The ZVex Fuzzolo is a small, two-knob silicon fuzz pedal from ZVex, built to take up as little pedalboard space as possible. ZVex describes it as "a raging beast of a fuzz" squeezed into a small box "to save real estate on pedal boards, and because we could"1. It is part of ZVex's California mini pedal range, and MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen summed it up as "Powerful fuzz in a cute package that won't take up much pedalboard space"2.
The circuit is derived in part from two bigger ZVex pedals, the Mastotron and the Woolly Mammoth, ZVex's bass fuzz13. Where those pedals carry more controls, the Fuzzolo strips things down to Volume and Pulse Width.
The controls: Volume and Pulse Width
The Fuzzolo has exactly two controls: Volume, which sits after the gain stage, and Pulse Width1. That is the whole panel, and it shapes how the pedal behaves more than the knob count suggests.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume (post gain) | Sets the output level. Unity gain sits just left of noon on the knob, and the pedal gets significantly bigger and badder beyond that3 |
| Pulse Width | A blendable control borrowed from the ZVex Mastotron that changes the character of the fuzz3 |
Because there is no dedicated fuzz or gain knob, the Volume control on your guitar does that job. Pedal of the Day's reviewer put it plainly: "You can adjust the amount of gain by rolling the volume off since it only has volume control"4. The same reviewer found the Pulse Width control "fairly unique" and worked the sound into a demo tune4, and also noticed a side effect: "To me, it acted like a noise gate. When I stopped touching the guitar strings the fuzz vanished when the pulse width turned fairly high"4.
Cleaning up with the guitar volume knob
The Fuzzolo is unusually responsive to the guitar's own volume control. ZVex's announcement described it this way54:
"The Fuzzolo has a very sensitive response and will completely clean up when the guitar's volume is turned down to 2 or so, then come roaring back to life when the guitar is turned up."5
Pedal of the Day's reviewer confirmed it in practice, writing that the pedal "responses well with the volume knob"4. For a player, this means one knob on the guitar covers everything a fuzz knob would do on a larger pedal, from clean-ish rhythm textures to full saturation.
Built from the Mastotron and Woolly Mammoth
ZVex says the Fuzzolo "is a fuzz pedal that is in part derived from our Mastotron and Woolly Mammoth"1, and MusicRadar repeats the lineage: "Derived in part from Z.Vex's Mastotron and Woolly Mammoth, the Fuzzolo offers silicon transistor-based fuzz controlled by two knobs"2. The Pulse Width control in particular was borrowed from the Mastotron3.
An independent technical analysis of the circuit, traced by Ciaran Haslett with a layout drawn by Travis at Guitar FX Layouts, describes the topology as a Fuzz Face style stage followed by a SHO-style last gain stage built around a BS170 MOSFET6. The same analysis notes that builders cloning the circuit have added a fuzz knob by wiring a 2k pot between the 100uF capacitor's negative pin and earth, the same approach as the Woolly Mammoth's fuzz control6.
Size, power and build
The Fuzzolo belongs to ZVex's small footprint range, pedals the maker says are "ideally suited for (but certainly not limited to) pedal boards"1. Premier Guitar described it as "not even 1.5 inches wide and barely 3.5 inches long"3, and MusicRadar measured the slim body at about 44mm across2. The enclosure is fire engine red, with a raging, snorting buffalo and flames painted on it3.
The Fuzzolo has no battery compartment, just a socket for an adaptor, like the rest of ZVex's mini series2. Plan on a pedalboard power supply rather than a battery.
ZVex announced the pedal in July 2013 alongside the Fuzz Factory 7 and Channel 2, describing it as "a wonderfully thick, heavy fuzz with two controls, volume and pulse width" in a box "much smaller than our regular-sized pedals" that "can easily fit on a packed pedalboard"5.
What reviewers said
- MusicRadar (Trevor Curwen): "Powerful fuzz in a cute package that won't take up much pedalboard space." USA-made, silicon transistor-based fuzz2.
- Premier Guitar: "It's a silicon fuzz that sounds way bigger than it looks." Verdict listed "Burly sounding and versatile fuzz voice. Microscopic dimensions," with no cons listed, at a $129 street price3.
- Pedal of the Day (Victor L): Found the pulse width control fairly unique, noted the volume knob response, and included a video demo with the post4.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
Premier Guitar
Z VEX
News
Questions
Does the Fuzzolo take a battery?
No. Like the rest of ZVex's mini pedal range, the Fuzzolo has no battery compartment, just a socket for an adaptor, so you will need a power supply to run it.
Does the Fuzzolo clean up with the guitar volume knob?
Yes. ZVex says it has a very sensitive response and will completely clean up when the guitar's volume is turned down to around 2, then come back to full fuzz when the guitar is turned up. Reviewers at Pedal of the Day also found it responds well to the volume knob.
How big is the ZVex Fuzzolo?
It is one of ZVex's small footprint pedals. MusicRadar measured the slim body at about 44mm across, and Premier Guitar described it as not even 1.5 inches wide and barely 3.5 inches long.
What does the Pulse Width knob do on the Fuzzolo?
Pulse Width is a blendable control borrowed from the ZVex Mastotron that changes the character of the fuzz. One reviewer found that turned fairly high it also acts like a noise gate, with the fuzz vanishing when the strings are not touched.
Is the Fuzzolo made in the USA?
Yes. MusicRadar lists the Fuzzolo as USA-made, part of ZVex's California mini pedal range.
Sources (6)
- Fuzzolo - ZVEX Effects, ZVEX Effects
- Z.Vex Fuzzolo review, MusicRadar, 2014-08-15
- ZVEX Fuzzolo Review, Premier Guitar, 2014-05-30
- Z.Vex Effects Fuzzolo, Pedal of the Day, 2014-05-26
- Z.Vex Launches New Fuzz Factory 7 & More Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2013-07-11
- Guitar FX Layouts: ZVEX Fuzzolo, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2016-02-06
