Back in 2021 I did a cool Fuzz Face Feature - which focused on the 3 to 4 Key Fuzz Face types :

• Type I : Original AC125 / Newmarket NKT275 Gorgeous Gritty-sounding Germanium Transistors
• Type II : BC108 / BC109 Higher Gain, Harder-sounding / Searing Silicon Transistors 
• Type III : BC183 / 2N3904 Germanium-sounding Softer Silicon Transistors
• Type IV : Fuzz Face Circuit Evolutions and Derivations - Fuzz Factory, Meathead, Regulus VIII etc. evolved 2-Transistor circuits - using a variety of

We get a cool 60’s Hendrix inspired purple oil-on-water design across classic hand-wired Marshall Amp Head, Cab, and matching Dunlop Fuzz Face pedal.

One for those with deep pockets - as this will cost you £3,800 in the UK where they are hand-wired / made, €4,400 in Europe, and $5,000 in the USA. Had I unlimited funds and space - I would possibly spring for one of these cool editions. While I’ve always been a combo guy really - and a 2-amp stereo guy too - with Marshall style on the Left ...

A slightly uneventful month in many ways - just the one event - the excellent sophomore Leeds Pedal Show - where I ended up picking up 3 pedals.

Some killer releases during the month, with a strong final flurry to make up the 10 notable article highlights. I’ve been very busy all month - and plenty of work has gone into this as usual, while there was somehow fewer large-scale rundowns and marquee features - more of that next month for sure.

HIGHLIGHTS for APRIL :

[Click on Images for ...

I am a huge fan of the Crazy Tube Circuits Constellation Series - where I own each of those 3 rare Germanium Editions - OC45, OC41, and CV7003 (Milspec OC44). Those were relatively simple devices with just a variable Volume and Gain Control, and then a 6-way Rotary that took you though the different modes :

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 ...

For me - these Dealer special White Light editions - are some of the prettiest varieties Spaceman has released to-date - with the white-out / snow-blind livery and striking cyan / teal LED’s - just gorgeous. I was missing the Atlas IV and Apollo VIIb - and Cream City Music and Axe and You Shall Receive were enormously helpful in getting those shipped to me in short order. I then spotted that my friend Scott at Axe and You Shall Receive also had a White Light Rumblefuzz II remaining - and I just...

I thought I should focus on my large format heavy-hitters for a change - where these 8 are some of my largest, most potent, and best favoured gain pedals. They are arranged here in alphabetical order, while they were released in the below chronological order. All 8 have featured heavily in my rig at different times - and all 8 are still very valid award winners and still in rotation. While the enormous girth of the Elektron Analog Drive means that is gets somewhat less of a rotation nowadays - ...

Props to Thorn Soundlabs for a fantastically versatile circuit that easily takes you into Fuzz Face, Tone Bender, and Big Muff territory - depending on how you dial it in.

It has a really potent tone-shaping ability - combining 3-Band EQ with semi-parametric mids and a Damping control. And 2 toggle switches to deliver different characters and timbres.

Controls - Gain, Damping (Tighness), Mid Frequency : 300Hz > 2kHz, Volume, Character : Smooth, Natural, Hot!, Hard Clip : Off / On, Bass,...

I initially covered this subject in mid-January - where I announced the arrival of the Tru-Fi Minis. 5 were initially made available, but at my time of coverage only 3 had reached the UK. Since then Teddy has released 3 more variants - and now 8 Minis in total have been released.

All 8 Mini Editions are now at Joe’s Pedals in the UK - priced at £199 each, where the original Tru-Fi USA price is $199 - all very fair.

Each of the 8 pedals are equivalent or better than the original larger size...