David Rainger - King of the Originals, unleashes another very unique flavour courtesy of his Razor Fuzz with Virtual Pick Overtone Artefacts

David Rainger has found yet another use for his White Noise Module - which contributes the ’Sandpaper’ voicing for the first of the Overtone Modes!

What you have here is a pretty potent and searing classic gated fuzz which combines with a digital virtual plectrum / pick effect - which adds overtone artefacts into the mix - over and above your playing. So you have 4 different flavours - the ’Sandpaper’ one adds scratchy ghost notes, the Metal (Short), and Metal Long - add random Bleepy Bloopy ghost notes, occasionally sounding like ring tones. And then you have the final ’1 Note’ Mode - which is in a similar territory to Drone - in that it just adds a singular pitched note - same note pitch whatever you play - whose frequency you can then adjust with the ’Pitch Knob’. It would have been cool to have been able to control that with an expression pedal - so you could easily adjust the pitch on-the-fly!

There are 6 controls at your disposal - 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).

You can imagine this as a somewhat searing fuzz which then has digital artefacts occurring over the top  of your playing sometimes random, and sometimes with fixed intervals - it’s a mix of Analog and Digital components with the fuzz being a Silicon Transistor variety.

I tend to have the Gain / Extra Button set to High (Down), Volume @ 3 o’c, Tone near enough in the Middle, and ’Pick Volume’ and ’Pitch’ mostly maxed out for the first 3 modes. All the Modes have a use - while I’m mostly on Metal Long, and Sandpaper. I prefer my effects to have a lot of flavour and both those Modes really deliver for me. The Metal Short has its uses too - I guess particularly if you’re playing fast - but in most contexts the Metal Long sounds better. I’ve still to find a properly musical use for the ’1 Note’ Mode - you will know that I’m not really the biggest fan of singular frequency drone style effects. I’m sure there are styles of playing and techniques that suit the ’1 Note’ option - while I’ve still to find a use for those within my playing. David showcases it really well in his below demo.

The Sandpaper and Metal Long Modes are worth the admission price alone for me. This pedal is fun for days. It’s just the sort of slightly quirky effect that you would expect from David, and it sits in the same vey slightly fluted wedge enclosure - that the previous Pull Focus pedal comes in.

I see this Razor Fuzz as the quirkier cousin to the Pull Focus - where that relied on Reverb and Chorus as secondary effects - with delayed onset. While this one is kind of straight from the Mos Eisley Cantina!

I was fortunate to spend last Tuesday Afternoon at Rainger FX’s Willesden Junction HQ - where David gave me a circa 2 hour demo / rendition of the pedal. That is how I always picture David - endlessly noodling away for hours at a time - he has such a knack for his own circuits - and always gets the very best out of them - as he indeed does in his demo.

I was intending to do a ’Mikey Demus’ style photo of the whole team holding onto the new pedal - but it somewhat got forgotten in the Melée. There was a near full complement of staff on the day - with even Patrick (Intensive Care Audio) doing his bit to help out. Prav, Baptiste and Matt were also present - in fact the only one missing was Martin - but then I think he only comes in on the occasional Thursday, or is it Wednesday? In any case a full house at Willesden Junction - but they all managed to peel away before I could organise the photo shoot that I had intended.

I think this is the 5th or 6th, or 7th time even - that I’ve visited Rainger FX -- twice at the old Hangar Lane workshop and at least 4 times / possibly 5 at their newer premisses.

Rainger FX HQ is only 5 stops up for me on the Bakerloo Line - and then just a 5-10 minute walk - it’s by far the easiest pedal builder for me to get too - followed by Patrick / Intensive Care Audio - in Stoke Newington - I’m due to go there when his Death Muff finally launches - which has been pushed back to early next month!

For the Razor Fuzz - it’s another original and unique device - and you will likely need to adapt / adjust your playing style a little in order to get the very best out of it. I really enjoy the first 3 Modes - but am still finding my way with the ’1 Note’ option.

The Razor Fuzz is of course available direct from the Rainger FX Webstore - for £239 and equivalent - minus 20% Vat (£199 /  c.$239) for USA Customers. These have already long been send out to distribution, and should be in stock at International Dealers at the time of launch!