The Oopegg OZZ-1 Fuzz is a handmade fuzz pedal from the Japanese maker's Super Retro Series, unveiled in April 2022. Oopegg designed it as a Tone Bender-style fuzz: a circuit built around a BC549C silicon transistor, a component Delicious Audio notes is found in many Tone Bender variants1. The maker describes the result as smooth and roaring low-mids, a defined high-gain sound with a spitty edge, long sustain and low noise, all from a simple two-knob layout1.
A silicon Tone Bender-style fuzz
The Tone Bender name goes back to the early 1960s. The Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI, the circuit the OZZ-1 draws on, was a three-transistor fuzz box based on Gibson's 1962 Maestro Fuzz-Tone, according to fuzzboxes.org's history of the pedal2. Silicon transistors like the BC549C are a common choice in modern takes on that design; Jeds Peds, another maker working in the same territory, describes its own silicon Tone Bender as using "silicon transistors which provide a significant amount of fuzzy goodness"31.
The OZZ-1 is not a straight clone. Oopegg describes the circuit as a vintage fuzz design modified with a well-selected BC549C silicon semiconductor, tuned for long sustain and very low noise1. Where the original MKI was a three-transistor circuit, the OZZ-1's published specification centers on the single BC549C, so it sits in the Tone Bender family by inspiration rather than by identical construction1.
Other pedals occupy the same corner of the fuzz world if you are comparing: the Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI is the historical original, the BLAMMO! P2P Tone Bender MKi is a hand-wired point-to-point MKi "tuned for a slightly gated / raunchy fuzz tone"4, and the Jeds Peds Silicon Tone Bender is a silicon-transistor build in the same lineage3.
The controls
Oopegg kept the front panel to two knobs, fuzz and volume, which the maker says produces super long sustain with very low noise1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Fuzz | Sets the amount of fuzz distortion |
| Volume | Sets the output level |
Behind the panel there is one more adjustment: an internal trim pot that tweaks the overall gain, on top of what the two knobs cover1. The input level is specified at 0dBu1.
The gain trim is inside the pedal, so changing it means taking the back off rather than turning a knob mid-set.
Power, size and what is in the box
The OZZ-1 runs on DC 9V through a 2.1mm center pin negative connector, the standard polarity for most pedal supplies, or on a 9V battery (006P)1. It is true bypass, so the fuzz circuit drops out of the signal path when the pedal is off1. Connections are a 1/4 inch phone jack in and out1.
The pedal takes a standard 1/4 inch phone jack in and out, so it drops into a pedalboard signal chain like any other stompbox1.
Videos
OOPEGG
Joey Noble
Andertons Music Co
Questions
Is the Oopegg OZZ-1 Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. The OZZ-1 Fuzz is true bypass, so when the pedal is off your guitar signal passes straight through without going through the fuzz circuit. That matters on a pedalboard where you want the pedal out of the chain until you step on it, and it is listed alongside the pedal's power specifications on its product page.
Can the OZZ-1 Fuzz run on a 9V battery?
Yes. Oopegg lists two power options for the OZZ-1: a DC 9V adapter with a 2.1mm center pin negative connector, the standard type used by most pedal power supplies, or a 9V battery (006P). Either works, so the pedal can sit on a board with a shared supply or run standalone with a battery.
What transistor is in the Oopegg OZZ-1?
The OZZ-1 is built around a BC549C silicon semiconductor, a transistor Delicious Audio notes is found in many Tone Bender variants. Oopegg describes the circuit as a vintage fuzz design modified with well-selected BC549C silicon, which is the heart of the pedal's fuzz character.
What does the internal trim pot do on the OZZ-1?
Inside the pedal there is a trim pot that tweaks the overall gain. It sits on top of the front-panel fuzz and volume knobs, so you set the external controls for playing and then adjust the internal trimmer to shape the pedal's total gain level to taste or to suit your guitar and amp.
How big is the Oopegg OZZ-1 Fuzz?
The OZZ-1 measures 65mm wide, 122mm deep and 40mm high, so it is a compact pedal that fits a crowded board without much trouble. It ships with one OOPEGG TOP HAT mini in blue as an included accessory.
Sources (4)
- New Pedal: Oopegg OZZ-1 Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2022-04-07
- Gary Hurst Tone Bender 'MKI' • Fuzzboxes, fuzzboxes.org, 2021-05-20
- Silicon Tone Bender, Jeds Peds (jedspeds.co.uk)
- P2P Tone Bender MKi, BLAMMO! Electronics
