The R2R Time-O-Lite Fuzz is a fuzz pedal built inside a vintage darkroom timer. R2R Electric and Waterslide Guitars spent two years figuring out how to turn a 1960s darkroom timer into a fuzz pedal, and the result is a two-transistor germanium Fuzz Face circuit housed in an adapted Industrial Timers Time-O-Lite Master Dark Room Exposure Timer enclosure12. Delicious Audio's Brent P. Gladless described it as "a piece of photographic history rewired to sound like 1969"1.
A Fuzz Face-style fuzz inside a vintage darkroom timer
The project is a collaboration between R2R Electric and Waterslide Guitars, who assembled two batches of circa 25 pedals each, the first batch in 2025, for a total of roughly 50 units2. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson called it "a really striking take on the Arbiter Fuzz Face" and praised "a brilliant execution"2.
Because every unit starts with a vintage Time-O-Lite timer chassis, no two look alike. As Delicious Audio put it: "every single one looks different. Aged. Worn. Unique. You pick the one that speaks to you."1 The original enclosure is fully adapted rather than replaced, so the pedal keeps the character of the industrial timer it came from2.
The Time-O-Lite Fuzz is no longer made. Both batches are long since sold, and some units have been resold again, with at least one second-batch pedal changing hands for nigh $850 on Reverb.com against its $550 launch price2.
Inside, the circuit is a two-transistor germanium Fuzz Face design built with NOS Philips AC107 black glass transistors, which Guitar Pedal X described as "killer Mullard / Philips Black Glass Bulb AC107 Germanium Transistors"12. The pedals also use CTS pots from 1966 and 19831. R2R Electric has built other germanium fuzzes along similar lines, including the R2R Electric Supa MKII Fuzz and the R2R Electric MKI Pro Fuzz.
The controls: Volume, Fuzz and the bias trimpot
The timer's original controls are converted, not replaced, using concentric potentiometers so the original pointer knobs still work1. The two timing controls become the Volume and Fuzz controls2.
| Control | What it is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | The lower, larger pointer knob of the converted timer | Sets output level1 |
| Fuzz | The small red pointer knob on top | Sets fuzz amount1 |
| Bias trimpot | Internal trimpot | Biases the fuzz from gated and spitty to wide open1 |
The internal bias trimpot is the usual germanium fuzz trim: it lets the player set where the circuit sits between a gated, spitty character and a wide-open fuzz, which matters with temperature-sensitive germanium transistors like the AC107s1.
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Questions
What is a Time-O-Lite?
A Time-O-Lite is an industrial dark room exposure timer made by Industrial Timers, used by photographers to time photographic prints. The R2R Time-O-Lite Fuzz takes vintage 1960s Time-O-Lite Master Dark Room Exposure Timer chassis and converts them into fuzz pedals, keeping the original timer enclosure and pointer knobs intact.
Is the R2R Time-O-Lite Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. Delicious Audio's product page lists the pedal as true bypass, so when it is switched off your guitar signal passes through untouched.
What transistors does the R2R Time-O-Lite Fuzz use?
It is built with new-old-stock Philips AC107 black glass germanium transistors, described by Guitar Pedal X as Mullard / Philips Black Glass Bulb AC107s. The circuit is a two-transistor germanium Fuzz Face design, and the pedals also use CTS pots from 1966 and 1983.
Does every Time-O-Lite Fuzz look the same?
No. Each unit starts with a vintage Time-O-Lite timer chassis, so every single one looks different, aged and worn. Buyers picked the individual timer they wanted rather than ordering an identical product.
Is the R2R Time-O-Lite Fuzz still available?
No. The pedals were assembled in two batches of circa 25 each and are long since sold, with some units already resold. Guitar Pedal X noted that at least one unit from the second batch later sold on for nigh $850 on Reverb.com, against a launch price of $550.
Sources (2)
- R2R Time-O-Lite Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2026-06-30
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-07-06
