Thorpy FX Fallout Cloud Fuzz V2

The Thorpy FX Fallout Cloud Fuzz V2 is a four-transistor fuzz pedal from UK maker Thorpy FX, built around the circuit of the 1970s Electro-Harmonix Triangle Muff, the first era of the Big Muff¹. What sets the V2 apart from a straight Muff-style design is an added EQ section with Treble and Bass controls, which reshapes the fuzz voicing across a wide range without losing the pedal's ability to cut through a mix¹. Thorpy FX describes the pedal as having "the ability to beat any four transistor fuzz you have heard (including the best vintage units)"¹.

A Muff-style four-transistor fuzz

The Fallout Cloud began as a request rather than a product idea. Thorpy FX's designer wrote that he "was asked to create the FALLOUT CLOUD by a number of vintage pedal enthusiasts I know. They were after a Triangle era style pedal" that would work with a variety of guitars and amps¹. The result is a four-transistor fuzz following the Triangle Big Muff topology: Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson describes it as "the 4-Stage Fallout Cloud Triangle Big Muff style circuit"², and Guitar World's Trevor Curwen wrote that the pedal "channelled the vibe of the very first (Triangle) Big Muff"³.

For players, the Triangle reference points to the earliest Big Muff voice: a big, sustaining fuzz with a character distinct from the later Ram's Head and Sovtek eras. That Pedal Show included the Thorpy FX Fallout Cloud in its episode on classic fuzz tones and where to begin with them⁴, placing it among the reference points players reach for when exploring fuzz.

The added Treble and Bass EQ

The V2's main addition is an EQ section providing Treble and Bass controls¹. Thorpy FX describes the intent: "By adjusting the perfectly voiced EQ you can achieve fuzz tones from silky smooth through to doom laden whilst maintain[ing] the ability to cut through"⁵. In practice, that means the pedal can be voiced darker and heavier for doom-adjacent sounds, or opened up so the fuzz sits forward in a band mix, something a fixed-voice Muff design does not offer.

MusicRadar's Jamie Dickson heard the pedal as "a familiar fat-but-cutting fuzz/distortion", noting it can be more structured and overdrive-like with sustain low, with "outrageous bass push and empowering compression available"⁶. His overall verdict: "A very accomplished, range-extending reimagining of a classic fuzz-distortion voice. Try one."⁶

Versions and related pedals

The Fallout Cloud line has grown beyond the V2. Guitar Pedal X notes three versions of the original, alongside the special edition and the V2⁷¹⁸:

Thorpy FX's current Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud is a special edition version of the original Fallout Cloud designed in 2016; RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "This updated take on the 2016 original pairs precision with raw power and total clarity"⁹. Details on each are on the ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud and ThorpyFX Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud pages.

The circuit has also fed other Thorpy designs. In May 2025 ThorpyFX released the Hanami Germanium Fuzz, which Delicious Audio describes as a mashup of the Fallout Cloud and Boneyard fuzz pedals, built on "the 4-Stage Fallout Cloud Triangle Big Muff style circuit"². Delicious Audio also lists the Fallout Cloud among Thorpy's Muff-style pedals¹⁰. For other fuzz voicings from the maker, the ThorpyFX Veteran V2 [Si] takes a different path, combining a Sixties-style silicon fuzz with a Rangemaster-style treble booster¹¹. More fuzz circuits of every kind are covered on the Fuzz Pedals page.

Components and build

Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, reviewing the V2, described the internals: "Internally the pedal is immaculately built using premium 1% metalfilm resistors, Wima and Panasonic capacitors, and Neutrik jacks"¹. Those are the component details published for the V2; the pedal is presented as a fuzz inspired by the EHX Triangle Muff from the '70s¹.

The published component list for the V2:

• Premium 1% metalfilm resistors¹
• Wima and Panasonic capacitors¹
• Neutrik jacks¹

Videos

Click to load

Questions