Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
2025 Best New Fuzz Pedals of the Year
Probably the strongest selection of the year - each one of these is amazing and sounds killer. But then agin similar was true of the Overdrives. I’m very much a fuzz fanatic - so his selection has to take the edge - what a selection!
This selection includes 3 from EarthQuaker Devices, 2 from Drunk Beaver, 2 from Fjord Fuzz, and 2 from ThorpyFX.
It also includes the likely pedal of the year - within a selection of 10 award winners here - these are so good - I could have labelled even more!
Here are the awardees :
[GOLD] - Teaching Machines FuzzBillion
[SILVER] - Blind Panic Devices Reactor Fuzz, Blue FX Devices Fuzz Fields, Coriolis Grissom Young Dual Fuzz MKII, Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol, Great Eastern FX Focus Fuzz Deluxe, Hangman fx Atomic World Ender, Redbeard Effects Bearded Vulture, Spaceman Effects Sputnik I Silicon Fuzz, Wampler Cryptid.
And here’s the full rundown of 31 :
- Blind Panic Devices Reactor Weapons Grade Fuzz [SILVER] - £179 / $239
- BlueFX Devices Fuzz Fields Ultimate Modulated Fuzz [SILVER] - $349 / $406
- Coriolis Effects Grissom Young Dual Fuzz II [Gemini III] [SILVER] - $269
- Drunk Beaver Disambiguation MK2 Muff-Rat - $150
- Drunk Beaver Irpin Bee Baa Fuzz - $175
- EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Mini TB MKII - $129
- EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter Rancho de la Luna Edition [2-Transistor Fuzz] - $179
- EarthQuaker Devices Fuzz Master General Legacy Reissue [Super-Fuzz] - $179
- Electronic Audio Experiments Glaive OpAmp Octave Fuzz - $249 / £259
- Emmergy FX Slowdriver FuzzDistortion [Rat-Bender II] - £120 / $160
- Farmer Factory Horny 66 - €200 / £175 / $225
- Fjord Fuzz Midnatssol Fuzz-Vibe [SILVER] - $399 / €399 / £399
- Fjord Fuzz Thor Wild Self-Oscillating Lightning Storm Fuzz - $199 / £229
- Fredric Effects Demon Fuzz Muff Fuzz - £99 / £140
- Funny Little Boxes Caught By The Fuzz Everyday OpAmp Fuzz - £99
- Great Eastern FX Co. Focus Fuzz Deluxe 3-Mode Fuzz with Overtone Octave [SILVER] - £299 / $385
- Hangman fx Atomic World Ender Multi-Mode Fuzz [Octave / Gated / Raw] [SILVER] - $240
- Hello Sailor Effects Rebel Rebel CV7001 VTB Fuzz - £300 / $380
- Itensive Care Audio Death Muff Gain Overload Fuzz - £149
- Manson Guitar Works Supermassive Black Fuzz - £269 / $359
- Moose Electronics Electric Elk Ram’s Head x Black Russian Muff - €199 / $179
- Pasta Pedals FrankenSTEEN Eau Claire Thunder Muff Fuzz - $210
- Redbeard Effects Bearded Vulture Direct Drive Octave Fuzz [Culture Vulture] [SILVER] - £219 / $290
- Rainger FX Razor Fuzz with Virtual Pick Overtones - £199 / $239
- RhPf Electronics MOSRAWR Velcro and Sludge Fuzz - $179
- SoundLad Liverpool Hungry Beaver MK2 Multi-Muff [Violet Ram’s Head x NYC 2000] - £129 / $169
- Spaceman Effects Sputnik I [SILVER] - $299
- Teaching Machines FuzzBillion Combination Wheel Gain-Shaper [GOLD] - £522 / $580
- ThorpyFX Hanami Germanium CV-Fuzz [Fallout-Yard!] - £329 / $399
- ThorpyFX Redacted Germanium Veteran - Fuzz Face + RangeMaster - £350 / $467
- Wampler Cryptid Harmonic Multi-Fuzz [SILVER] - $199
I’m not sure the final fuzz selection has ever been this potent - so many killer fuzzes here! And I own all of these!
The Spaceman Quartet of Gemini III and Sputnik I pairs was also a major fuzz event of the year for me!
Blind Panic Devices Reactor Weapons Grade Fuzz [SILVER] - £179 / $239
blindpanicdevices.bigcartel.com
Contols - Output Level (volume), Energy (input level), Fission (gain filter), Active Bass, Active Treble, Reactor Power Selector : 200W / 400kW / Uranium-235 / 1117mW, Stabilize (Green Fusion Mode only), Fusion / Meltdown Footswithc, Power Up / On Footswitch.
Such a potent fuzz - of face-melting proportions, kind of industrial textured - so high gain - this is a poster child for a wall-of-sound noise-maker. I was instantly smitten but this. The Yellow Mode in particular sounds just perfect. There's so much to like here - including the featured set, and the very iconic aesthetic with custom 3D-printed knobs - a great way to start off this selection!
BlueFX Devices Fuzz Fields Ultimate Modulated Fuzz [SILVER] - $349 / $406
Controls - Level / Output, Fuzz / Gain / Frequency, Filter (< LPF | HPF >), Gate, ⬆ 1kHz Notch Switch (for Filter), Gain Structure ; ⬆ High / ⬇ Low, ⬆ Phaser / ⬇ Vibrato Switch, Sense (Envelope Sensitivity), Left Punch-in Modes Footswitch : Double Press to switch Mode - Gravity / +Frequency, Right Bypass / Main Footswitch : On/Off & +Fazer (Phaser or Vibrato) - hold switch to Engage / Bypass Fazer Mode.
Another supreme killer fuzz with 4 gears of playback - core fuzz, phaser-fuzz, gravity mode (Input Gain + Feedback Loop), and frequency mode. This is for sure the greatest modulated fuzz to date - and you really don't need the small satellite IT LFO Modulator that just gets in the way of the on-the-fly gearing dynamics, Similar to the Reactor fuzz - this one is also beautifully textured - with so many deft touches onboard - and a really striking design too!
Coriolis Effects Grissom Young Dual Fuzz II [Gemini III] [SILVER] - $269
Controls - Master, Filter / Tone Sweep Direction switch / invert, Filter / EQ, Ge Gain (fully variable), Blend, Si Gain (fully variable).
And this one makes it a killer hat-trick - right at the start of this selection. An improved fully variable take on Spaceman's Gemini III. Which weirdly landed barely a week before I finally managed to snag an original one too. Both of those sounds incredible - in fact almost identical in that they share all the same rare killer parts. If anything this variant is even more attractive - with is green sparkle enclosure - than the originals. I'm obviously dliefhted that I have both!
Drunk Beaver Disambiguation MK2 Muff-Rat - $150
Controls - Voice (Shift - Mid-Sweep / Contour), Master Tone, Muff Gain, Master Volume, Boost (Rat Gain).
Drunk Beaver delivers a superb update and indeed upgrade to its Muff-Rat. This new version has a lot more of everything including more granularity. The original was impressive - while the V2 is a whole two levels above. Better in every department. The perfect embodiment of Rat Preamp into the front of a Big Muff circuit. Now also with dual gain controls.
Drunk Beaver Irpin Bee Baa Fuzz - $175
Controls - Boost, Sustain, Tone, Volume, Left Footwswitch (Fuzz Toggle | Flas/Scooped | Mixed EQ, Right Footswitch (Boost | Boost + Fuzz).
Probably the smartest take on the Bee Baa Fuzz to date - with 3 switching options on the left Footswitch, and 3 on the right one. Simlar to the Fuzz Fields - you can really ramp up the gears on the fly - where both pedals use smart footswitch actions to trigger different modes. There's so much to love about this particular take on the Bee Baa - which sounds particularly good for me All Blue or All Purple!
EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Mini TB MKII - $129
Controls - Level, Attack.
Excellent series of reissues for EQD - where this TB MKII take is probably my pick of that bunch. It's one of those fuzzes whose oput totally believes its diminutive stature. This is a proper Germanium take - and it really sound excellent - super easy to dial in too with just those 2 controls.
EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter Rancho de la Luna Edition [2-Transistor Fuzz] - $179
Controls - Level, Fuzz, Tone, Bias.
Excellent unique artwork reissue edition of Jamie's expanded 2-Transistor Fuzz. Sounds really potent - with an immense level of of gain, and really handy output shaping via Bias and Tone. This is exactly how you do reissues. There were also at least a couple more traditional artwork colourways out at the same time.
EarthQuaker Devices Fuzz Master General Legacy Reissue [Super-Fuzz] - $179
Controls - Tone, Voice (Clipping) : 1 Germanium / 3 Open / 2 Silicon, Fuzz, Level.
And this one competes EQD's fantastic trifecta - with a reissue of its potent Super-Fuzz take. Jamie definitely has a deft touch for his fuzzes - each one of this sounds exemplary - typically with a little more range onboard than the original - and more consistent playability. I really liked all 3 of these this year!
Electronic Audio Experiments Glaive OpAmp Octave Fuzz - $249 / £259
www.electronicaudioexperiments.com
Controls - Level, Fuzz, LPF : Strong Hi-Cut / No Cut / Mild Hi-Cut, Squelch : Strong Gating / Off / Mild Gating, Weight (HPF Cutoff), Texture (Analog Octave Level).
This one turned out to be everything I expected - and I expected really big tihings. This +80dB Octave Fuzz sounds truly immense. Also comes with some really handy controls - for maximum impact. This is potently high gain - but also really warm and expressive - a perfect take on the Octave Fuzz Format - pretty much every fuzz in this selection is a banger - and this one is fierce with it too! But so very tasteful!
Emmergy FX Slowdriver FuzzDistortion [Rat-Bender II] - £120 / $160
Controls - Filter (Hi-Cut), Volume, Clipping Diodes : Silicon / None / Germanium, Gain, Pre-Gain.
Hot on the heels of the Glaive is another massive sounding fuzz - which mixes up Rat and TBMKII flavours for a really textured and high octane fuzz flavour. Ideal for the shoe gaze styles. This one is inredibly potent with a distinct textured sear - sound exceptional - and such a bargain at the price. This is one of those greater than the sum of its parts fuzzes.
Farmer Factory Horny 66 - €200 / £175 / $225
Controls - [R]esistor / Gain Structure : 1 | 2 | 3, Level, Attack (Fuzz Gain Level), Bias (Q2 Transistor Bias).
One of my very best sounding Germanium Fuzz Faces - has a really unique breakup texture - and is both fierce and warm sounding. I love the neon pink enclosure artwork too. Beautiful design married to excellent engineering. This is the prettiest format for the Horny 66 Fuzz variant.
Fjord Fuzz Midnattssol Fuzz-Vibe [SILVER] - $399 / €399 / £399
External Controls (clockwise from top left) - Large central SPEED dial, CHORUS / VIBRATO Footswitch, vibe depth, EXPRESSION : LFO / EXTERNAL Footswitch, fuzz level, FUZZ Footswitch, fuzz gain, VIBE Footswitch, vibe level.
Internal Controls (top to bottom) - Vibe Thump Trimmer, Fuzz Mode Dippers : 1 | 2 On/Off ↑|↓ , Speed Range / Sensitivity Trimmer, Vibe Swoosh Trimmer, Vibe Mode Dippers : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 On/Off ↑|↓ .
A bona fide classic from Fjord Fuzz - what a smart execution - and brilliant modern aesthetic - a veritable black monolith of pedal - which delivers 3 Fuzz Modes, and almost Infinite Vibe Modes - including Uni-Vibe and Resly-Tone types - every way superb!
Fjord Fuzz Thor Wild Self-Oscillating Lightning Storm Fuzz - $199 / £229
Controls - Stark (Volume), Sturm (Q1 Bias), Drang (Q2 Bias).
A truly wild and unruly fuzz in the best possible way - you can make it squeal, sear or percolate - there are so many weird and wonderfull sounds on board. It's in part derived from the Blackout Effectors Fuzz Bear - but with just 3 controls for maximum chaos!
Fredric Effects Demon Fuzz Muff Fuzz - £99 / £140
Controls - Clip : Ge/Si, Level, Doom (Thick Scoop).
Based on the early one-knob EHX Muff Fuzz with a couple of smart mods - clipping option and scooped EQ. Actually sounds really amazing - obviously a breeze to dial in to! And these were sold for just £99 and came with a matching T-shirt - available from a number of guitar and pedal shows this year.
Funny Little Boxes Caught By The Fuzz Everyday OpAmp Fuzz - £99
funnylittleboxes.co.uk/products/caught-by-the-fuzz-pre-order
Controls - Fuzz, Volume.
Another one of my favourite fuzzes this year - so versatile even just with those 2 knobs. Has loads of range onboard - this is such a smart fuzz - just dual cascaded opamps with 2 controls - but it still sounds amazing.
Great Eastern FX Co. Focus Fuzz Deluxe 3-Mode Fuzz with Overtone Octave [SILVER] - £299 / $385
Controls - Focus (Gain Boost + Frequency Boost), Level, Mode : Boost / Drive / Fuzz, Fuzz (Bias + Gain + Compression.
The original Germanium Focus Fuzz was already exceptional - but David really pushed the boat out for this one - 3 different playback Modes - Boost / Drive / Fuzz - and with an additional Harmonic Overtone Octave on the left-hand footswitch. This one sounds as good as it looks! A golden fuzz!
Recap!
Hangman fx Atomic World Ender Multi-Mode Fuzz [Octave / Gated / Raw] [SILVER] - $240
Controls - FUZZ } Output, Tone, Gain, Voice / EQ Focus : Hi / Low / Mids, Clipping : LED / NONE / MOSFET, Fuzz Mode : Octave, Gated, Non-Gated, Fuzz Footswitch, CHOPPER / DRONE } Speed, Speed Fine-Tune / Frequency (particular for peak Drone settings), Depth / Intensity, Chopper Footswitch.
Internal Controls - Fine-Tune Range Adjustment Trimmer, Dry Blend Trimmer, EXT. Remote Channel Option : Left <> Right.
Killer multi-mode fuzz - with LFO signal chopper tremolo. The Fuzz alone is worthy the price of admission - and then the chopper modulator adds a whole other layer into proceedings. Here you get Octave, Gated and Non-Gated Raw Fuzz. Really sounds and functions exceptionally well. The DAGG'R is probably Hangman's flagship pedal - but this one runs ir really close - a really smart execution for sure!
Hello Sailor Effects Rebel Rebel CV7001 VTB Fuzz - £300 / $380
One-Off, Retired
Controls - Level, Fuzz.
A beautifully textured Vox Tone Bender take - powered by a pair of mil spec CV7001 Transistors - equivalent to NKT 275's. Not the highest gain or the most expanded range - but a really beautifully textured fuzz at is core - sounds amazing!
Intensive Care Audio Death Muff Gain Overload Fuzz - £149
Controls - Chaos (Gain Overload), Tone, Volume, Fuzz.
Patrick's latest creation is fierce and aggressive - a totally different high gain take on a muff with full gain overload. This one is so potent - a really unique and unusual muff take - and one of my favourites.
Manson Guitar Works Supermassive Black Fuzz - £269 / $359
Controls - Magnitude (Volume), Warp (Filter / Frequency : 350Hz > 5 kHz), Dimension (Filter / Frequency ’Q’ Bandwidth) [< Wide | Narrow >], EQ Off / EQ On Switch, Gravity (Gain), Right Footswitch is Bypass, Left Footswitch toggles Peak Filter Boost Modes - Band Pass / All-Pass Static Phase Filter.
A really potent versatile fuzz which straddles all 3 main fuzz food groups. It has he capacity to sound amazing - while the nonsensical labels, and lacks of knob markers - make it a more challenging pedal than it needs to be. It's just a smidge away from being perfect - but those two niggles mean that I can't win an award here - where it otherwise mostly deserves to!
Moose Electronics Electric Elk Ram's Head x Black Russian Muff - €199 / $179
Controls - Volume, Fuzz, Mids, Tone.
Another really unique Muff variant - which mixes up Ram's Head Texture with Black Russian Dynamics - for a beautifully textured - but relatively midl take on a muff. It's the diametrical opposite to the aforementioned and super aggressive Dash Muff - which is surprisingly comparatively mild compared to that. But still sounds great in its own way!
Pasta Pedals FrankenSTEEN Eau Claire Thunder Muff Fuzz - $210
Special Order Item : www.instagram.com
Controls - Volume, Tone, Gain, Feedback Tune (Red), Tone Switch : Bypass / On, Green LED Switch : On/Off, Input Gain Time, Left Feedback Footswitch, Right Bypass Footswitch.
A very distinct and different take on a Big Muff - this one hits somewhat warm and thunderous - aggressive in its own way - but not the raw raspiness of the Death Muff, and definitely not the relatively mellow stylings of the Electric Elk. Obviously a compact take on Dwarfcraft's Eau Claire Thunder - which is very aptly named!
Redbeard Effects Bearded Vulture Direct Drive Octave Fuzz [Culture Vulture] [SILVER] - £219 / $290
Controls - DRIVE } Volume, Drive, Bias (Highly interactive with Drive), Timbre (Dual Filter / Midrange Character), Drive Footswitch, OCTAVE > Level, Drive, Octave Footswitch.
The hits just keep on coming! This one is so many different things to so many different people - it is equally adept as an Octave Overdrive, and an Octave Distortion - while I like it best and use it mostly as a searing high octane Octave Fuzz. My favourite Redbeard Effects pedal now, and one of the best pedals Thorpy has engineered to date!
Rainger FX Razor Fuzz with Virtual Pick Overtones - £199 / $239
Controls - Extra (Gain) : Regular / High, Volume, Tone, (Virtual) Plectrum / Pick Volume, MODE : Sandpaper, Metal Short, Metal Long (longer notes), 1 Note (Singular Note with Frequency adjusted by ’Pitch’ control).
A cool Fuzz with virtual pick harmonic overtones which add organic and randomised patterns to your playback. A very unique fuzz for sure, possibly not quite as versatile as some of the others here - so not quite in the awards categories - but pretty close!
RhPf Electronics MOSRAWR Velcro and Sludge Fuzz - $179
Controls - RAWR (Gain), Level, Low, Bite (Mids), Level.
RhPf's instant Doomy Delight - joins my Elite Trifecta of killer Doom Fuzzes - alongside the Blackhawk Balrog, and Lichtlaerm Altar. The MOSRAWR is Spinosaurus style immense - amazingly textured and ferocious! One of my favourite high gain fuzzes for sure!
SoundLad Liverpool Hungry Beaver MK2 Multi-Muff [Violet Ram's Head x NYC 2000] - £129 / $169
Controls - GRAVY (Gain 1) : Mids Focused, MEAT (Gain 2) : Thick and Chunky , Mids sweep, Tone, Starve (Harmonic Octave @ 11 o’c), Volume.
Killer expanded range Big Muff - combining Violet Ram's Head and NYC 2000 flavour. Allows you to mix up and accentuate key times and frequencies in the most potent of fashions - probably the more expansive of the Compact Big Muffs - while I also favour the original Chase Bliss Brothers for those kinds of sounds.
Spaceman Effects Sputnik I [SILVER] - $299
Controls : Signal (Volume), Scan (Scramble/Corruption), Range (Fuzz Gain), Drift/Sync (Engage Scan), Calibrate (Tone), Filter Engage : Engage = Bass Cut + Mid Scoop.
Near enough every bit as good as the original Germanium variant. This one doesn't quite have that same harmonic grit - but makes up for it with more sear and range. The key dynamics are identical - obviously with that difference in Silicon vs Germanium playback timbre. I was surprised quite how similar they were. All the controls are he same as before - it just the type of transitors that has changed here. I'm so glad I got the Blue variant - to match my Red Cyrillic original. And in the same year I completed that Spaceman Quadfecta of fuzzes - where I'm course including the Coriolis Grissom Young - which has the exact same components as the original Gemini III. A bumper year!
Teaching Machines FuzzBillion Combination Wheel Gain-Shaper [GOLD] - £522 / $580
Controls - Input : Line Level / Guitar Level, Components Wheels #1-#11 - each with options numbered 0-9: #1 Boost| #2 Opamp Gain | #3 Waveform Peak Diode Clipping | #4 Waveform Dip Diode Clipping | #5 Tone : Bass > Treble | #6 Octave Fuzz Drive | #7 Octave Fuzz Intensity | #8 PLL Harmonizing Fuzz | #9 Negative > Positive Bias | #10 Output Diode Clpping | #11 Output Treble-Cut, Volume Kmob, Output : Line Level / Guitar Level.
I can't say enough about this mechanical and sonic multi-gain wonder - as it marches towards its inevitable pedal of the year status. You really must get your hands on one of these - to witness the fitness! This pedal is already legendary - and it has only been to a few month - a thing of wonder for sure!
ThorpyFX Hanami Germanium CV-Fuzz [Fallout-Yard!] - £329 / $399
Controls - Level, Boost, Treble, Bass.
My second favourite Thorpy fuzz of all time - after the Boneyard - this one actually mixes up elements of the Boneyard with the 4-transistor topology of the Fallout Cloud - a 'Fallout-Yard' hybrid confection therefore. Basically the aggression of the Fallout Cloud with the playing dynamics and harmonic textures of the Boneyard. A superb fuzz - but not quite as versatile as the favourite!
ThorpyFX Redacted Germanium Veteran - Fuzz Face + RangeMaster - £350 / $467
Controls - RANGEMASTER } Range, Boost; FUZZ FACE } Smooth (Impedance), Fuzz (Gain), Volume, Bias.
And here's my 3rd favourite Thorpy Fuzz of all time - a somewhat aggressive take on the Germanium Fuzz Face Rangemaster - with potent / high gain mil-spec CV-style transistors onboard. A significantly different texture to the Have Blue and Tacit Blue! So is you want a slightly more searing high gain fuzz face - then this is definitely one of your first choices!
Wampler Cryptid Harmonic Multi-Fuzz [SILVER] - $199
Controls - Volume, Chime (3-Way Brightness & Harmonics : Up is Bright / Middle is Dark / Down is Stock), Fuzz / Gain, Tone (High End), Tight / Bass Response : Up is Bass-heavy / Middle is Tight / Down is Stock, Character : Bias / Sputter.
Brian's latest fuzz is his best to date - covers all 3 main fuzz food groups and is particularly good for Fuzz Face and Tone Bender flavours - also does a pretty decent Muff sound. The Harmonics on this fuzz are extraordinary - which is what gives his fuzz is massive potency. A really unique and smartly designed Multi-Fuzz circuit - and easily one of the best of the year, while the dial-in can be a little fiddly at times. The versatility and poise of this pedal makes it essential for me - one of the surprises of the year!
