Best Fuzz Pedal For Guitar (2024 Update)

I'm kind of on the fence with this pedal. I don't care about how it sounds in comparison to the real thing, but am more interested in how it performs as a fuzz pedal in general. The Fuzz Face setting is pretty decent. I couldn't stand the Maestro, but I suppose that there are those out there that like that model. The Octavia added a cool octave effect to the fuzz, but it seemed to cause a lot of hum, and it created octaves of hum as well, which was pretty horrid sounding. If I keep this pedal, I will only use it on the Fuzz Face setting, but I'm kind of preferring the fuzz tones that I'm getting out of my Pro Co Rat 2.CoopDbomb

I like this pedal although I need to experiment more with the orientation on my board. It does have 3 of the most sought after fuzz sounds and the Octave one comes close to that vintage Zep sound. I think the pedal is great but I have experienced less than desirable effects with it depending on the settings and adjustments but I also need to experiment with orientation on the board so jury is out on that. But I will say when I keep things at high noon and do little tweaks I get a better sound out of it.. I still like the pedal compared to others out there.Azuljay

Like some of you out there I endeavor into the real of Fuzz. Traditional sounds are safest path to take and this one direction you might want to take. Untamable fuzz if hands down my favorite types and offer the most incredible experience into a vacuum where sound as we know does not travel. This however offers a different taste from the well know pi and face pedals. Its is a classic but sinfully not as known. I imediatly fell in love with the sound as it offers a tamed sound when you actually need to play with others (who dont understand fuzz they way you do) but also allows you to experiment with interesting sounds while at home. Lastly, the enclosure is elegant! So much so that youll think twice on putting it on your board. I dont recommend this as a gig pedal but overall a must have for those who seek the sonic excellence square waves bless us with.Ed

Overall: I have become an even bigger fan of Slash since his work with Myles Kennedy. I feel like he is one of the most melodic rock leads out there at the moment (just my opinion).I was really surprised by how much I actually like this pedal. It is really easy to get some awesome sounding riffs with this pedal, the tone is beautiful on this with the octaves. The build quality is superb as expected from MXR. I have bought a few new MXR pedals in the last few months and I have yet to find any complaint about them. Looking forward to a long relationship with this pedal!Matthew

I got this pedal because I’m a slash fan, this pedal is great at getting close to the lead tones for solos on paradise city. It is also just a great octa fuzz to cover all needs. I’ve been trying different placements on my board both before and after the wah. It’s a fun pedal to experiment with.Liam

The Sub Machine Octave Fuzz has a tight, modern sound to my ears, while also being able to spew aural filth akin to Stooges guitar. The powerful bass may be too clean for some ears – I find the overall vibe a little sterile – but there's a lot of fun here, with huge potential for exploration and use. Seems to be very well made – weighs quite a bit.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

This pedal is great. If you think you want it, you want it. And I would recommend it. This can be used as a nice OD, Dist or Fuzz before you dial in the Octave at all. With the Fuzz and Tone down you can almost use it as plain Octave (with just a bit of crunch). But obviously, the idea is you dial in your desired amounts of Fuzz and Octave and create something special. The Tone knob is very variable, which makes for a great range of tones and intensities. The option of the up octave adds another range of sweet tones, especially for those leads. Finally, my favorite spice in the Sub Machine recipe, the parallel/sequence switch is a great touch that allows you to dial in a sweet, dual-effect tone and then gamble on how it sounds in sequence, where a whos-who of odd crunchy, glitchy and some downright sweet sounds live. All around a sweet pedal if you want Octave Fuzz and a pedal that can give you very cool sounds.Lucas

I can get some good sounds on this pedal but some settings buzz like crazy when they are turned up in certain combinationsguitarpaulie

This pedal is a great fuzz. Love the tone knob! Turn left for treble, right for bass. This is the only fuzz I use. Handmade in Akron, Ohio. Great company with great customer service.Mikew777

I never really thought I needed a fuzz till I got this one and it was everything missing to make my tone very colorful. 3 knobs make it easy to use and it’s absolutely beautiful to look at! I am very happy and satisfied with the amazing tone eartquacker devices always delivers.Ghost Wipe

The Velvet Fuzz is a polished-sounding unit, even when it emits searing, soaring, sustaining, molten notes. The EQ curve is sculpted to avoid the wooliness of a Fuzz Face or the big punching-a-pillow lows of a Big Muff. The treble is smooth, almost dark, without the brittle rasp of a Tone Bender or the piercing shards of a silicon Fuzz Face. This is a sound that people who aren't ordinarily into fuzz could appreciate. And it has the modern conveniences — 9VDC input, LED indicator — sometimes lacking from purist fuzz designs. There is a lot to like and not much to offend — though for fuzz purists, that might be a problem.hopcat

Well now, I've Put this Wampler Velvet Fuzz through the Paces for nearly 2-Months now!! I've Tweaked Every Knob, Ran it with Toggle Switch in the 'BIG' Mode AND in the 'TIGHT' Mode. This Velvet Fuzz by Wampler IS THE FUZZ PEDAL OF ALL FUZZ PEDALS!!!! I Give it "10 Stars" out of 5 Stars (LOL)!! This Velvet Fuzz certainly Befits its Name "VELVET"!!!! SMOOTH, CLEAR, VERY OPEN, Yet FULL and POWERFUL when Needed!!!! This Velvet Fuzz is one of the Most VERSATILE FUZZ PEDALS I have ever used with ALL My Other Pedals!!!! You are able to Get "BIG" FULL-ON FUZZ TONES like Hendrix and other 1960's and 70's Guitarists,…. Yet with just the Flick of the Toggle into the "Tight Mode": And You'll get the FUZZ Tones, Sensitivity, and REAL TIGHTNESS like the DEFINED FUZZ TONES of David Gilmour and the SEARING CRISP VIOLIN LEAD FUZZ TONES of Eric Johnson and other Contemporary Guitarists!!!! TRULY – ALL the FUZZ Tones imaginable EXIST in this ONE FUZZ PEDAL!!!! BUY THIS FUZZ, YOU'LL BE VERY HAPPY!!!!Wesley J. Davey, III

Best fuzz I’ve ever played. Versatile, melodic, great tone, easy to dial in and built like a tank. I had almost given up on trying to find a fuzz that I really liked and got on with – glad I tried this. My search is over, this is my fuzz for life now. Absolutely awesome pedal.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

After trying a couple different distortion Pedals from EH, I picked up The Satisfaction, and boom, golden. This pedal has such a crisp, defined fuzz. Some other distortion pedals have a grey, washed out sound to my ears. If you love vintage fuzz, up to a hard rock distortion, look no further than the EX Satisfaction Fuzz.Brian

I love this thing. If you're looking for that classic '60s fuzz sound as in the the type in the song this pedal gets its name from this is the pedal to do it. When I think of fuzz that is what I'm thinking of and any pedal I ever tried did not sound like that. EHX nailed it with this one. And although it has that classic sound, it is 21st century technology. It's built solid and the true bypass circuitry keeps the signal clean. I almost put that it only does one thing as a con but I don't really consider that a con. It does what it's supposed to do and it does it well. That's how I like my effects… simple and straightforward. I just wanna play and not have to punch through 100 different effects. Works for me!Markus F

I should have probably listened to the reviews on this pedal and realized that the high boost was going to give me would be a tough thing to work around. While it does match the sound of the of the satisfaction recording pretty faithfully, I find it hard to believe that maestro fuzztone pedal that was used at the time boosted the highs like this guy does. More than likely the EQ on the amp Keith Richards was using had more to do with it. If you were to add an EQ after the pedal and use it in conjunction with it I have no doubt you could get some great fuzz tones, as of right now in it's current state with out a tone knob or anything to control the EQ it's a little too harsh for my ears. Running into a fairly clean and flat-ish EQ on a Fender Twin Reverb. But I don't think a pedal should require another pedal or effect to sound good. I bought this pedal expecting to get a maestro fuzztone clone, and while I have no doubt it comes pretty close, it definitely requires some tweaking out of the box.Nathan

This pedal sounds great for what it is, a great octave fuzz. If your in the market for an octave fuzz, this is the pedal. However, it isn't a "stay on all the time" pedal. This reviewer doesn't find the chord sounds pleasing to the ear, but the single note runs are unmatched. Pair with a good tube amp and a single coil neck pup, your in heavenmclovin

It has a million sounds that sound like 💩 . But dial it in just right, feed it into a cranked fuzzface through a Marshall with the neck pickup of your strat and you will understand why this pedal is so great. Take your time, its worth it.Tylerjames

How odd. This review was flagged for writing Big Mu** using the two F's 🙂 For the money, this is a really hard pedal to beat. It goes from mild and laid-back to wild and intense. The controls feel great…like as in excellent quality. This is a reissue of the original Big Mu** PI. I tried a Big Mu** PI with Wicker and forget about it. It hissed so loud in Wicker mode that I couldn't even here myself think and it got even worse with the tone switch off. And even in the so-called Big Mu** PI mode, it didn't sound anywhere near as good as this Rams Head does. And, the Rams Head is quiet compared to the BM PI with Wicker. One more thing, The BM PI with Wicker does not say anywhere on it nor in the included paperwork where it's made, whereas the RH BM PI clearly says New York City on the face of it…Vincent

Overall: Floats like a stone and stings like a nest of angry hornets! This box has the buzzsaw sound down pat. The fuzz is a thick, smooth, and consistent. I like this kind of fuzz in particular because it’s less fuzzy and little more distortion-like. The Tone knob has a really wide sweep from boomy bass to mid-range Hades. It has plenty of gain on tap and even sounds pretty good with the guitar’s volume rolled back a skosh.I’ve never used the original Green Russian Muff and have only heard them compared through videos online, so I can’t speak as to how they’re different/alike. I got it because I didn’t want to haul my vintage Black Russian Muff around from gig to gig anymore because it’s getting valuable and since it was a pretty jenky design to begin with, it’s liable to break with heavy use. That being said, the reissue Green Russian Muff has a different sound than an original V8 Black Russian Muff. It doesn’t sound as good to me, but it’s not so different that I wouldn’t use the Green Russian live in lieu of the Black Russian for the aforementioned reasons. One huge plus for the Green Russian is its pedalboard friendly size. The Black Russian is the size of an 80s metal lunchbox and took up an awkward sized chunk of the pedalboard. Now there’s more room for other unnecessary boxes (gulp)! One noteworthy ding for this pedal is how difficult it is to see the script on the top of the pedal. The words are printed right underneath the knobs, so if it’s kinda dark (which it usually is) and the lights are all in front of you (which they usually are) the words are impossible to see. Overall it’s a nice fuzz especially for the price. It’s noisy, but once the music gets rolling you won’t even notice it.Brad

This pedal is all that fuzz should be. Dual Germanium Diodes and one bias knob is all you need to get super fuzzy goodness out of this bad boy. Theres nothing classic about this monster of a fuzz as it is packed with all the yummy gated super spongy fuzz that any one man could want. If you want a fuzz that's different and still useable this is the fuzz for you. Jamie Stillman knows how to make a pedal that stands out from the rest and this one takes the cake!! This was a hands on review from Graham at Sam Ash Clevelandgwise6690

The Erupter is one of the coolest fuzzes around. It touches on all kinds of different tones with its single Bias knob and does it all, from classic to major crunch. Fantastic and simple fuzz pedal.AlexDooley

One of the coolest fuzz pedals around built by THE COOLEST pedal wizards around! Hand built in the U.S.A. , the erupter offers a variety of awesome fuzz tones in a standard sized stomp box with just ONE tone knob! This is a hands on review by Jordan at Sam Ash store 36.Dapper Dan

This is my first fuzz pedal, I wasn't really sure what I would be able to do with it since the music im creating with my band doesn't really use any distorted sounds, but I was super blown away!! It gave our music a whole new different vibe, so much more rich sound! I highly recommend it.Luis G

Absolutely ripping fuzz pedal with a really thick and deep fuzz sound possessing great ability to sculpt the tone with the EQ control going from deep heavy to bright treble saw blade your ears off ripping fuzz. The core tone of the pedal is solid and all the variations you can get from that point all work. Can also handle palm muting with ease if you need that solid 'chunk chunk' sound…which most fuzz pedals can't do without getting too messy and washy or flubby. Having the blend control for the octave mode is just brilliant to dial in just the right amount of octave fuzz with the main fuzz tone for the given situation. And it has a tonne of output level, very powerful. Excellent pedal.jbuddtronics

First off, it Orange so I knew it was gonna be a cool vintage vibe. Super fun fuzz pedal, LED light glows blue when its on and the settings are really easy to adjust and dial in. The octave option was not what I expected. There is a red light that glows within the blue LED when it is on, which is kinda hard to see, and the sound only really cuts through on certain settings, otherwise it just ads noise. What I ended up dialing in sounded more like a citar (sp?) than a fuzz with octave. Not really what I was looking for, but Im sure Ill find some use for it. Also makes for a great warm distortion tone when run after a TS808. I would give it five stars but the octave option was a bit misleading. Still plan on keeping it, still really enjoy it.jerryo227

This fuzz is great for massive sounds, with lots of saturation. The pedal has a lot of sustain, but this can be paired back with your guitar volume nobAdam l.

If you're shopping for a fuzz pedal, this is likely to already be on your short list. I found Hoof a fair bit tighter and more articulate than anything in either the EHX fuzz line-up or in the fuzz face family, so it was an easy call for me. I'm sure that there are more good choices out there for those who cast their net wider and everyone's preferences in fuzz sounds will surely differ. That said, I thought Hoof was the best of the usual suspects…and not by a little. As advertised, the germanium chip produces a very sweet fuzz sound when the guitar's tone control is rolled back. One caveat: This thing gets very hairy, very quickly. Some of those extreme Black Keys sounds are already popping up in my rig at twelve o'clock. A light hand on the fuzz dial is recommended.guitar consumer

Love the tone of this small pedal, sounds really good for this level of price. Don't like the "Crazy gain" feature. Maybe I willl use it for a lead line when recording, but as it is not foot switchable I really don't think I will ever use it live. Love both straight into a clean channel and boosted with an overdrive pedal right before. Favourite setting: dropped D neck pick up, normal mode, Gain 10 o'clock, Tone 9 o'clock, volume 10 o'clock with a slight gain overdrive pedal up front into a clean channel with tone at 12 o'clock = KYUSS, early QOTSA, Fu Manchu and all those guys…Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

this thing is incredible. I will say its not AMAZING with my HH guitars but it sounds ridiculously good (so does the plumes) with my single coil stratsNicholas Gnames

I'm a bit of a fuzz nut and have owned various pedals over the years, but I'm completely in awe of this little red one. Historically the germanium Fuzz Faces have been hit and miss depending on how the how matched the transistors are, also the germanium ones are notoriously sensitive to temperature changes etc so I'm not sure if I was just lucky with this one or not but for me this pedal is the holy grail of thick woolly fuzz. I do notice that tone changes a bit as the pedal warms up but not in a bad way; some of the spiky raspiness smooths out and it settles into a kind of sweet spot, but its absolutely lovely. Its super touch responsive and cleans up smoothly when I roll back my guitars volume to around 5-7 o'clock. Consequently, it will also take some getting used to for players who are used to having their guitar always turned up to 10 and kicking boosts and dirt pedals on and off as needed, the Fuzz Face is really a subtle extension of your guitar and demands to be played accordingly. I'm using mine with my SG, my Casino, or my tele and the pedal works well with all of them but the Casino's p90s sound especially great. Other improvements to the original design in addition to the tinier footprint are corrected in/out jacks now consistent with every other pedal out there. You can also power it with standard 9 volt jack which may be appreciated because the battery housing is tight tight tight and a bit of a pain to get one in or out. (I use a battery with mine though) The other possible downside is that this pedal really wants to be first in your chain to sound good at all. But whatever, you want that germanium-only tone you must deal with these idiosyncrasies. I love this thing.Mats

I'm boxing it up and sending it back. I'm hoping the unit is just defective, because all the good reviews I've seen do not seem to apply to this unit. First, it does nothing at all (I don't mean it's subtle, I mean NOTHING) that I can hear until volume of the pedal, the fuzz knob AND the guitar's volume are all maxed. With the guitar volume, I hear no effect at all until the volume reaches nine, and then it's all the way distorted. There seems to be no range at all. The volume knob itself doesn't even feel smooth when you turn it. It's almost like a dirty pot. Plus, the hiss and noise from the unit is unbearable. I've tested it over a week with a combination of Fenders and Gibsons. They all sound equally awful. I made sure that I put it at the front of the chain since it is a germanium circuit, and I ran it by itself into a Marshall head and 2×12 V30 loaded cab. Again, I'm hoping it's just this unit. But I'm not taking any chances and I'm returning it for something else. My recommendation is to do you best to try this one out in person to see if it is for you.Dante1963

This pedal is made very well, high quality. Sound wise I think it lacks depth in the tone and lacks adjustment to bring out more highs and lows. It has one sound, a mid grind with no color to the tone and it completely smothers the tone/personality of the guitar and the player's technique. It has the little adjustment pods inside that you can mess with but they don't affect the tone that much either highs or lows. I'm sure someone likes it but not my cup of fuzz. It is going on the shelf as a collection piece with a dozen other pedals that will never have a spot on the board.I don't think Jimi would have used this pedal.Icepick Mike

This is my favorite fuzz pedal. I have a handful too. I have owned several tone bender type pedals and this is by far the best. Its way more versatile than a straight TB clone because of the addition of the tone knob. The tone is fairly bright. Never shrill though. You can dial in a more bass heavy sound, but the high end is never lost. The fuzz is very musical, and not too compressed and muddy with tons of dynamics. I can play everything from classic rock, blues, to doom metal on this thing. It really is an incredible pedal. The sound is one You will love. I have a Gibson SG, 78 Ibanez LP clone and a Gretsch 5122, run through a Blues Deluxe. They all sound great, especially with the BD. It sounds even better if you add a slight amount of overdrive (i use a super hard on), it gains articulation that way. You can hear every note on a chord. Highly recommended.The Okayest Guitarist in Town, m

I highly recommend the EQD Palisades OD. I have had it for a few months and you will not be disappointed. Modeled after the classic TS808, this pedal can crank out all of your favorite OD sounds and more. Two gain stages, a clean boost, 6 clipping voices and 5 bandwidth settings give you ultimate control to dial in that killer sound. The Palisades also offers a built-in buffer and and a Bright switch to help dial in that perfect tone. Another high-quality EQD pedal that you should definitely have on your board.Knox

The best Overdrive on the market. It gives me several variations in tone while enhancing harmonics. Provides me with way more options than what a Tube Screamer could. The EQD Palisades makes my already great amp better. EQD really do think outside of the box, and If you want to take your tone to the next level, these are the pedals .Marky S,

I have gave it the maximum amount of stars, because of the online review videos and my initial thoughts. Just like other multi function pedals It will take some time to dial in. I would recommend to watch all of the videos from Mike Hermans and draw a picture of how he has the settings for each feature and fine tune it from there. It sounds great but it will require time to master.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

I was looking for a fuzz when I came across this. I thought maybe it was a little pricey but I also wanted an envelope filter so right there it paid for itself. It is a very classic two transistor fuzz that is very full but not abrasive even at its highest. I use the Rotary more than I ever thought I would and good luck finding a rotary pedal you like in any decent price range. The Uni vibe also seems to keep up with the few known brand uni vibes I have used. I honestly almost forgot about the octave and the only small critique for that is I wish it was on its own switch.I am not a fan of cheesy sounding (almost all are) octave and this one has a really nice subtle tone to it for lows and highs. As with any Keeley Product the tone you get as soon as this thing is on is through the roof and the fuzz mixes so well with the modulation.Dennis

Overall: The pedal arrived in a nice black, velvet bag. The appearance is beautiful. The real beauty of it, is when you plug it in! The fuzz, is dripping with vintage feel, that's rich with harmonics. Even the highest setting on the fuzz is useable, which is really nice. The rotary speaker setting is one of the best I've ever heard, and being able to set the volume of the horn, and bass makes it super realistic. The vibe is just as gorgeous as the rotary speaker. I can't say enough about it. The wah is beautiful The auto wah setting tracks perfectly, and with an expression pedal, it's as good as it gets. The cool, modern twist, is the octave up/down. It works flawlessly, and adds rich, dimension to your tone. The size of the pedal is surprising, for all that's in there. Very pedalboard friendly! Don't hesitate to invest in this pedal.Dennis

I've basically retired my FZ-2 since getting this pedal. The Carcosa is way more versatile, and generally just better, retains note clarity while still putting out a massive wall of fuzz! It is a bit noisy, however, so maybe don't put it before another OD/Boost/etc.WildStingray-52170

This is an awesome fuzz!!! I use mine with the After knob at 10:00, Before at 3:00, Output at 9:00 and HiCut at 2:00. This setting works great with the guitar volume knob. Cleans up pretty well and gets gnarly when turned up.Tom I.

I bought this in hopes of getting some weird sounds of it, and I succeeded. It helps to download the instructions, which give you an idea of what each knob does. Still, I found the best results though twiddling knobs while playing. I play bass with all the dexterousness of a mummy wearing oven mitts, but the Carcosa doesn't care. I can dial up some distant fuzz (like you're hearing someone playing through a wall), a blurry buzz that sounds like a swarm of large wasps and an unearthly, full-throated roar. If you blast out a sustained note and spin a knob or two, you get dizzying warp-spasms. The "demi/hali" switch sounds better on "demi" for bass; it thickens up you sound and doesn't seem to sap your tone. I've also noticed that the Carcosa responds better through larger speakers. It's not totally useless through smaller amps (it sounded OK through one of those Ampeg mini-stacks with the 2×10 speakers) but the sounds that come ouf of a 4×10 or 2×15 cab are richer and have more detail. It's a fun, oddball pedal that doesn't sound like anything but itself.Holgar