The Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo is a guitar pedal from Whimsy Machines, described by the builder as a "Recursive Octave Fuzz" and, in their own words, "the most difficult to describe guitar pedal we have ever developed"1. It is 100% analog and, per the maker, capable of achieving over 300% total harmonic distortion1. Rather than a conventional fuzz, it warps and distorts your waveform, generating higher-frequency fundamentals along with their corresponding overdriven spectra, and the harder you play, the stronger the effect gets1.
What it does to your sound
Whimsy Machines describes the circuit as warping and distorting the incoming waveform and generating higher-frequency fundamentals with their corresponding overdriven spectra, with the effect strengthening the harder you play1. Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio summed up the character this way:
"Like a super fuzzy phase shifter overdrive. Relly cool."
Pedal of the Day's reviewer found the range of sounds to be the pedal's strong suit: "The tone here is what makes this pedal magical, and the spectrum of sounds available is vast and impressive"2. Delicious Audio has also listed it among the site's weird and unusual fuzz pedals, calling it a quirky "Recursive Octave Fuzz"3. If the octave-generating side of the design interests you, it sits loosely in the territory covered by Octave & Pitch Pedals, though it is at heart a fuzz, closer kin to the pedals on the Fuzz Pedals page.
The controls
The pedal keeps things simple, with just 2 control knobs plus a mode switch2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wonderment | Sets the intensity of the generated fundamentals and the corresponding harmonic content21 |
| 4 Way Switch | Sets the number of fundamentals generated21 |
| True/Buff | True bypass or buffered bypass1 |
The 4-way dial lets you choose the number of fundamentals that are generated, and the Wonderment control sets the intensity of those generated fundamentals and their harmonic content2. Delicious Audio's Griffin Jennings puts it plainly: "The Wonderment knob sets the intensity of the effect"3. Delicious Audio also notes that the rotary switch is a Distortion Mode control, with modes called "Fundamentals" by the builder1.
Bypass: true or buffered
The Whatsitdo can run as either a true bypass or a buffered bypass pedal, and the choice is made internally at the PCB level with a True/Buff setting1. Pedal of the Day explains the intent:
"Internally, you can set the pedal to be True or Buffered bypass, which can work with any signal chain."
The true bypass or buffered bypass choice is set inside the pedal, not from the top panel. If you want to change it, plan on opening the pedal up.
Videos
Demos In The Dark
Pedal of the Day
Eric Merrow
Questions
What is a recursive octave fuzz?
A recursive octave fuzz is a fuzz design that warps and distorts your guitar's waveform, generating higher-frequency fundamentals along with their corresponding overdriven spectra. The harder you play, the stronger the effect becomes. Whimsy Machines describes the Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo as a quirky Recursive Octave Fuzz, and one Delicious Audio writer summed the sound up as being like a super fuzzy phase shifter overdrive.
Is the Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo true bypass?
It can be. The pedal is set internally to either true bypass or buffered bypass, so you can choose whichever works better with your signal chain. The setting is made at the PCB level inside the pedal rather than with an external switch.
How do you switch between true bypass and buffered bypass on the Whatsitdo?
The choice between true bypass and buffered bypass is made internally, at the PCB level. You open the pedal up and set it to True or Buffered there, rather than flipping an external switch. Pedal of the Day noted that this lets the pedal work with any signal chain.
Is the Whatsitdo analog or digital?
The Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo is 100% analog, according to Whimsy Machines. The builder also states it is capable of achieving over 300% total harmonic distortion.
What does the Wonderment knob do?
The Wonderment knob sets the intensity of the effect. More specifically, it controls the intensity of the fundamentals the pedal generates and the corresponding harmonic content, so turning it up pushes the recursive octave fuzz character harder.
Sources (3)
- Whimsy Machines The Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo Octave Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-02-22
- Whimsy Machines The Great Fantabulizing Whatsitdo, Pedal of the Day, 2022-11-14
- The Best Crazy, Weird, And Unusual Fuzz Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-10-24