed as the Fuzzly Bear 2, MusicRadar, 2022-04-22
- Fuzzly Bear 2: KMA Machines updated take of Jordan Bosstone silicon fuzz, gearnews.com, 2022-04-21
- Updated Pedal: KMA Machines Fuzzly Bear 2, Delicious Audio, 2022-04-21
- KMA Machines' take on the '70s cult Jordan Boss Tone fuzz, the Fuzzly Bear, returns, Guitar World, 2022-04-21
- KMA Machines Fuzzly Bear Silicium Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2015-06-14
- Interview: Enrico Preuss of KMA Audio Machines, guitar.com, 2019-03-11
