The Rainger FX Chop Fuzzz is a gated analog fuzz pedal with a set of modulation features built on top of the fuzz. Rainger FX describes it as "an uncompromising all analog, full-on gated fuzz pedal - with a whole bunch of interesting ways of man"ipulating the sound1. Beyond the fuzz itself, it carries two types of modulation, a pressure-operated expression control for wah-like effects, a tunable drone, and a noise gate1. The fuzz circuit is the same distortion circuit used in the original Dr Freakenstein Fuzz and the versions that followed it1.
The pedal is the current form of a line that goes back through the earlier Dr Freakenstein Chop Fuzz, and Delicious Audio reported its launch in November 2023 as a fully analog redesign of that earlier gated fuzz with modulation2. As of late October 2026, the maker's product page lists it as sold out1.
The Chop Fuzzz is listed as sold out on Rainger FX's product page as of 26 October 20261.
What it does to your sound
The core is a heavy gated fuzz. Rainger FX says it is "incredibly loud, with a ton of low-end, and searing highs available. Yet it's weirdly quiet when you're not playing"1. That quiet when idle is the noise gate at work: the fuzz cuts off when you stop playing, which is what makes a gated fuzz behave differently from an always-on fuzz.
On top of the fuzz sit several layers of modulation. The overtone control is, in the maker's words, "like a wah wah with the tone of an extreme phaser"1. Delicious Audio described the combination of the extreme phaser with the fuzz as producing "a very cool pulsating sound"2. A built-in hard squarewave tremolo, called Chop, can be combined with the LFO section for what Rainger FX calls sweeping helicopter or bubbling synthy sounds1. There is also a tunable drone1.
Guitar Pedal X's 2023 roundup of new fuzz pedals summarized the pedal's feature set as "GATED FUZZ + OVERTONES } Overtone / Frequency, Volume, Effect On/Off Switch, Hi/Lo Overtone Range on rear. SQUAREWAVE CH"op3.
The controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Overtone knob | Sets the wah-like tone control with an extreme phaser character; can also be worked by foot with the Igor pressure pad or driven by CV1 |
| Chop knob | Controls the speed of the squarewave tremolo2 |
| Slow LFO knob | Sets the LFO at low speeds, from long slowly-twisting cycles up to fast wobbles1 |
| Fast LFO knob | An LFO speed in the audio range, tunable across several octaves to a specific pitch underneath the fuzz1 |
| LFO footswitch | Toggles between slow and fast LFO settings on the fly1 |
| Hi/Lo switch | Selects between two intensity levels1 |
The LFO section modulates the signal in a triangle waveshape, with the two speed knobs and a toggle footswitch1. Because the fast knob reaches into the audio range, the LFO stops being a slow sweep and becomes a pitched oscillator that can be tuned in under the fuzz, which is where the synthy sounds come from1.
The pedal comes with the Igor pressure pad expression controller, which Delicious Audio describes as being for "manipulating the fuzz overtone in real time"4. It can also be controlled using 5v CV by a sequencer or modular synth1, which opens the overtone and modulation up to external control from gear outside the pedalboard.
Both the desk-style enclosure and the knobs are custom Rainger FX designs1.
Where it came from
The Chop Fuzzz belongs to Rainger FX's Dr Freakenstein line of fuzzes, built by London-based designer David Rainger, whom Delicious Audio has called a "mad pedal scientist"2. The fuzz circuit is the same one used in the original Dr Freakenstein Fuzz, the three versions that followed it, the first Dr Freakenstein Chop Fuzz, and six minipedal versions2.
Delicious Audio's 2024 roundup of unusual fuzz pedals framed the earlier Chop Fuzz as "a fuzz-tremolo-phaser all in one beautiful box" from "the inspiring mind of David Rainger"4.
Videos
Rainger FX
collector//emitter
R.J. Ronquillo
Questions
Is the Rainger FX Chop Fuzzz analog?
Yes. Rainger FX describes it as an all analog gated fuzz pedal, and Delicious Audio called the 2023 redesign fully analog12.
Why is it spelled Chop Fuzzz with three Zs?
A previous version was called the Chop Fuzz, so Rainger FX added a Z to distinguish the new pedal from the old one1.
Can the Chop Fuzzz be controlled by CV?
Yes, it can be controlled using 5v CV by a sequencer or modular synth1.
Is the Rainger FX Chop Fuzzz still in production?
The maker's page lists it as sold out as of 26 October 20261.
How much current does the Chop Fuzzz draw?
About 63mA, according to Rainger FX1.
Is the Chop Fuzzz true bypass?
Yes, Rainger FX states the pedal is true bypass1.
Sources (4)
- Chop fuzzz (incl. Igor), Rainger FX
- New Pedal: Rainger FX Dr. Freakenstein Chop Fuzzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-11-06
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-18
- The Best Crazy, Weird, And Unusual Fuzz Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-10-24
