The ThorpyFX Tacit Blue Fuzz is a germanium Fuzz Face style fuzz pedal from British maker ThorpyFX, part of the company's "Vintage Reimagined" series. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "a germanium Fuzz pedal that plays nicely with your pedalboard", with a sound "based on a highly modified fuzz face type circuit for a more versatile vintage style sound"1. It is not a straight copy of the classic circuit: Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio noted that the name might have suggested a Blues Breaker variant, but the Tacit Blue is "a Fuzz Face one"2.
The pedal was the first release under ThorpyFX's Secret Projects division, originally Secret Project #1, and Guitar Pedal X reported that only a few hundred, in the low hundreds, of each would be made, with early editions going to "a very select and secret VIP cabal of pedal luminaries / collectors / enthusiasts"3.
Where it came from
The Tacit Blue and its companion pedal, the Have Blue Germanium Rangemaster, are a deconstruction of ThorpyFX's original Germanium Veteran, split into two compact pedals. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson described the pair as essentially splitting out the two sides of the original Veteran, with slightly different NOS germanium transistors in each4. The Tacit Blue uses NPN type transistors and an audio transformer, and carries "the same kind of military spec Transistor of a similar sort that was used on the Boneyard Multi-Bender"3.
"Using similar sort of military spec Transistors as the legendary Boneyard Multi-Bender"
ThorpyFX sells the Tacit Blue Germanium Fuzz Face at £299.99 GBP3. Within the maker's range it sits alongside other fuzz designs such as the Redacted, ThorpyFX's Secret Project #5, and players weighing the two will find the Tacit Blue is the dedicated Germanium Fuzz Face in the lineup6.
The controls
The Tacit Blue carries four knobs, two more than a traditional Fuzz Face3.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level3 |
| Fuzz | Sets the fuzz amount; lower settings deliver "even thick lower gain overdrive tones"2 |
| Smooth (Impedance) | "sets the wooliness of the fuzz tone"2 |
| Bias | "adds a little bit more aggression to it"2 |
The two added controls are what separate the Tacit Blue from the circuit it is based on. Guitar Pedal X called it "A gloriously textured extended range Germanium Fuzz face", with the Smooth/Impedance control singled out as an essential addition3. For a player, that means the pedal can be dialed back toward overdrive territory in a way a two-knob Fuzz Face cannot, and the Bias knob adjusts the character of the germanium transistors themselves.
What reviewers said
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson reviewed the Tacit Blue warmly on release: "this sounds glorious from the start - just as impressive for me as his killer Boneyard on first audition, and surely a m[ust-have]"3. In the site's end-of-year fuzz roundup, he placed it among his favorites, writing that "this has the same amazing visceral vibrancy and sizzle of that pedal"5, referring to the Boneyard. In a later buying guide on mid-size Fuzz Face pedals, the Tacit Blue and Have Blue appeared again as the compact split versions of the Germanium Veteran4.
The Tacit Blue is a limited run pedal, reported at only a few hundred units3. Availability may vary between dealers and the ThorpyFX webstore.
For players comparing germanium fuzzes, the Tacit Blue sits in the Fuzz Face family alongside ThorpyFX's other vintage-inspired designs, and the wider field of options is covered on the Fuzz Pedals type page.
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Questions
Is the ThorpyFX Tacit Blue a Fuzz Face clone?
Not exactly. Delicious Audio described the Tacit Blue as a Fuzz Face style pedal rather than a Blues Breaker variant, and ThorpyFX itself says the sound is based on a highly modified Fuzz Face type circuit, built for a more versatile vintage style sound. It adds two controls a traditional Fuzz Face does not have, Smooth (Impedance) and Bias, which extend its range beyond the original design.
What transistors does the Tacit Blue use?
The Tacit Blue is a germanium fuzz pedal using NPN military spec germanium transistors, two per pedal, of a similar type to those used on the ThorpyFX Boneyard Multi-Bender. Guitar Pedal X later noted that the Tacit Blue and its companion Have Blue use somewhat softer and smoother 2N type germanium transistors than the fiercer mil spec units in some other Thorpy Secret Projects.
How many Tacit Blue pedals were made?
Guitar Pedal X reported that only a few hundred, in the low hundreds, of each Secret Project pedal would be made. Early editions went to what the site called a very select and secret VIP cabal of pedal luminaries, collectors and enthusiasts before the pedal reached wider release.
What is the Smooth (Impedance) control on the Tacit Blue?
Smooth is one of the two controls the Tacit Blue adds to the Fuzz Face format. According to Delicious Audio, Smooth sets the wooliness of the fuzz tone, shaping how the pedal sits against the guitar's input. Guitar Pedal X described the pedal as a gloriously textured extended range germanium Fuzz Face, with the Smooth/Impedance control being an essential part of that range.
What are ThorpyFX Secret Projects?
Secret Projects is a special Thorpy division under which certain limited pedals are released. The Tacit Blue was originally Secret Project #1, the first pedal in the series. The pedals are made in low hundreds quantities and were first sent quietly to a small group of players and collectors before being announced more widely.
Sources (6)
- Tacit Blue Fuzz by ThorpyFX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- New Pedal: Thorpy Tacit Blue Germanium Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-11-09
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-11-09
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-03-11
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-18
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2025-11-07
