ZVex Abbey Road Fuzz Factory 7

The ZVex Abbey Road Fuzz Factory 7 is a limited edition fuzz pedal that Zachary Vex's company ZVex announced in September 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' Abbey Road album, which was released in 1969¹. It is a variant of the Fuzz Factory 7, built around two NOS 1960s germanium transistors, and only 12 units were made¹².

The pedal itself follows a similar setup to the Russian Fuzz Factory 7 and modifies the Fat Fuzz Factory circuit². Where it departs from a standard Fuzz Factory 7 is the finish: each unit carries a rendition of the Abbey Road album cover with a ZVex twist, in which characters from some of the company's other stompboxes cross the street in homage to the Beatles' famous crossing¹³.

A Fuzz Factory 7 dressed for Abbey Road's 50th anniversary

ZVex marked the Abbey Road anniversary with this pedal, a limited run of only a dozen units². The enclosure is a powder-blue, sparkling metal box with hand-painted artwork recreating the Abbey Road cover, using ZVex's own characters in place of the Beatles². Guitar World described the result as limited-edition printed art featuring characters from some of the company's other stompboxes crossing the street³.

The enclosures also have a little window into the inner workings of the pedal¹. That window shows off the two NOS 1960s germanium transistors, which were painted blue and emblazoned with "1969" and "2019" as an anniversary touch¹². Guitar World noted the same detail, reporting that the transistors were hand-painted with the anniversary years³.

The Abbey Road edition sits in a line of limited Fuzz Factory 7 models. Gearnews noted that there had been a few before it, including the Russian and the Silicon Fuzz Factory 7¹. ZVex's own product page for the Fuzz Factory 7 line notes that colors and details may vary on hand-painted pedals⁵.

The controls: tone, volume, gate, comp, drive and stab

Each unit has six controls: tone, volume, gate, comp, drive and stab¹. MusicRadar's coverage adds that the Abbey Road edition shares the Fat Fuzz Factory's control set, with stab controlling feedback pitch².

The tone control is passive and has its own switch for rolling off high end³. Beyond conventional fuzz tones, Gearnews reported that the tones available can go into the more wacky, outré side of things if the player wants to go there¹. Guitar World quoted a frequency range for the circuit of "earthshaking low frequencies to 'dog whistle' high frequencies," selected via a rotary switch³.

What reviewers and press said

Press coverage at launch focused on the collectibility of the run. Gearnews predicted the pedals would sell out quickly¹:

That prediction proved accurate: ZVex's custom store page for the Fuzz Factory 7 G011 now lists the pedal as sold out⁴. MusicRadar framed the release as a super-limited edition, noting that only a dozen would be made and calling it a $469 stompbox². Guitar World likewise reported the very limited run of 12 pieces at a price of $469³.

Where it sits in the Fuzz Factory family

The Abbey Road edition is one of several limited runs based on the Fuzz Factory 7 platform. Gearnews placed it alongside the Russian and Silicon limited editions¹, and the circuit itself modifies the Fat Fuzz Factory with a setup similar to the Russian Fuzz Factory 7². The wider Fuzz Factory line, which Zachary Vex designed, has been through many editions over the years, from the original Fuzz Factory to later variants such as the Fuzz Factory 7 USA Vexter⁶.

For a player today, the Abbey Road Fuzz Factory 7 is a collector's piece rather than a working purchase: 12 were made, they are sold out at the maker, and the circuit's behavior is available in other Fuzz Factory 7 editions that ZVex has released since¹⁴.

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