The Sabbadius Love Drops Fuzz is a fuzz effect pedal from the Argentinian builder Sabbadius, inspired by one of the most influential fuzz users, Jimi Hendrix. Its name comes from Hendrix's hand painted Gibson Psychedelic Flying V guitar, called "Love Drops"1. It belongs to the broader family of fuzz pedals, and it is built around one specific idea: a Fuzz Face design that works with a wah pedal.
The transistors
The pedal's designer asked himself, in his own words: "What fuzz pedal would Jimi Hendrix use today if he were still alive?"1 The answer led him away from germanium. He adopted low noise, low to medium gain silicon transistors, the Matsushita 2sC828A-Q, chosen to sound more like a germanium fuzz, because Hendrix liked the warmth of germanium fuzz but not its quirks1. These transistors have class "A" gain (hFE) from 130hfe to 260hfe, which the builder considers a perfect match for silicon transistors in this circuit1.
The practical result for a player is a fuzz that aims for germanium-style warmth without germanium's temperature sensitivity, in a Fuzz Face lineage Sabbadius has explored elsewhere, including the Rainbow Fuzz, Texas Red Fuzz, Oct-Up Fuzz Tone and Mostro Synthesizer Fuzz Modulator1.
Controls
The pedal has four knobs, two of which are rather unusual; the other two are Level and Fuzz1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| OUTPUT | Controls the output volume1 |
| Fuzz | Fuzz amount1 |
| WAH WAH TRICK | Makes the fuzz wah-wah friendly1 |
Wah compatibility
Fuzz pedals placed before a wah typically produce a hissing noise, and removing that is the Love Drops' distinguishing feature. As Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio describes it, "it has a knob called \"WAH WAH TRICK\" that allows you to make this Fuzz \"Wah Wah friendly\""1. Players who run a wah pedal in front of a fuzz are the audience this control is built for.
Videos
SABBADIUS Electronics
Buddy Blues
Questions
Is the Sabbadius Love Drops Fuzz germanium or silicon?
It uses silicon transistors, specifically Matsushita 2sC828A-Q parts with low noise and low to medium gain. According to Delicious Audio, the builder chose silicon voiced to sound more like a germanium fuzz, aiming to keep the warmth Jimi Hendrix liked in germanium fuzzes while avoiding germanium's sensitivity to temperature.
Does the Love Drops Fuzz work well with a wah pedal?
That is one of its design goals. The pedal has a knob called WAH WAH TRICK that, per Delicious Audio, allows you to make the fuzz wah-wah friendly, removing the hissing noise fuzz pedals typically produce when placed before a wah pedal.
Who makes the Sabbadius Love Drops Fuzz?
It is made by Sabbadius, an Argentinian builder whose pedals include the Rainbow Fuzz, Arena Fuzz, Texas Red Fuzz, Oct-Up Fuzz Tone and Mostro Synthesizer Fuzz Modulator.
What circuit is the Love Drops Fuzz based on?
It is based on the Fuzz Face circuit. Delicious Audio describes it as a wah-compatible Fuzz Face with the warmth of germanium, achieved through carefully selected silicon transistors.
What is the Love Drops guitar?
The pedal is named after Jimi Hendrix's hand painted Gibson Psychedelic Flying V guitar, called Love Drops. Hendrix is the influential fuzz user the pedal is inspired by.
Sources (1)
- Sabbadius Love Drops Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2022-07-14
