Old Blood Noise Endeavors Pardner

The Pardner is a fuzz pedal from Old Blood Noise Endeavors, the Oklahoma City effects maker. OBNE describes it as "a whacky fuzz with unique synthy textures that resonate and warble," paired with an overdriven effects loop called the Lasso that lets you route another pedal into the Pardner and shape it with the loop's own drive circuit¹. It launched in September 2024 in three colorways, and press coverage at the time called it a contender for the weirdest fuzz pedal of the year²³.

What makes the Pardner different from most fuzz boxes is that it is really two effects in one enclosure: a dual-voiced fuzz and a looper with its own drive circuit⁴. Each side has its own bypass footswitch, so you can use the fuzz alone, the Lasso alone, or both together, with a toggle to set which comes first or run them in parallel¹².

The fuzz side: controls and the Synthy-Fuzzy toggle

The fuzz is principally controlled by two dials, Intensity and Filter, with a toggle that alternates between two voices, Synthy and Fuzzy². OBNE lists the core controls as Filter, Intensity and the Synthy-Fuzzy toggle, plus Treble, Bass and Fuzz Volume to sculpt the fuzz output¹.

The two voices are quite distinct. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley described the difference: the Synthy setting "gives you a low-octave quality to it, which is a little like a synthesizer, while the latter is more recognisably fuzz"². Delicious Audio likewise notes the fuzz can be altered to sound more or less synthetic via the toggle⁴. Horsley also pointed out that the fuzz circuit itself is not a common or garden variety Fuzz Face², so players looking for a vintage-style fuzz face should look elsewhere in OBNE's range, such as the Alpha Haunt.

The Lasso: an overdriven effects loop

The Lasso is the Pardner's second side: an effects loop with its own variable overdrive circuit¹⁴. Lasso Out (Send) and Lasso In (Return) jacks route other effects into the Pardner, and Lasso Gain and Lasso Volume set the overdrive amount and volume of the loop¹. Guitar World described this mode as a variable overdrive, with the use of a partner pedal opening up "endless sonic possibilities"³.

Because the Lasso has its own drive circuit, you get texture from the loop even with nothing plugged into it, and any pedal you connect is driven by that overdrive on the way through⁴⁵.

Routing: series, swapped, or parallel

A Lasso First / Para-Fuzz First toggle sets the order of the two effects¹. Beyond that, MusicRadar reported that you can swap the order so the partner effect feeds the fuzz or the fuzz feeds the partner effect, or run the two sides in parallel². On the routing question, OBNE's own advice is straightforward:

For players new to parallel routing, this means the fuzz and the looped effect each process your signal independently and are blended, rather than one stacking into the other.

Versions and colorways

The Pardner launched in September 2024 in three colorways⁵, and the enclosure artwork is by Garrett Young¹.

Delicious Audio depicted the pedal in its purple variant and noted it was also available in teal blue and yellow-tan⁴. The Pink Pardner Dynamic Fuzz Edition carries the same feature set, including the Lasso section with variable overdrive plus the Send/Return loop, and true relay bypass when both sides are off⁵. See the Pink Pardner Dynamic Fuzz Edition page for that version.

What reviewers said

Early coverage was positive about the concept. Guitar World noted the pedal is US-made and powered by a standard 9V plug for easy pedalboard integration³. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson called it "for sure an intriguing mix of effects," while worrying the enclosure might be a little over-sized overall⁷. At 4.25" x 5" x 2" with top-mounted jacks, it is a fairly large box by fuzz standards, though the top-mounted connections mean it will fit into any setup¹⁷.

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