Rick Gram Franken Tone TZ-2 Fuzz Box

The Rick Gram Franken Tone TZ-2 Fuzz Box is a distortion pedal that produces a very compressed, fuzzy-sounding distortion and generates overtones one octave higher than the notes or chords played¹.

What it does

The pedal takes a guitar signal and layers a fuzzed-up octave overtone on top of the notes you play. Vintage Guitar's reviewer found that the Franken Tone produces a fuzzier tone with more sustain and more compression than the Woman Tone TZ-1, with the amount regulated by the Fuzz control¹. The Level control sets the output volume¹.

The octave content comes from the circuit's design. The related Guyatone TZ-2 The Fuzz, which shares the TZ-2 designation, uses a diode ring in its circuit, and diode rings are used to add upper octave tones to an input signal². Playing double stops or chords through such a circuit produces atonal, clangorous tones similar to a ring modulator, and the Guyatone page describes the sawtooth waveform it produces as yielding a much ruder and cruder tone with a whopping low-end². The pedal is analog and small enough to fit in a shirt pocket².

Amp pairing

Vintage Guitar's reviewer noted that the Franken Tone and the Catch-A-Buzz both sound better through a full stack, since bigger speakers handle the fuzz and buzz better¹.

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