Brian Wampler delivers a Harmonic Wonderland with his superb Cryptid Multi-Fuzz

Brian has definitely wrought magic here - his alchemical prowess is strong! This is supposedly a blended circuit with a variety of transistors, and a Fetzer tube emulation in the mix too. It really does achieve its mission in producing a wide range of classic fuzz sounds - that combination of 6 controls is so clever!

It’s a vintage style circuit in some ways - meaning it has to be at the front of the chain, and can’t come after buffers - so you should be aware of that. This allows you to fully ride your guitar volume knob and control the degree of distortion you want - all the way from searing fuzz back to clean - it does slightly depend on where the Fuzz dial sits.

Controls - Volume, Chime (3-Way Brightness & Harmonics : Up is Bright / Middle is Dark / Down is Stock), Fuzz / Gain, Tone (High End), Tight / Bass Response : Up is Bass-heavy / Middle is Tight / Down is Stock, Character : Bias / Sputter.

I caught hold of this one very quickly - I read a little of the blurb - knew I wanted one, and snapped one up straight-away from Andertons - with no further research! And I was wholly justified in my gamble. I’ve seen some odd reviews of his pedal - that don’t do it full justice - it’s an absolutely killer sounding fuzz - with such a beautifully rich, but still kind of articulate output until you load in too much bass.

The Tight / Bass switch is useful for getting certain Muff and Tone Bender tones - which tend to lean darker, while the Chime switch really opens up the top-end and loads on the harmonics - just how I like them.

The Cryptid is a wholly genius Multi-Fuzz - which totally covers you for Tone Bender, Fuzz Face, and Big Muff tones - and them some. This is more than ballpark territory - as the degree of harmonic richness is just astounding at time.

I found this pedal to be really pliable, and really easy to dial in!

Favourite Sample Settings - Volume @ 3 o’c, Chime : Middle, Fuzz @ 3 o’c, Tone @ Noon, Tight : Bottom, Character / Bias @ 9 o’c. This delivers a beautifully expressive voicing which straddles Fuzz Face and MKII Tone Bender style profiles.

It’s one of my instantly most favourite fuzzes!

Props to Brian for a jobs well done here - As I said once or twice already- this is a really special pedal for me.

I really like everything about it including the dark purple livery - you may recall that I stated that Purple is the Colour of Fuzz - and Brian has evidently or unconsciously picked up on that.

The Cryptid is an essential buy for sure - what a fantastic circuit. Brian does some really great circuits - but this one is extra-special!

The Cryptid should be sold out everywhere already - while you can probably still get one direct from the Wampler Webstore, where it goes for $199.97 and equivalent.

I love love love this fuzz - it’s one of my absolute favourites - instant satisfaction, as I said earlier!