Loe Sounds BLow Hybrid Fuzz

The Loe Sounds BLow Hybrid Fuzz is a boutique fuzz pedal built from a mix of germanium and silicon transistors, the approach that gives hybrid fuzzes their character. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described it as a "Thick and chewy high gain fuzz with all metal-can transistors," and found it was "the thickest and fattest of the four" hybrid fuzzes in his comparison¹. It sits alongside other Loe Sounds fuzz designs such as the Loe Sounds SuperFuzz and the Loe Sounds She Fuzz, and belongs to the wider family of fuzz pedals.

Circuit and controls

The BLow uses three transistors: a 2N404 germanium part together with BC109C and BC108C silicon parts, all in metal cans¹. That germanium and silicon mix is what marks it as a hybrid fuzz, a design where the two transistor types shape the pedal's clipping and response.

The control layout is minimal:

Karlsson argued the simplicity works in the pedal's favor: "the Loe Sounds BLow is pretty much perfect with just 2 controls"¹.

Availability

The BLow was listed at $150 and, as of the November 2023 comparison, was sold out, though other pedals remained available from the Loe Sounds webstore¹. Loe Sounds also built a related two-knob germanium fuzz, the Germanium Blow, announced in August 2023 as a hand-built small-batch pedal using salvaged components.