The Surfy Industries SurfyFuzz is a fuzz pedal with two distinct voicings, USA and Japan, selected by a toggle switch. Surfy Industries, the Swedish builder best known for its real spring reverbs, set out to make a fuzz that was "unique, multi-faceted and not a straight clone of a classic from yesteryear," according to the maker's product page1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio called it "a '60s/'70s-style fuzz with a lot of tweakability"2.
USA and Japan voicings
The two sides of the pedal come from different places. The USA side started from the D-67 circuit, which was based on the Mosrite Fuzzrite. Bjorn added the HARMONICS function and made other adjustments to the circuit that took it even further from being a copy of the D-67 or the Fuzzrite13. The Japan side is not based on any specific vintage fuzz, but takes inspiration from those classic Japanese fuzz sounds; Garrett suggested having a toggle to introduce a different fuzz sound similar to Japanese octave style fuzzes from the late 60s13.
De Gregorio described the toggle as giving you USA and Japan voicings, with the Japanese side sounding "fatter" than the US one2. Across both modes, he found the pedal could "dial up a variety of tones ranging from thin and sputtery sound of the early fuzzes all the way to more modern and full" tones used for heavy rock genres2.
Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Voicing toggle | Switches between the USA and Japan voicings12 |
| Intensity | Blends two gain stages; at zero some of the guitar's clean signal is left in for dynamics and clarity, turning up makes all gain stages contribute to the fuzz tone2 |
| MASS | Designed to counter the tendency for fuzzes to wash out on stage and become indistinct3 |
| HARMONICS | Function added by Bjorn during development13 |
The Intensity knob drew particular attention from De Gregorio: "But it's the Intensity knob that's the most interesting and unique, blending two gain stages"2.
Design and development
Surfy Industries tapped into the deep knowledge of friend and fuzz aficionado Garrett Immel for the project3. His suggestion of a toggle for a Japanese octave style sound became the pedal's second voicing, and the D-67 circuit became the starting point for the USA side13. Bjorn then added the HARMONICS function and made other circuit adjustments13.
What reviewers said
Pedal of the Day's review was strongly positive: "the unique tonal stylings of the SurfyFuzz make it one of the best we've played yet"3. Delicious Audio also listed it in a buying guide of unusual fuzzes, describing it as "A tweakable '60s/'70s-style fuzz, including a toggle delivering USA and Japan voicings"4.
Availability
The SurfyFuzz is a fuzz pedal from Surfy Industries, the Swedish builder best known for its real spring reverbs21. Surfy describes it as a '60s/'70s-style fuzz with a lot of tweakability2.
The first production batch sold out shortly after the pedal began shipping in October 20232.
Videos
Puisheen
Pedal of the Day
Delicious Audio
Questions
What is the difference between the USA and Japan modes on the SurfyFuzz?
A toggle switch delivers two voicings. The USA side starts from the D-67 circuit, which was itself based on the Mosrite Fuzzrite, with further adjustments so it is not a copy. The Japan side is not based on any specific vintage fuzz but takes inspiration from classic Japanese fuzz sounds, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio described the Japanese side as sounding fatter than the US one.
What does the MASS control do?
Pedal of the Day reports that Garrett incorporated a variable MASS control designed to counter the tendency for fuzzes to wash out on stage and become indistinct. In practice it is aimed at keeping the fuzz tone defined when playing with a band rather than alone.
Is the SurfyFuzz based on the Mosrite Fuzzrite?
Only partly. The USA side started from the D-67 circuit, which was based on the Mosrite Fuzzrite, but Bjorn added the HARMONICS function and made other adjustments to the circuit that took it even further from being a copy of the D-67 or the Fuzzrite. The Japan side is not based on any specific vintage fuzz.
Who designed the SurfyFuzz?
Surfy Industries tapped into the deep knowledge of friend and fuzz aficionado Garrett Immel, whose starting point became the USA side of the pedal and who suggested the toggle for the Japanese octave style voicing. Bjorn added the HARMONICS function and made other circuit adjustments during development.
Is the SurfyFuzz still available?
As of October 2023, Delicious Audio reported the pedal was shipping but that the first batch was already sold out. The prototype had been shown at NAMM 2024, and the pedal opened for preorder on the Surfy Industries website in July 2023.
Sources (4)
- Surfy Industries, Surfy Industries
- Surfy Industries Surfyfuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-10-23
- Surfy Industries SurfyFuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2023-07-16
- The Best Crazy, Weird, And Unusual Fuzz Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-10-24