Spaceman Sputnik III

The Spaceman Sputnik III is a germanium fuzz pedal from Spaceman Effects, the third version of the company's flagship fuzz circuit. It runs on NOS Soviet-era germanium transistors and a NOS Soviet germanium diode, and Spaceman describes its output as "complex textures, gritty crunch, beautiful sustain and character"¹. What sets it apart from a straightforward vintage-style fuzz is Drift mode, a second footswitchable setting that corrupts the signal, and a Scan control that sets how far that corruption goes.

The pedal arrived in 2020² and was sold in a range of editions and finishes. The hand-wired original is currently listed as sold out at Spaceman¹, and in October 2025 the company released a machine-made Cadet version at a lower price³.

A germanium fuzz with a chaos mode

In its normal mode the Sputnik III is an all-germanium fuzz built on vintage Soviet transistors⁵. Spaceman calls it "an homage to the golden era of electronics," and the company says the circuit delivers an unconventionally wide array of fuzz tones⁶. Delicious Audio's rundown of the pedal's range gives a sense of how wide: "Within the Sputnik you'll find a plethora of tones, including smooth, gritty, vintage, modern, thick, thin, buzzy, bassy, splatty, sputtery, noisy, buttery, controlled and very much out-of-control tones"⁷.

The second side of the pedal is Drift mode. Spaceman took the footswitch-actuated Drift mode from the Sputnik II and enhanced it with optional momentary functionality, so the effect can either latch on or apply only while you hold the footswitch¹. Guitar.com described the mode as one that "introduces sonic corruption to its output signal," with the momentary function upgraded from the Sputnik II version so you can corrupt the signal on demand⁶. Gearnews likewise noted that the momentary operation lets you push the pedal into chaos and pull back out of it at will⁸.

The controls and Drift footswitch

The control set mixes knobs, a toggle and two footswitches. Guitar Pedal X's 2020 fuzz roundup listed the layout as "Scan (Chaos Scrambler), Mids Switch (Mid Scoop/Flat EQ), Signal (Output), Calibrate (Tone), Range (Gain)," then the Drift footswitch and a regular bypass footswitch⁹.

The tone section is where the Sputnik III's lineage shows. Spaceman says the tone control is a mix of both its predecessors, with the toggle offering mid-scooped and flat settings alongside the wide-range Calibrate knob¹⁴. On the Drift side, Delicious Audio reported that the footswitch "unleashes squealing and noisy tones and its response can be tweaked through the Scan knob," controllable in both latching and momentary ways⁷.

Power and connections

The Sputnik III runs on a 9V DC center-negative power supply, and the Cadet version has no battery option, so it requires external power¹⁰⁴. Current draw is 8.5 mA in bypass and 58 mA engaged, with a 1 Meg Ohm input resistance⁴.

The Cadet also carries an expression and control voltage input: a 0 to 5V DC TRS jack, protected against over and reverse voltage¹⁰. That jack opens the pedal's parameters up to external control, something the original hand-wired versions do not list.

Signal chain placement

A feature carried over from the Sputnik II matters for anyone who has fought with vintage-style fuzzes that only sound right first in the chain. Spaceman says "the transformer based pickup simulation of the Sputnik II ensures that the Sputnik III will behave anywhere in your signal chain"¹. In practice that means the pedal can sit after a wah or a buffer without the loading problems that plague many germanium circuits, and Guitar.com noted further options like fuzz stacking and voltage dropping, the dying battery effect, as additional territory⁶.

History and versions

The Sputnik III is the third iteration of the Sputnik fuzz line, following the original Sputnik and the Sputnik II⁵. Spaceman positions it as incorporating the best features of both previous pedals⁴, and it arrived in 2020 in a mid-sized enclosure, smaller than the Sputnik II but with more options than the first Sputnik⁴⁷².

The 2020 launch offered a standard edition at $269 plus three limited-run designs: Black, Red Moon, and a Soviet-inspired Red⁶. Gearnews reported that limited fancy color variations carried a small price premium⁸. Guitar Pedal X later summarized the original pricing as $269 for the hybrid standard version, an SMT and THT mix, up to $399 for the limited all-THT editions³.

The line continued after the Sputnik III. The original 2020 editions ran from $269 for the Hybrid Standard Version (an SMT / THT mix) up to $399 for the Limited All-THT Editions³. A Cadet version followed at $219; the Cadet series uses SMT components, while the Sputnik III retains its NOS germanium transistors and diodes³. The Sputnik II before it is likewise sold out².

The current Black & Red limited edition is a run of 3 units with a textured red powder-coat, black engraved faceplate, red jewel and solid aluminum knobs, loaded with first-run fully handmade and hand-wired circuits¹. The Cadet keeps the same circuit family but moves to screen-printed faceplates on raw metal cast aluminum enclosures¹⁰.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day reviewed the Sputnik III in May 2020 and found a pedal with range: "Sometimes smooth and warm, sometimes harsh and unpredictable, the Sputnik III offers a wide range of fuzz goodness"⁵. The reviewer also liked the hardware, calling the new mid-sized enclosure "awesome" for delivering the earlier pedals' tones in a smaller box⁵.

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, writing in the site's 2020 best-of fuzz roundup, was more direct about the pedal's core sound:

The same roundup noted the pedal's searing yet warbly output in Drift use⁹. For context on the family, Pedal of the Day's earlier Sputnik II review described that pedal's Drift mode as "chaotic and corrupted overload fuzz like you've never heard before," selectable via a second footswitch¹¹, which is the mode the Sputnik III inherited and expanded.

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