The Red Spiral Drive Channel is a fuzz pedal from Spiral FX. It is described as "a versatile fuzz that covers both silicon and germanium tones"1, meaning it can produce the two classic fuzz transistor characters in one box: the tighter, more aggressive sound associated with silicon, and the softer, more textured sound associated with germanium.
What it does
The Red Spiral sits in the fuzz lane, but its defining feature is what Spiral FX calls a tone pyramid. In practical terms, that means the tone control does not just roll off highs: it changes how the pedal loads your guitar's pickups, which is a different way of shaping a fuzz's response than the usual fixed-input design12.
"The Red Spiral also utilizes a tone pyramid, which is something that Christopher Venter invented"
Because the pedal covers both silicon and germanium fuzz tones, it aims to span the two classic transistor flavors of Fuzz Pedals: the tighter, brighter character associated with silicon and the softer, saggier response associated with germanium1.
Where it came from
The Red Spiral Drive Channel is a fuzz, and its defining feature is the range of tones it covers. It is described as "a versatile fuzz that covers both silicon and germanium tones"1, so a player can move between the two main fuzz transistor flavors without swapping pedals.
The line's family tree, as JHS Pedals tells it:
The Red Spiral Drive Channel is a fuzz pedal, described as "a versatile fuzz that covers both silicon and germanium tones"1.
The Red Spiral Drive Channel was shown at NAMM 2020 as a new build. Its circuit descends from the DOD Looking Glass Drive, so players familiar with that pedal will find the lineage here12.
Videos
Premier Guitar
Mike Hermans
Johan Segeborn
Sources (2)
- Spiral FX Red Spiral & Brute Fuzz Demos, Premier Guitar, 2020-01-21
- WHY SPIRAL ELECTRIC FX DESERVE A LOOK, JHS Pedals
