The Summer School Pep Rally Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Summer School, a small company that also made the Science Fair pedal. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described it as "a simple three-knob fuzz," announced in July 2023. It is built on a classic two-transistor silicon fuzz circuit, which the maker says is capable of delivering a wide range of tones, and it adds a boost stage at the end of the circuit1.
Summer School designed it as "the ideal first fuzz with a classic, '60s-inspired tone, but also able to get a lot nastier at higher fuz," according to Delicious Audio1. For a player, that means a traditional vintage-flavored fuzz voice at moderate settings that opens up into rougher territory as the fuzz control is raised.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the pedal's output level |
| Fuzz | Sets the amount of fuzz, from classic tones to nastier sounds at higher settings |
| Tone | Tilt EQ-style tone control, shifting the balance of the EQ |
The tilt EQ-style tone control is worth noting: rather than a simple roll-off, a tilt control moves the tonal balance across the range from one end to the other as it is turned1.
Where it came from
The Pep Rally Fuzz is a louder and "meaner" development of the Summer School Electronics Stone Thrower Fuzz, a limited fuzz pedal the company released in 20221. Pedal of the Day's review of the Stone Thrower noted that it "has some rad LEDs that light up your dreary pedalboard when the effect is engaged" and that it "comes with a lifetime warranty as well"2. The Pep Rally takes that two-transistor silicon foundation and adds the boost stage at the end of the circuit1.
It sits in the wider family of fuzz pedals built on the two-transistor silicon design, a circuit style associated with 1960s fuzz tones1.
Videos
Summer School Electronics
60 Cycle Hum
Pedal of the Day
Sources (2)
- New Pedal: Summer School Pep Rally Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-07-11
- Summer School Electronics Stone Thrower Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2022-04-23
