The 1861 Tau Classic is a fuzz pedal from Vick Audio, announced in November 2016. It is a "Civil War"-style Big Muff clone, based on the Russian-built fuzz pedals that Electro-Harmonix made in the early '90s. Vick Audio describes the sound as a warm, smooth Big Muff tone with plenty of sustain and a big low end, traits the company says are common to those original Russian versions1.
What it does
The pedal takes the circuit of the early-'90s Russian Big Muff and adds one practical change: a three-way switch that selects different mid-frequency positions. Vintage Big Muffs are known for a midrange scoop that can make them disappear in a band mix, and the switch addresses that directly. As gearnews.com put it when the pedal was announced, "This makes the pedal more usable in a band situation and helps you to cut through in the mix"1.
Where it sits in Vick Audio's range
Vick Audio has built a line of fuzzes around different eras of the Big Muff and related circuits. The 1861 Tau Classic covers the Russian "Civil War" era, while other pedals in the range cover other versions1:
| Pedal | Circuit basis |
|---|---|
| 1861 Tau Classic | Russian-built "Civil War" style Big Muff clone, with a three-way switch for different mid-frequency positions1 |
Videos
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Jack Fossett Guitar
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Sources (1)
- Vick Audio 1861 Tau Fuzz, gearnews.com, 2016-11-13
