The ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud is a four-knob fuzz pedal built around a four-stage Triangle Big Muff style circuit, the voicing associated with the earliest Electro-Harmonix Big Muffs from around 1971. ThorpyFX pitches it as a pedal that "could beat their original 1971 Triangle fuzz pedals when placed head to head"1. Where a vintage Triangle Muff gives you a single tone control, the Fallout Cloud adds a full EQ section with separate bass and treble knobs, which makes it easier to dial the fuzz in against different amps and pickups2.
Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX designed the original Fallout Cloud in 2016, at the request of vintage pedal enthusiasts who wanted a Triangle-era style pedal that would work with humbuckers, single coils including P90s, and a variety of amps23. MusicRadar notes the pedal has recently been renamed to avoid legal trouble4.
A Triangle Big Muff style fuzz with bass and treble
The circuit follows the Triangle Muff template: Delicious Audio describes the V2 as "a fuzz inspired by the EHX Triangle Muff from the '70s", with an added EQ section providing treble and bass controls2. Guitar Pedal X calls it a "4-Stage Fallout Cloud Triangle Big Muff style circuit"8. ThorpyFX describes the result as fuzz tones "from silky smooth through to doom laden whilst maintaining the ability to cut through" the mix1.
The design goal was versatility. Thorpe was asked to build a pedal that would work with a variety of guitars and amps, and the maker describes the result as bombproof enough to be gigged1. ThorpyFX also claims the pedal "has the ability to beat any four transistor fuzz you have heard (including the best vintage units)"1, a maker's claim rather than an independent finding.
The controls
The Fallout Cloud is a four-knob pedal. MusicRadar's review summarizes the layout plainly: "The controls govern volume, bass, treble and sustain."4
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level |
| Bass | Low-end EQ from the added EQ section2 |
| Treble | High-end EQ from the added EQ section2 |
| Sustain | Fuzz amount and sustain, as on a Big Muff style circuit |
The separate bass and treble knobs are the main functional difference from a vintage Triangle Muff, which has no such EQ section. MusicRadar's reviewer found this made the pedal "easier to fine-tune it to balance well with different amps and pickups, thanks to the EQ options, especially" with thicker-voiced humbuckers4.
History and versions
Adrian Thorpe designed the original Fallout Cloud in 20163. A V2 followed, which Delicious Audio covered in 2021 as the Fallout Cloud Fuzz V2 with the added treble and bass EQ section2. In a 2020 interview Thorpe described the design process: he wanted it to sound like a Big Muff, "a very good vintage Big Muff, but essentially we did our own thing", and it ended up as a different pedal9. Guitar.com's builder profile reports the pedal "has been universally praised and has won awards on both sides of the pond"10.
The pedal has appeared in several versions5:
- Original etched polished steel edition
- LTD BC108C Edition
- Black Edition
The Black Edition, announced in 2024, changed only the look: Guitar Pedal X reports that "internally the Fallout Cloud is exactly the same circuit as it has been with all the same parts values"5. Both editions were available on the ThorpyFX webstore and at select international dealers worldwide5.
A related special edition is the Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud, which ThorpyFX describes as "a special edition version of the original Fallout Cloud I designed in 2016"3. RockBoard's PedalPedia calls it "an updated take on the 2016 original" and lists the same power spec, 9V DC center negative at 20mA11. It is offered with an option to add three Collab picks3. Thorpe has also mentioned a one-off all-germanium take on the Fallout Cloud circuit12, and the Fallout Cloud circuit later fed into the ThorpyFX Hanami germanium fuzz, which Guitar Pedal X describes as a mashup of the Fallout Cloud and Boneyard circuits12.
MusicRadar reports the pedal "has recently been renamed to avoid being rammed amidships legally"4. The current ThorpyFX product line carries the Fallout Cloud name, and the Rogue Trooper edition is sold as a special edition of it3.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's review, which also covers the build, found the pedal "beautifully built and robust", seated in a laser-etched stainless steel enclosure with side guards protecting knob settings4. On the sound, the reviewer's overall verdict was:
"A very accomplished, range-extending reimagining of a classic fuzz-distortion voice. Try one."
The same review drew a contrast with vintage units: where some players may prefer "the more spattery, chaotic grind of vintage Muff variants", the reviewer found the Fallout Cloud "a stable, adaptable, impeccable sonic tool"4. The one reservation was price: "Tip-top spec means a premium price tag and some may feel the law of diminishing returns doesn't justify the outlay."4
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson counts the Fallout Cloud among his favorite Thorpy pedals, writing that it and the Camoflange "are two of my very favourite Thorpy pedals"5.
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Questions
Why was the ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud renamed?
MusicRadar's review notes the pedal has recently been renamed to avoid legal trouble, without going into detail on the specifics. The Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud is a special edition version of the original Fallout Cloud that Adrian Thorpe designed in 2016, and the current ThorpyFX product line carries the Fallout Cloud name.
Is the Fallout Cloud a Big Muff clone?
It is a four-stage Triangle Big Muff style circuit, but its designer says it is not a clone. Adrian Thorpe has said he wanted it to sound like a very good vintage Big Muff, but that they essentially did their own thing and it ended up as a different pedal. It also adds a bass and treble EQ section a vintage Triangle Muff does not have.
Who designed the ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud?
Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX designed the original Fallout Cloud in 2016. He created it at the request of vintage pedal enthusiasts who wanted a Triangle-era style fuzz that would work with a variety of guitars, including humbuckers, single coils and P90s, and a range of amps.
What is the Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud?
The Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud is a special edition version of the original Fallout Cloud that ThorpyFX designed in 2016. RockBoard describes it as an updated take on the 2016 original, and it runs on 9V DC center negative power drawing 20mA. It is offered with an option to add three Collab picks.
How much current does the Fallout Cloud draw?
The ThorpyFX product page lists a current draw of 20mA, and RockBoard's PedalPedia entry for the Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud gives the same 20mA figure. Power is 9V DC with a center negative plug, the standard for most modern pedalboard power supplies.
What is the Fallout Cloud Black Edition?
The Black Edition is one of several versions of the pedal, alongside the original etched polished steel edition and the LTD BC108C Edition. Guitar Pedal X reports that internally the Black Edition is exactly the same circuit as before, with all the same parts values, so the change is cosmetic rather than sonic.
Sources (12)
- FALLOUT CLOUD, ThorpyFX
- Thorpy FX Fallout Cloud Fuzz V2, Delicious Audio, 2021-06-15
- ROGUE TROOPER FALLOUT CLOUD, ThorpyFX, 2016
- ThorpyFX Fallout Cloud review, MusicRadar, 2016-11-13
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-06-03
- EHX Big Muff 2 review, Guitar.com, 2026-05-15
- ThorpyFX Hanami: NOS Germanium Fuzz Tones, gearnews.com, 2025-05-09
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-05-06
- Thorpy FX, Stompbox Book (stompboxbook.com), 2020-04-12
- Builder Profile: ThorpyFX, Guitar.com, 2017-05-19
- Rogue Trooper Fallout Cloud by ThorpyFX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-04-06
