The NerFuzz from The Tone God is a programmable fuzz effect: a fully programmable, 100-percent analog fuzz box aimed at players who want to save and recall their settings rather than dial a single knob layout in by ear. Premier Guitar's review describes it as offering nine different parameters that can be tweaked to access tones ranging from the subtly overdriven to the chaotically distorted, and the maker's press release puts the range as "capable of producing tones ranging from mild blues overdrive to experimental fuzz chaos."12
The controls: nine parameters
The NerFuzz offers nine control parameters: Drive, Gain, Diff, Bass, Mid, Treble, Feed, Gate, and Level, including an active 3-band EQ. The Tone God describes the pedal as a fuzz that can access tones ranging from the subtly overdriven to the chaotically distorted2.
The NerFuzz's nine control parameters are Drive, Gain, Diff, Bass, Mid, Treble, Feed, Gate, and Level, including an active 3-band EQ.2 That is a much deeper control set than a conventional fuzz's volume-and-fuzz arrangement, and it is what lets one pedal reach from overdrive-adjacent sounds into full fuzz territory.
| Parameter | Role |
|---|---|
| Drive | Drive amount |
| Gain | Gain amount |
| Diff | Differential control, enables octaves and swell effects |
| Bass | Low band of the active 3-band EQ |
| Mid | Mid band of the active 3-band EQ |
| Treble | Treble band of the active 3-band EQ |
| Feed | Feed control |
| Gate | Gate control |
| Level | Output level |
The Diff control is the one that sets the NerFuzz apart from a standard fuzz circuit: the press release states that "the differential control enables octaves and swell effects," so octave and volume-swell style sounds are available from the same box.2
Because the pedal is programmable, "favored fuzz parameters can be stored in 20 footswitchable memory positions and further modified by Patches A and B."1 In practice that means a player can build a bank of saved sounds, from a mild overdrive edge to extreme fuzz, and switch between them from the footswitch during a set.
Power: 9V to 24V, AC or DC
The NerFuzz is flexible about power. "While a low-profile 9V adapter is included, the unit will accept AC or DC input power of 9V to 24V at 100 mA."1 A 9V adapter is in the box, and the wide input range means the pedal can run from standard pedalboard supplies or from higher-voltage and AC adapters.
The pedal draws 100 mA, so check that a daisy-chain output on a shared supply can spare that much current before adding the NerFuzz to one.1
Bypass is true bypass with an LED indicator, and the pedal also has automatic bypass on power failure, so a lost power connection does not kill the signal path.2
Build and what reviewers found
The NerFuzz has a sturdy black metal chassis measuring approximately 7 1/4" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/4", with a laser-etched face plate; the review notes that "the face plate is laser etched, so the lettering will remain intact over time." Around back you'll find 1/4" input and output jacks and a power jack.1
Premier Guitar's reviewer auditioned the pedal with a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Pro Junior amp, and came away with this verdict: "The Tone God's NerFuzz is a superb boutique pedal that covers basic distortion sounds, plus some that are insane and otherworldly."1
The Acute NerFuzz
The Tone God also released an Acute NerFuzz variant, announced in a 2011 press release alongside the Acute ModestScream. The Acute NerFuzz uses a 100% analog signal path and accepts 9V to 24V AC or DC input power of any polarity.3
Videos
bassfuzzcom
MrExcane
Sources (3)
- The Tone God NerFuzz Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-02-15
- The Tone God Releases NerFuzz Programmable Effect, Premier Guitar, 2010-11-17
- Tone God Unveils New ModestScream & NerFuzz Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2011-11-28
