SolidGoldFX 76 MKII

The SolidGoldFX 76 MKII is a silicon octave-up fuzz pedal made in Montreal, Canada, and it is the latest iteration of the company's gritty retro fuzz line¹. SolidGoldFX describes it as a multi-voiced fuzz unit that offers loads of octave-up snarl and clang while pummeling your amp with hair and fangs². It was announced in October 2022 and retailed around $199¹.

The circuit is inspired by the Ibanez Standard Fuzz, one of the mid-1970s Japanese octave fuzzes that also produced the Univox Super Fuzz and the Shin-Ei Companion²³. Those pedals are widely treated as fuzz legends of that era⁴, and the 76 line has always been SolidGoldFX's homage to them.

An octave-up fuzz in the Super Fuzz family

Octave-up fuzzes like the Univox Super Fuzz and Ibanez Standard Fuzz generate a note one octave above what you play, alongside the fuzz itself. On the 76 line, SolidGoldFX says the octave effect becomes more apparent the further up the fretboard you play, which is typical of the family⁵. The result is a cutting, aggressive texture that regular fuzz or distortion pedals do not produce.

The original 76 Octave Fuzz, launched in 2018, was designed to pay homage to those classic mid-70s Japanese octave-up fuzz pedals while fixing their drawbacks, such as a quiet signal and fragile wiring⁶. Delicious Audio described it as a multi-voiced, germanium-equipped device that changed the clipping stack from the Standard Fuzz's two germaniums into a hybrid germanium-silicon arrangement⁶. The MKII moves further in the silicon direction: Guitar World classifies it as a silicon fuzz with a silicon diode in the clipping path¹.

The controls: Color, Texture and the octave bypass toggle

The MKII keeps the control set simple, with two dials and a toggle¹:

The Color control is a change from the earlier pedals. On the original 76 Octave Fuzz, Color was a three-way toggle offering two mid-scoop options, with the center position bypassed for full-frequency fuzz⁶. The MKII's first version, the 76 Fuzz, used a global Bright/Dark dipswitch³. Guitar World noted that making brightness a dial rather than a switch gives players much more nuanced control over treble tones¹.

The octave bypass toggle is the MKII's headline feature for many players: with the octave off, you get a straightforward silicon fuzz, and with it on, the octave-up snarl returns¹.

Power and bypass

The 76 MKII runs on a 9V DC power supply with a 2.1mm barrel plug, center negative, drawing 10 mA²³. Delicious Audio adds that the pedal uses a negative ground, 9 to 18VDC power supply, so it can be run at higher voltages³. Switching is soft-touch relay true bypass, with top-mounted jacks for tight pedalboard layouts².

From the 76 to the MKII

The 76 line has gone through several stages. The 76 Octave Fuzz arrived in 2018 as a germanium-hybrid octave fuzz⁶. The 76 Fuzz followed, and the MKII updates that circuit³. Delicious Audio noted the original 76 had an important role in raising the profile of the Montreal-based builder³.

The MKII's changes are mostly under the hood. It uses a JFET preamp stage and a quartet of high-gain Toshiba transistors, which are new to this version²³. Gearnews described the pedal as based on a JFET input and built using a specific set of Toshiba transistors.

A separate branch of the family, the SolidGoldFX 76 Plus, added a wah-like filter with an LFO, expression control and selectable waveshapes on top of the FY-6 style octave fuzz⁷. The MKII instead stays focused on the core fuzz and octave sounds.

What reviewers said

Early coverage of the MKII was positive. Gearnews wrote:

Guitar World framed the MKII as a straightforward evolution, noting the original 76 Fuzz was also a vintage octave-up fuzz and that the new octave bypass toggle and Color dial are the practical improvements¹. Gearnews also reported that the pedal works equally well on both guitar and bass, which makes it an option for bass players chasing octave fuzz.

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