The Spruce Effects Lichen Fuzz is a fuzz pedal built with hand selected vintage NOS germanium transistors, the old-stock component type behind the classic fuzz sounds of the 1960s. Spruce Effects hand wires and assembles it in California, with the enclosure printed in the USA12.
Pedal of the Day described it as Spruce Effects' take on those 60s fuzz sounds, "tuned to be extremely dynamic and touch-sensitive"1. In practice that means the pedal responds to how hard you play and, notably, to your guitar's volume knob: the reviewer found it "reacts well with your guitar's volume knob, for easy adjustments to your sound in a moment's notice"1, so cleaning up or fattening the fuzz is a twist of the guitar away.
Controls
The Lichen Fuzz keeps things to two knobs, and each does one clear job1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ring | Adjusts the overall output volume, "of which there is plenty"1 |
| Bark | Sets the fuzz amount, "from a slight growl to a full-on wall of awesome"1 |
Power and bypass
The pedal runs on standard negative ground power, which the reviewer summed up as "this pedal plays nicely with others"1. That means it can share a standard center-negative pedalboard power supply with your other pedals. It is true bypass, so the circuit is out of the signal path when the pedal is off1.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day came back to the pedal later in the year with a positive verdict: "The Lichen Fuzz was a great fuzz pedal, and we were impressed by its quality build and sound"3.
Other Spruce Effects fuzzes
Spruce Effects has continued building fuzzes since the Lichen, including the Acadia Fuzz, the Volcanoes and the Percolator Fuzz.
Videos
JayLeonardJ
Sean Gibson
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Is the Spruce Effects Lichen Fuzz true bypass?
Yes. Pedal of the Day lists the Lichen Fuzz as true bypass, so when the pedal is off, your guitar's signal passes through without the fuzz circuit loading it. The pedal also runs on standard negative ground power, which the reviewer noted means it plays nicely with other pedals on a shared power supply.
Does the Lichen Fuzz use germanium transistors?
It does. According to Pedal of the Day, the Lichen Fuzz is built with hand selected vintage NOS (new old stock) germanium transistors, the transistor type associated with the classic fuzz pedals of the 1960s that this pedal takes as its starting point.
Where is the Lichen Fuzz made?
Spruce Effects hand wires and assembles the Lichen Fuzz in California, and the enclosure is printed in the USA, according to Pedal of the Day's review.
What do the Ring and Bark knobs do?
Ring is the output volume control: Pedal of the Day notes it adjusts the overall output volume, of which there is plenty. Bark sets the fuzz amount, letting you dial in anything from a slight growl to what the reviewer called a full-on wall of awesome.
Sources (3)
- Spruce Effects Lichen Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2016-06-30
- Spruce Effects Lichen Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2016-06-10
- Spruce Effects Growth Ring Boost, Pedal of the Day, 2016-08-03
