Old Blood Noise Endeavors Old Blood Noise Alpha Haunt Fuzz V2

The Old Blood Noise Alpha Haunt Fuzz V2 is the 2021 rehousing of Old Blood Noise Endeavors' Alpha Haunt, a silicon high gain gated fuzz pedal first introduced in 2018 as an expanded version of the company's Haunt fuzz¹². The V2 keeps the same circuit in a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly enclosure, with new artwork by Daniel Danger³. Delicious Audio described it as "a fuzz pedal that lets you coax a vast range of fuzz textures, from open overdrives to squashed sputters"³.

What sets the Alpha Haunt apart from a basic fuzz is its parallel Enhance circuit, a clean path with its own volume control that brings in body and clarity alongside the fuzz³. Guitar World described the Enhance control as "a clean boost while retaining string clarity and low-end response"⁴. The maker says the expanded design allows "both softer and gnarlier sounds than the original, from smooth overdrive to crumbling fuzz"¹.

A silicon gated fuzz with a parallel Enhance circuit

The Alpha Haunt's fuzz circuit is silicon-based, high gain, and gated, meaning the Gate control sets the compression of the fuzz while also increasing the amount of fuzz as it is turned up¹. The gating character is what lets the pedal move between sustained, smoother fuzz and sputtering, splatty sounds that cut off abruptly.

The parallel Enhance circuit runs alongside the fuzz rather than after it. Its volume control governs how much of that cleaner, fuller signal is blended in, so a player can keep string definition and low end under heavy fuzz settings³. GuitarPlayer's coverage noted the enhance knob "acts as a clean boost that delivers greater string-clarity and deep low-end tones"⁷.

The fuzz circuit itself offers a pair of ranges to pick from via the Distortion toggle, and the 2021 version also includes a low pass filter⁸⁵. MusicRadar noted that these parameters react "interactively" with the Tone control and the parallel Enhance circuit⁹.

The controls

The control count is the Alpha Haunt's calling card. MusicRadar counted 12 controls on the 2021 version⁹, and GuitarPlayer described "a highly versatile control layout consisting of 12 individual controls" in a slider-controlled three-band EQ plus six knobs and three toggle switches⁷. Delicious Audio's fuzz buying guide summarized the set as "a 3-band EQ and controls for fuzz, compression, gating, parallel clean blend, and 3 voicing switches"⁶.

One change for the V2: the bias control, which was a knob on the previous pedal, became a toggle switch serving the same function⁷. Guitar.com explained that "the bias knob, which lets you go from fat to splatty sounds, has been replaced by a toggle switch"², and Gearnews reported that the basic function of the bias control on Alpha Haunt V1 "has been condensed into a simpler toggle switch"⁵.

History and versions: the same circuit in a smaller case

The original Alpha Haunt was introduced in 2018 as an expanded version of Old Blood's Haunt fuzz pedal². Its controls included a fuzz control, fuzz range switch, gate, bias control, three-band EQ and an enhance knob, plus fuzz and master volume controls². Gearnews called it the maker's "widely respected Alpha Haunt Fuzz"⁵.

The 2021 update arrived two years after the original release⁹. The circuit is unchanged and the internals are the same as the original³²; the new version retains the tone circuit of the original⁵. What changed is the enclosure: a more compact form factor with new artwork by Daniel Danger³⁵. JHS Pedals' history of Old Blood Noise pedals notes the company "released a compact version of the same circuit at the end of 2020"¹⁰.

Announcing the update, Old Blood Noise Endeavors told GuitarPlayer:

The V2 launched at $229³, a price Guitar World also reported⁴. The circuit is unchanged from the original, with new art by Daniel Danger³. A compact version of the same circuit had already been released at the end of 2020¹⁰.

How it differs from the Haunt and the original Alpha Haunt

Against the Haunt, the Alpha Haunt is the expanded version: it adds the blendable Enhance section and the three-band EQ¹, which the maker says allows both softer and gnarlier sounds than the original Haunt¹.

Against the original Alpha Haunt, the V2 is the same circuit and the same 12-control layout, only smaller⁷. The practical differences are the compact enclosure, the new artwork, and the bias control changing from a knob to a toggle³⁷.

Power and bypass

The pedal runs on a 9V DC center negative power supply with a 2.1mm jack, capable of 40mA¹. There is no battery option and the supply is not included¹.

Bypass is true bypass via a soft-touch footswitch, which the maker says minimizes switch noise¹. Press coverage of the 2021 version describes soft-touch relay bypass switching⁵.

Questions