Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Gigahearts delivers a more vibrant evolved Moonrock Fuzz with its expansive Full Moon take - available in PCB and Custom Shop Imbrium Editions
Key Points
Gigahearts’ Full Moon (Imbrium) expands Glenn S. Wyllie’s Moonrock line into a 7‑control octave/silicon fuzz. Ian (Gigahearts) designed Lo/Hi Gain Range, extra Gain and Tone, an Offset dial (Swell > Sear > Octave), a Swell toggle (Per/Always‑On), and a Fine knob for Swell Attack Time. Demoed at the Leeds Pedal Show; related Gigahearts work includes Gig Buff (BM2) and the Siliface Fuzz.
As of 13 July 2026, the PCB price was £11. As of 13 July 2026, the Custom Shop Imbrium cost was £145 with ~4 weeks build time.
Obviously the Glenn S. Wyllie Moonrock Fuzz circuit is back in vogue again largely because of JHS Pedals’ recent Coyote take - a somewhat slavish 2-knob recreation of that original. While G.S. Wyllie actually made a huge variety of Moonrock fuzzes over his years of operation - mostly in the ’Moon rock’ style oval enclosures - but also in square and more evenly circular boxes too. My good friend Henry Kaiser sent the below visual of a selection of G.S. Wyllie’s finest! Note that several of those editions have expanded control topologies and dual footswitches even.
There are a number of boutique builders out there that have done their own takes on the Moonrock - including Collector Effectors and Dominion Electric in particular. And my friend Ian at Gigahearts designed his own more expansive version of the Moonrock - where the 7-controls Full Moon Fuzz was the result! The intention here was mostly about doing a better PCB of the Moonrock, but Ian ended up making a fully-assembled Custom Shop Imbrium edition also - as part of a commission - where he also made one for himself. The Imbrium moniker comes from a vast crater on the Moon - the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Showers / Rains).
Ian has made the Moonrock circuit far more expansive and controllable here - where innovations include Lo/Hi Gain Range, additional Gain and Tone knobs, and an 'Always-On-Swell' toggle-switch - which you can then fine-tune with the 'Fine' knob which sets the Swell Attack Time. CCW is pretty instant and 'short' while CW extends the timing very slightly. This is quite a sensitive control - which responds best to single coil pickups. At times it can be very subtle. Where I mostly seem to prefer it fully short and CCW!
This is not just a more expansive take on the Moonrock Fuzz it has a better, more open core texture vs the JHS Coyote - and it's much easier to get your preferred sound out of the pedal. Where having just 2 knobs mostly make you feel you're short of a control or two!
Full Moon / Imbrium Controls - Volume, Gain, Offset : Swell > Sear > Octave, Tone, Lo/Hi Gain Range, Fine (Swell Attack Time), Swell switch - Per Left CCW Offset only / Right : Always ON!
I got to experience this fuzz first-hand at the fairly recent Leeds Pedal Show. And much like Ian's Gig Buff take on the BM2 - he's got a knack for improving those circuits further. His BM2 take is the best take on that circuit for me (I own 3 variants), and I would dare to wager that his Full Moon / Imbrium take on the Moonrock is surely one of the finest takes on that circuit too.
The Full Moon overall sounds a little more open and even, and with quite a bit more range and granularity than the JHS Coyote - which of course I also own. I've occasionally criticised Josh Scott in the past of being too slavishly 'authentic' in his circuit tributes. I said the same of his Cheese Ball Fuzz - which is vastly outmuscled by Thorpy's Field Marshal - and I believe Ian's own Small Cheese - which should be coming up on this site real soon!
The JHS Coyote is a decent, versatile and honest take on the original 2-knob G.S. Wyllie circuit - but it could have been a lot better. And if you demand better and want more bang for your buck! Then the Gigahearts Full Moon / Imbrium is the one for you - it has everything that made the original great - but with an overall better sounding and more expansive range - where it's much easier now to dial in your perfect sound for this circuit.
The fact that you can permanently apply the Swell dynamics is a stroke of genius too - as it works wonderfully blended in with the Octave mode on the Offset dial!
As mentioned above - the primary deliverable here is the £11 Full Moon PCB - which is perfect for all you DIY types and your soldering irons. If you don't have those skills - you can commission a Custom Shop Edition of the circuit.
My Imbrium edition as pictured is a custom order from the Gigahearts Custom Shop - which will set you back £145 (for that version) and take around 4 weeks to produce! I loved what I heard at the Leeds Pedal Show and was determined to have one of many own - which I now do - it's vastly superior to the Coyote which I also own - and which is also still pretty decent!
The Imbrium is on the board at the moment alongside the equally exceptional Siliface Fuzz - I'm delighted to own both of those - and so should most of you!
For my own sensibilities my favourite settings are - Volume @ Noon, Gain @ Noon, Offset @ 3 o'c (Octave), Tone @ 2 o'c, Lo/Hi Gain Range, Swell switch on 'Perma-Swell', Fine @ all the way CCW / Min! There's obviously plenty of range on all those dials - bar the 'Fine' on I supposed which can be very subtle!
The Gain Range Lo/Hi switch opens up some slightly different textures - while I much prefer the fuller fuzz sound you get on 'Hi' and you get superb texture then with the Gain control just at Noon - that's already pretty perfect! I'm typically 9 o'c, 12 o'c, and 3 o'c on the Offset - but there are of course various cool in-between textures too!
Demos
