Supro SP1304 Fuzz

The Supro SP1304 Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Supro, part of the company's first line of guitar effects pedals unveiled at Musikmesse 2016 alongside the SP1303 Boost and SP1305 Drive¹. MusicRadar described it as going old-school with a new old stock (NOS) germanium transistor in the first stage, followed by a silicon-based gain section, with what the magazine called "a dash of Supro's 'special sauce'" to create a low-noise, high-gain fuzz box¹. It was listed at £159 GBP at launch¹.

Circuit and sound

The design pairs two transistor technologies: a new old stock germanium transistor handles the first stage, and a silicon-based gain section follows it¹. MusicRadar characterized the result as a low-noise, high-gain fuzz box¹. For players weighing germanium against silicon designs, this circuit uses both, with the germanium stage up front and silicon doing the gain work behind it. For more on the wider category, see Fuzz Pedals.

Controls and expression input

The pedal has what gearnews.com called a simple looking control layout, like the other pedals in the launch range². Its distinctive feature is an expression input on a TRS connection, which gives remote control of the treble knob¹.

With an expression pedal connected, a player can sweep the treble control while playing, shaping the fuzz's top end dynamically rather than only with a fixed knob setting¹².

Launch and availability

Supro announced its expansion into stompboxes earlier in 2016, and the SP1303 Boost, SP1304 Fuzz and SP1305 Drive made their European debut at Musikmesse 2016, with availability in Europe following the show². MusicRadar reported that all three pedals are assembled in Port Jefferson, NY, USA, and feature anodized, brushed-aluminum enclosures¹.