Ben Fulton's Red Witch Pedals Releases Ultimate Fuzz God IV Edition which combines Twin BC109 Silicon Fuzz with Octavia, Oscillation and Extended Configurability
For the fourth / FGIV iteration of his Fuzz God Series - Ben returns once more to the horizontal BB-style format that most of the predecessors were encapsulated in. This time around we get 3 combinable footswitches so you can add both Germanium Diode Octave / Octavia effect ’8VE’ as well as ’Wrath’ Oscillation. Those two modes are not fully independent as they can only be deployed in conjunction with the main Fuzz voicing - you can though stack either with the Fuzz or apply all 3 modes together. Each mode / combination lights up a different colour on the single Multi-Colour-LED - as indicated in the above visual.
In some ways controls could not be simpler, while the pedal conceals internal 8-settings Dip-Switches - which we will briefly touch on, alongside two internal trim-pots which are thus far not functionally specified.
The 6 External Controls are as follows :
- Max Gain / Dip-Switch Bypass = Bypasses internal Dip-Switch Gain Settings for Maximum Gain Output
- Max Treble / Dip-Switch Bypass = Bypasses internal Dip-Switch Tone Settings for Maximum Treble / High Frequency Output
- Volume = Output Level
- Fuzz = Transistor Gain
- Wrath = Degree / Speed of Oscillation
- Sputter = Transistor Bias Control - which goes fully Sputtery and Gated CCW and Smooth and Searing CW
I have the Fuzz God III predecessor which was a mini 3-knob job ultimate configurability fuzz - courtesy of 6 Dip-Switches, 2 of which were for 3-Levels of Gain, and the other 4 for adjusting tone via boosting certain frequency clusters. The new MKIV edition seems to have an advanced version of this now with 8 Dip-Switches as indicated below :
This time around it's the last 3 switches that control 3 levels of gain. Which means the remaining 5 are for Tonal configuration and targeting specific frequency clusters. This wasn't particularly well documented with the previous pedal, while the demo videos gave you sufficient clues in the end. I guess it's just a matter of experimenting to find out what best appeals to your preferences. I'm generally a fan of dip-switches, but would much prefer them to be externalised - as Chase Bliss Audio has always done and Xotic Effects have started doing more recently. Having to screw off the back / base of the pedal every time you wish to make tonal changes is a major hassle - that would be my only quibble.
I feel this is for sure the best version yet - making the most of that great combination of BC109B and BC109C Transistors. Having the bypass switches on the outside of the pedal is a must-have really - and allows you to achieve maximum levels - where you then simply adjust further via your guitar's Volume and Tone Controls. You can also set alternative Tone and Gain levels via the Dip-Switches - and thus have 3 different voicings depending on which Bypass you activate - super flexible.
I would really prefer to see the dip-switches externalised, but regardless of that this is a fantastic pedal in an equally amazing form factor. The first run will consist of 150 units - and I feel it's definitely worth having one - I will be reaching out to Ben Fulton as soon as this article is up!
The Fuzz God IV is currently up for pre-orders on the Red Witch Web Store - going for $240 - Ben has confirmed that this will become a staple within the range - so not to worry unduly if you miss out on the first 150.
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