Summer School's latest is a really smart take on the classic silicon fuzz - the Fuzz 101, which includes a few cool enhancements

Mark at Summer School Electronics has made the perfect first classic fuzz - for anyone wanting to experience the best of that circuit style in the ultimate format. Essentially a Type II BC108 Silicon Fuzz Face with additional Tone knob and external Bias control.

I prefer all my Fuzz Faces and Tone Benders to have external Biases - as it’s such a key tool for adjusting the nature and timbre of the fuzz - and gives you more flavours and versatility. Further tone controls are incredibly handy too - and here we essentially have a sort of Low Pass Filter / Hi-Cut EQ based on the Rat Filter control.

As far as I’m concerned we have the perfect complement of controls here for a Fuzz Face type. I get annoyed when I come across a straight-up 2-knob fuzz face replica - the original circuit has weaknesses and flaws. The best takes on that circuit prefer the vintage tonality and texure - while giving you am overall improved output profile.

Controls - Volume, Fuzz, Tone (Rat-style Filter / High-Cut), Bias.

The Fuzz 101 is incredibly well priced at $165 courtesy of Sumer School and select dealers, presumably my friend Steve at FX Pedal Planet in the UK will have them in stock too - at around the £165 mark. I have nearly 120 Fuzz Faces in my reference collection already - and will for sure be adding this one too!

This is my perfect kind of take on the Fuzz Face - and I look forward to getting my hands on one. Really nicely done!