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2023-GPX-Big-Ear-Matt-Hoopes-Loaf-700.jpg

So BIG EAR pedals’ Loaf Fuzz is now 10 years old. And in the wake of the very recent DOD Chthonic Fuzz, and the Loe Sounds BLow before that - this is kind of yet another Fuzz which is more honed towards single coil / bright pickups and guitars. The output profile of the fuzz has less harsh, brittle and buzzy top-end, while it retains more low end frequencies to balance the natural brightness of single coil output.

 

To celebrate the Loaf’s anniversary - Grant and Karen are releasing a Matt ...

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2023-GPX-60-Cycle-Big-Ear-Whac-A-700.jpg

As Ryan Burke freely admits in the below video - this is all based on a somewhat zany idea he had one day to create a pedal which was covered in multiple footswitches and with no further controls or frills. This idea was then taken up by Grant Wilson of BIG EAR pedals - who roped in Jordan Clayton from Pine Box Customs to design the circuit and PCB layout.

 

The basis of this pedal is 9 equal but slight individual boost circuits - one per Footswitch - where you ramp up the level of boost - by...

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2022 Best New Fuzz Pedals of the Year

AC NoisesAcorn AmpsAnasoundsBardic Audio DevicesBest in ClassBig Ear PedalsBig Muff Style FuzzBlack Mass ElectronicsCalico EffectsCatalinbreadCoffee Shop PedalsColortone PedalsDrunk BeaverElectro-HarmonixFjord FuzzFrost Giant ElectronicsFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionFX TeacherGated and Velcro FuzzGermanium FuzzHeather Brown ElectronicalsKeeley EngineeringKing Tone EffectsKMA AudioLoe SoundsMaestro Style FuzzMastro ValvolaModulated FuzzOctave FuzzOddball FuzzOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzPigtronixRainger FXRed Noise PedalsReeves Electro Guitar PedalsSilicon FuzzSilktoneSolidGoldFXStomp Under FootSuper-Fuzz StyleTampco PedalsThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTriungulo LabWalrus AudioZander Circuitry+-
2022-GPX-Best-of-New-Fuzzes-Annual-700.jpg

So for the end of year Fuzz selection the only pedal of note that came a little too late to be included in this roundup was the very recent Reeves Electro BlackHatSound Deluxe Wedge - of which only 15 units have been made so far. Markus has promised me I can get copper insides when the next batch comes around - so I can complete my set!

 

Other than that everything of note that I’m aware of is included here in this selection. Again I own most of these - while there are still some down on the ...

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2022 March Pedal-Chain Update - Episode III - Cosmic Transmissions

Audio KitchenBarber ElectronicsBig Ear PedalsBig Muff Style FuzzBlues Breaker Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossCKK ElectronicsDelayDigital DelayDigital ReverbDistortionDriveEnvelope Filter and Auto WahFree Fall DiverFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGermanium FuzzKlone and Transparent OverdriveKMA AudioMastro ValvolaMetal DistortionModulationModulation WorkstationMulti-DriveOctaverOverdrivePedal ChainPitchPreAmpReverbSilicon FuzzTape DelayThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTriungulo LabTubescreamer Style OverdriveVS AudioWamplerZander Circuitry+-
2022GPXSKPedalChainUpdateMarch700V6.jpg

After a slow start to the year, everything sort of came to a crescendo in March - where I took delivery of a pedal for each day of the month. Of course some of these were embargoed from earlier months - while that volume of pedals for testing and pedalboard accommodation can be a little relentless.

 

There were also a number of key launches this month which can stress me out a touch - I obviously want to do well for those brands I support and pinpoint launches are always a little messy as you...

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2022GPXBigEarSliceOfPieFuzz700.jpg

Your eyes do not deceive you! BIG EAR pedals has indeed launched a brand new 3-knob Silicon Fuzz in the shape of this extraordinary and uniquely formed and 3D-rendered SLICE OF PIE PIZZA FUZZ - coming in both Pepperoni and Cheese artwork editions while the underlying circuit remains the same.

 

In terms of what kind of fuzz this is derived from - the shape, name, and indeed 3-control knob topology kind of gives the game away - I will let you figure that out for yourselves. While the controls ...

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2021 August Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VIII - Good Reverberations

Big Ear PedalsBright Onion PedalsCaroline Guitar CompanyDigital ReverbDistortionDrunk BeaverFlangerFuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionModulationNeunaberOctave FuzzOpAmp FuzzPedal ChainPettyjohn ElectronicsRat Style FuzzReverbReverb WorkstationRotary SpeakerSilicon FuzzSitek Guitar ElectronicsSpaceman EffectsSpiral Electric FX+-
2021GPXSKPedalChainUpdateAugust700.jpg

August has been another impressively busy month with lots of excellent new pedal releases which has certainly kept me on my toes. I always thought August used to be a fairly quiet month in the annual release calendar. While I guess this year there have been so many delays - because of parts supply issues and the like - that lots of launches have been unusually pushed back - which means those pedals just weren’t ready until about now.

 

I am particularly impressed to have got my hands on the ...

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Big Ear Pedals' Chaka Octave Fuzz is an Unsung Classic of that Genre

Big Ear PedalsFuzzOctave FuzzSilicon Fuzz+-
2021GPXBigEarChakaFuzz700.jpg

This all started off with my good friend Bob Guido telling me about one of his all-time favourite fuzzes - the then discontinued Big Ear Pedals Chaka Octave Fuzz - that has first been introduced in 2014, but since discontinued within about five years of that.

 

I got talking to my good friend Grant Wilson at Big Ear Pedals - and asked if he could possibly conceivably make one more of those pedals for me. After some digging around, Grant fortuitously found a small stash of components ...

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2021 May Pedal-Chain Update - Episode V - Future Phase

Beetronics FXBig Ear PedalsBig Muff Style FuzzBlues Driver Style OverdriveBoostBoost and OverdriveBossChorus and VibratoCrazy Tube CircuitsD*A*M EffectsDemedash EffectsDistortionDrive WorkstationDrunk BeaverEmanating Fist ElectronicsEQFoxpedalFuzzFuzz Face Style FuzzFuzz-Drive and FuzzstortionGated and Velcro FuzzGermanium FuzzHarmonizerJoe GoreKlirrton ManufakturKuro Custom AudioMantic EffectsMarshall Style DistortionModulationMulti-DriveOctave FuzzOpAmp FuzzOscillating FuzzOverdrivePedal ChainPettyjohn ElectronicsPhaserPitchRat Style FuzzSilicon FuzzThird Man RecordsThorpyFXTone Bender Style FuzzTubescreamer Style OverdriveUtility+-
2021GPXSKPedalChainUpdateMayRevised700V4.jpg

May turned out to be another pretty busy month as far as new releases and the overall collection is concerned. I personally acquired around 20 or so new pedals - with some further acquisitions not having landed yet.

 

Obviously a fair amount of new Overdrives and Phasers in particular - while May covered most of the key pedal categories in one way or another. And most of the pedal-chain additions for the month have been reviewed or touched on in some way previously - with the exception of the...

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The 3 Pedal Challenge - Ultimate Range, Versatility and Variety at the key enclosure sizes

Big Ear PedalsBoost and OverdriveBossChase Bliss AudioDelayDistortionDriveEchoverbGFI SystemHorizon DevicesKeeley EngineeringModulationModulation WorkstationMooerMulti-DrivePigtronixReverbSource Audio+-
2021GPX3PedalChallenge700V3.jpg

The 3 Pedal Challenge was in constant circulation last year on a variety of discussion groups, and I’ve kind of been biding my time in the hope I would have more options to choose from by now, but there has been no significant addition this year to unseat any of my established selections.

 

There are various ways to go about the 3 Pedal Challenge - where some individuals simply just select their 3 favourite pedals - without any particular rhyme or reason. While for me it’s a ...

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2021GPXBigEarLoafWoodcutter700.jpg

I’m delighted to have got my hands on one of these limited edition Loaf Fuzzes. Funnily the one I’ve been after for the longest time has eluded me so far. The first Big Ear Pedal that was on my wishlist and that I still want is a Squatch Wood Facia edition of the Woodcutter Distortion. For me there’s nothing more fitting than to have a Woodcutter in a wood-facia enclosure.

 

I am actually quite the fan of wood-facia pedals in general, and have 4 of the Bogner Rupert ...

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