OCE Pedals The Gentleman is a signature pedal collaboration between OCE Pedals and Buddy Ayache, a Beirut-born, Orlando-based live performer and demoer who performs as Buddy Blues. It combines two circuits in one box: a silicon, two-transistor Fuzz Face style fuzz and a shapeable dirty boost, each with its own footswitch. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing the pedal in February 2025, described it as one of those rarities that comes with a tonne of practical applications1.
What it does
The Gentleman takes the Fuzz Face formula, the two-transistor fuzz design behind many classic fuzz pedals, and adds a boost section that can be shaped and used independently. Guitar Pedal X frames the design as a fix for a familiar problem with vintage fuzzes: they tend to run at low output, and players prize them anyway for the way they clean up when the guitar's volume knob is rolled back. The Gentleman addresses vintage fuzzes' low output while retaining that guitar volume gain cleanup1.
The boost side has its own character control. Sweet shapes the Boost's character, so the boost can be set to push the fuzz or the amp in different ways1.
The fuzz circuit
The fuzz is a silicon two-transistor design rather than a germanium one, which matters for players since silicon fuzzes are generally steadier under different conditions. Karlsson's review goes further on the transistor flavor, judging by ear1:
"it sounds rather more like BC183 ballpark though rather than BC108/9. So most likely a Type III Fuzz Face!"
In Fuzz Face terms, that places the voicing closer to the later, brighter silicon versions of the circuit than to the earlier BC108-style ones. For comparison with other fuzz approaches, see Fuzz Pedals, and for the boost side on its own, see Boost Pedals1.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's verdict on the pedal was positive on both design and sound1:
"'The Gentleman' is a really great take on that - it sounds fantastic!"
The review presents it as an upgrade of the Fuzz Face circuit aimed at more expansive and controllable output, which is the through-line of the pedal: keep the responsive cleanup of the original design, add output and a usable boost on top1.
Availability and price
The Gentleman was available for preorder through the OCE Pedals Webstore as of February 2025, priced at $219 USD, listed alongside £180 for the UK1.
Videos
o.c.e.pedals
Buddy Blues
R.J. Ronquillo
Questions
What transistors does The Gentleman use?
Guitar Pedal X describes The Gentleman as a silicon, two-transistor fuzz. The reviewer judged from its sound that it sits in the BC183 ballpark rather than the BC108/9 territory, which would make it what he calls a Type III Fuzz Face. The maker's own transistor specification is not given on the page.
Does The Gentleman have separate footswitches for fuzz and boost?
Yes. The pedal carries separate Boost and Fuzz footswitches, so each effect can be switched on its own, and the two can be used together. A Sweet control shapes the character of the boost section.
Is The Gentleman based on a Fuzz Face?
Guitar Pedal X's review describes it as a silicon, two-transistor Fuzz Face style fuzz, one that addresses the low output of vintage fuzzes while keeping the gain cleanup you get from rolling back the guitar volume knob.
Who is Buddy Ayache?
Buddy Ayache is a Beirut-born, Orlando-based live performer and demoer who performs as Buddy Blues. He collaborated with OCE Pedals on The Gentleman as his signature pedal.
How much does OCE Pedals The Gentleman cost?
The Gentleman was listed at $219 USD, or £180 in the UK, when preorders opened through the OCE Pedals Webstore in February 2025.
Does The Gentleman clean up with the guitar volume knob?
Yes. Guitar Pedal X notes that the pedal addresses vintage fuzzes' low output while retaining the guitar volume gain cleanup that players expect from that style of circuit.
Sources (1)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-02-10
