The Switchblade Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from StoneFly Effects, released in 2019 as a collaboration between StoneFly's Marc-Eric and Eric Calvert of Frost Giant Electronics and Switchblade Jesus. Pedal of the Day described it as a take on the RAT distortion circuit, but pushed much further: "A take on a RAT, this one is so much more."1
What it does
The Switchblade Fuzz takes the RAT circuit, a well-known distortion design, and turns it into something louder and harsher. Pedal of the Day's reviewer called it "a RAT that took way too many steroids and overdid the protein powder in the best of ways," and summed up its character as "loud, aggressive and unapologetic, and those are its finest qualities."1
The pedal's main controls sit on the top portion: Volume, Tone (labeled Filter) and Distortion knobs.1
Clipping options
The distinguishing feature is a large rotary switch offering six different clipping options, each changing how the fuzz distorts1:
Socketed chip
The chip inside the pedal is socketed rather than soldered in place, so it can be swapped out. Pedal of the Day noted this allows "even more exploration" of the pedal's sound beyond its stock voicing.1
StoneFly Effects
StoneFly Effects is a Canadian builder of handmade fuzz pedals. The Switchblade Fuzz sits alongside other StoneFly designs covered by Pedal of the Day, including the Grizzly Fuzz, the Two Headed Werewolf and the Alien Sasquatch, the latter being the company's first PCB build.2
Videos
Pedal of the Day
Sources (2)
- StoneFly Effects Switchblade Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2019-02-21
- Stonefly Effects Alien Sasquatch Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2020-01-25
