Skreddy ROVER Fuzz

The Skreddy ROVER Fuzz is a high gain Tone Bender MkII fuzz made by Skreddy Pedals, designed by Marc "Skreddy" Ahlfs. Where the original MkII circuits used germanium transistors, the ROVER is a silicon build that Skreddy describes as a "Germanium-like silicon fuzz with a Tone Bender* heart"¹. The point, as the maker frames it, is old school fuzz character without the practical drawbacks of germanium: it is stable across temperature ranges, so an outdoor gig does not change how it behaves¹.

The pedal carries three controls, Fuzz, Volume and Wool, runs on a standard 9V negative ground supply, and lists at $205, discounted to $184.50 at the maker's site, where it was listed as a preorder¹².

A high-gain Tone Bender MkII in silicon

The circuit the ROVER draws on goes back to the mid-1960s. The Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI was a three-transistor fuzz circuit based on Gibson's 1962 Maestro Fuzz-Tone⁴. The Tone Bender MKII that followed was also a three-transistor fuzz circuit⁵, and Sola Sound produced this circuit for other brands including VOX, Marshall (as the Supa Fuzz) and Rotosound (as the Fuzz Box)⁶. The JMI Tone Bender Professional Mk II is one of the better known versions of the design.

The ROVER is Skreddy's take on that MkII circuit with silicon transistors in place of germanium. For a player, the practical difference is stability: germanium fuzzes can drift with temperature, and Skreddy pitches the ROVER as a fuzz "you won't have to worry about when you play an outdoor gig" because it stays stable throughout any survivable temperature range¹. The maker also positions it as a high gain version of the MkII sound².

The controls: Fuzz, Volume and Wool

The ROVER keeps the control set simple, with three knobs¹:

The Wool control is the one that sets the ROVER apart from a straight two-knob MkII clone. Skreddy describes it as the control that shapes the fuzz's density, moving between a tight, articulate distortion feel at one end and a saggy, heavily compressed fuzz at the other¹.

Pedal of the Day's review of the Animals Pedal version found that Wool adjusts the sound density and thickness while keeping the original tone intact, adding what the reviewer called "a bit of pizazz, sparkle and brick wall compression"⁷.

Power and battery

The ROVER runs on a regular 9V negative ground supply with no special power requirements, so it works with the standard pedalboard supplies most players already own¹. The jack is the industry-standard 9V DC plug, a 5.5mm barrel by 2.1mm center coax with negative tip¹.

A 9V battery is supported but not included, and the battery disconnects automatically when a power supply is plugged in¹.

Origin and the Animals Pedal version

The ROVER also exists as the Animals Pedal Rover Fuzz, a version built by Animals Pedal and designed by Marc Ahlfs of Skreddy Pedals⁸. Pedal of the Day reviewed that version in March 2018, noting that "The Rover Fuzz comes to us from Animals Pedal"⁷.

Animals Pedal later issued a revised version of its Rover Fuzz with easier battery replacement, a footswitch moved closer to the front edge for better playability, and a wider tonal range⁹. The Animals Pedal version uses a true bypass footswitch and runs on a 9V battery or a standard center-negative 9V DC adapter⁹. Its control set differs slightly from the Skreddy original, with an ATTACK knob that adjusts the fuzz's distortion and sharpness⁹.

Who plays it

The maker's page for the ROVER includes jam clips from Ilya Lipkin, playing a Gibson SG into a clean Orange amp and also into a Fryette Aether amp¹.

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