The Sitek Pandora Fuzz is a high-gain fuzz pedal from Sitek Guitar Electronics, a Polish builder, released in April 2019 at a price of $1691. It is a 100% discrete analog circuit built around five gain stages, and it belongs to the maker's "Sound Muses" series of pedals12. What sets it apart from a plain fuzz is the octave: it mixes natural upper octave tones in with the fuzz, which places it in the same family as the vintage Shin-Ei Super Fuzz34.
Sitek describes it as a versatile high gain fuzz pedal that lets you dial in tones ranging from warm fuzz to top-end rich sound and anything in between5. Premier Guitar's reviewer called it "this expansive and versatile, vintage-inspired octave fuzz"4.
A five-stage fuzz based on the Super Fuzz
The circuit is an all-analog high-gain design with five gain stages2, built from what Sitek calls carefully designed gain stages and high quality components5. Increasing the gain saturates the distortion and increases sustain1.
Its lineage is the Shin-Ei Super Fuzz, the vintage octave fuzz heard on countless records. Premier Guitar's reviewer put it plainly45:
"it's clear they drew some inspiration from the Shin-Ei Super Fuzz when imagining the Pandora's tone foundation"4
The reviewer went on: "The Pandora explodes with similar octave aggression, but it offers more ways to shape that octave-fuzzy disposition"4. Where the original Super Fuzz gives you a fixed character, the Pandora adds controls that let you push the octave forward or pull it back. Delicious Audio describes this as opening Pandora's box of fuzz so the natural upper octave becomes more prominent5.
The controls
The pedal carries five controls: Level, Fuzz, Tone, Color and a switch that chooses between two clipping modes1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Level | Sets the overall output volume34 |
| Fuzz | Everything from a light dusting of dirt to a wall of fuzzy sound as you turn clockwise; more saturation and sustain as it goes up34 |
| Tone | Modifies the frequency content of the fuzzed signal, lows to the left and highs to the right; adds highs to your sound35 |
| Color | Controls the character of the sound, from open and dynamic to compressed and saturated3 |
| Switch | Chooses between the two clipping modes13 |
The Color control is the one that most changes the pedal's feel. Delicious Audio says it "can transform the fuzz from saturated and compressed to open and dynamic"5, and Pedal of the Day found the same range, calling it the control over whether the sound is open and dynamic or compressed and saturated3.
Two clipping modes: germanium or germanium and silicon
The toggle switch selects between two clipping configurations3. Delicious Audio describes the choice as one between germanium and silicon diodes5, and the reviews fill in the detail:
- Mode I: Symmetrical clipping using two NOS germanium diodes, giving a tighter, more compressed fuzz character. Premier Guitar's reviewer notes this setting provides more compression34.
- Mode II: Asymmetrical clipping favoring a pair of germanium and silicon diodes, which produces a more open and dynamic tone3.
For a player, that is effectively two fuzzes in one box: a squashed, saturated voice and a looser, more responsive one, a split that echoes the difference many players hear between germanium and silicon fuzz circuits generally35.
Build, power and where to buy
The pedal comes in a powder-coated enclosure built to withstand tough stage conditions, with a DeMont Smooth-Click footswitch123. It is wired for true bypass13. Power comes from a 9V DC supply1, and Premier Guitar's review notes the Pandora can only be powered using a 9V barrel adaptor, so there is no battery option4.
At launch it was available through Reverb.com and directly from the Sitek Guitar Electronics website at www.sitek.rocks1. Sitek's line also includes the Cocoa Overdrive/Distortion and the Fuzzie Fuzz6.
The $169 price is the launch price from April 201912. Check the maker's current listing for today's price and availability.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day reviewed it in September 2020 and found coaxing out a variety of sounds easy, "ranging from warm fuzz to top end-rich distortion and many intervals in between," with the upper octave able to become more prominent3. Their overall take: "Cheers to Sitek on a wild fuzzy creation"3.
Premier Guitar's 2023 review was similarly positive, concluding:
"This is a superb octave fuzz that dishes up amazing tones with almost any kind of pickups."4
The Expandora question
The Pandora Fuzz is sometimes confused with the Bixonic Expandora because of a DIY project with a similar name. PedalPCB, a printed circuit board seller, offers a project called Pandora's Box whose page says "Compare to Bixonic Expandora"7. That is a home-build circuit based on the Expandora, a distortion pedal that went through four major versions during its original Bixonic production8. It is not the Sitek Pandora Fuzz, which is based on the Super Fuzz side of the family tree4.
Videos
Sitek Guitar Electronics
The Quarry Productions
AndyDemos
Questions
Is the Sitek Pandora Fuzz related to the Bixonic Expandora?
Not as a circuit. The Pandora Fuzz draws its inspiration from the Shin-Ei Super Fuzz, not the Expandora. The confusion comes from a DIY project: PedalPCB sells a build document called Pandora's Box that lists the Bixonic Expandora as its comparison circuit, but that is a separate project from the Sitek pedal.
Does the Sitek Pandora Fuzz have an octave effect?
Yes. Reviewers describe it as an octave fuzz that mixes natural upper octave tones in with the fuzz. Premier Guitar's reviewer found it explodes with octave aggression similar to the Super Fuzz, but with more ways to shape that character through the Tone and Color controls.
Is the Pandora Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. The pedal is wired for true bypass switching, which was stated in the original 2019 announcement and confirmed in later reviews. It uses a DeMont Smooth-Click footswitch.
Where is the Sitek Pandora Fuzz made?
It is made in Poland by Sitek Guitar Electronics, a small builder whose line also includes the Cocoa Overdrive/Distortion and the Fuzzie Fuzz. The Pandora is part of the maker's Sound Muses series of pedals.
What power supply does the Sitek Pandora Fuzz need?
It runs on a 9V DC barrel adaptor, and according to Premier Guitar's review it can only be powered that way, so there is no battery option. A standard 9V center-negative pedal power supply is the usual choice.
Sources (8)
- Sitek Guitar Electronics Releases the Pandora Fuzz, Premier Guitar, 2019-04-26
- Sitek Announces New Pandora Fuzz, Guitar World, 2019-04-30
- Sitek Guitar Electronics Pandora Octave Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2020-09-22
- Sitek Pandora Review, Premier Guitar, 2019-09-23
- Sitek Pandora Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2022-06-21
- Sitek's Wuffy Distortion is a little red overdriving pedal, Guitar.com, 2019-09-06
- Pandora's Box, PedalPCB.com
- Dynamo Reactive Distortion / Bixonic Expandora, Aion FX, 2023-07-03
