The McGregor Pedals Cozmic Fuzzball is a distortion-to-fuzz pedal designed for both guitar and bass, made in Vancouver, Canada. It stacks hard clipping with soft clipping and adds an overdriven transistor, which McGregor describes as a personal, high-end take on the gnarliest of pedal effects. The pedal was designed and built by Garth Heslop and is hand soldered in Vancouver. It was listed at $210 when Premier Guitar covered its release in August 2021.12
How it sounds and how the controls work
McGregor describes a wide sweep across the pedal's range: beginning with the Attack control on minimum, the Cozmic Fuzzball delivers distortion with a bright creamy edge. As the Attack is turned up, fuzz starts layering in around noon, and both fuzz and sustain grow from there. At low settings with low output pickups the effect is a mild distortion or overdrive, while pinning the Attack puts you in fuzz-land.1
The pedal has three main controls plus a hidden trimpot:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attack | Controls the strength of the signal hitting the fuzz transistor; more attack means more fuzz and sustain1 |
| Tone | A variable high pass filter that cuts muddy low range frequencies; the left side of the range is more for bass guitar, the right for both bass and guitar1 |
| Vol | Attenuates the amplified and clipped signal after it leaves the tone filter1 |
| LED Brightness | Unmarked trimpot on the side; adjust gently using a jeweler's screwdriver1 |
Because the Tone control's left side is aimed at bass guitar, the pedal sits comfortably among bass pedals as well as fuzz and distortion pedals for guitar12.
The Cozmic Fuzzball has no battery compartment and runs on standard 9-volt DC center-negative power, so it needs a power supply.1
Design and earlier McGregor pedals
Garth Heslop designed and built the Cozmic Fuzzball on the same foundation as the previous two McGregor pedals, though you would never know it from the outside, according to Delicious Audio. The pedal uses high grade components picked for their superior sound and response.1 Premier Guitar's news item on the release describes it the same way, as built on the foundation of the previous two pedals.2 McGregor's earlier McGregor Classic Fuzz is part of that lineage.
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Questions
Can the McGregor Cozmic Fuzzball be used with bass?
Yes. The Cozmic Fuzzball was designed for both guitar and bass. Its Tone control is a variable high pass filter, and the left side of that range is described as more for bass guitar, while the right side suits both bass and guitar. At low Attack settings with low output pickups the pedal gives a mild distortion or overdrive, and pinning the Attack puts you in fuzz territory.
Does the Cozmic Fuzzball take a battery?
No. The pedal runs on standard 9-volt DC center-negative power and has no battery compartment, so it needs a power supply rather than a battery.
Is the Cozmic Fuzzball true bypass?
Yes. The Cozmic Fuzzball is true bypass with a soft-click switch, according to the pedal's product page.
Where is the McGregor Cozmic Fuzzball made?
The Cozmic Fuzzball is hand soldered in Vancouver, Canada, by McGregor Pedals. It was designed and built by Garth Heslop.
How do I adjust the LED brightness on the Cozmic Fuzzball?
There is an unmarked trimpot on the side of the pedal for LED brightness. McGregor's guidance is to make the adjustment gently using a jeweler's screwdriver.
Sources (2)
- McGregor Pedals Cozmic Fuzzball, Delicious Audio, 2021-08-04
- McGregor Pedals Introduces the Cozmic Fuzzball Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2021-08-02
