Continuing our examination of guitar pedals you should have on your pedalboard or in your studio, today we’ll look at fuzz.
Fuzz pedals, as the name suggests, add roughness and aggressiveness to your clean guitar output, but unlike distortion, fuzz is noted for producing a more vintage-style sound. That being said, fuzz has a place in every form of music, whether it’s for producing huge aggressive single-note riffs or letting a lead stand out over the top of a busy mix.
Here are seven excellent fuzz pedals that are reasonably priced. If you are interested in these models, keep reading our 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal review for more information below.
Our Top Pick: Electro-Harmonix Satisfaction Fuzz
Description: The Electro Harmonix satisfaction, as the name suggests, is ideal for reproducing the classic fuzz tones from The Rolling Stones’ song of the same name.
Features: This pedal is essentially a contemporary clone of the 1960s Maestro Fuzz-Tone, which Keef allegedly used on the song (the history gets a little fuzzy, sorry for the horrible pun).
This pedal couldn’t be easier to use, with the attack knob determining how much fuzz your signal receives and the volume knob controlling the overall level of the effect. This pedal’s sound is relatively restricted, but if you’re seeking the fuzz sound of the mid to late 1960s, this pedal will surely get you there.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal you can find.
It’s difficult to picture Electro-Harmonix designing the Satisfaction Fuzz electric guitar pedal with anything other than Keith Richards’ tone in mind. It’s one of the most tenacious fuzz pedals, with an attack control that ranges from a furious buzz to a colossal wall of fuzz.
With the tone knob on your guitar, you can quickly tune in everything from full-on harsh fuzz to soft, smooth leads. The Electro-Harmonix Satisfaction Fuzz is ready to provide some significant bite to any effects pedalboard with only two basic knobs and small size.
Pros
- Fuzz effect pedal has an edgy, aggressive ’60s vibe.
- Simple to integrate with your amplifier and other pedals
- The simple two-knob design allows you to quickly dial in beautiful tones.
- The durable die-cast case for long-term dependability
- Powered by a single 9V battery or an optional AC adapter (sold separately)
Cons
- Nothing
Runner Up: EarthQuaker Devices Erupter Ultimate Fuzz Tone Guitar Effects Pedal
Description: A particular buffer within the Erupter’s circuit beefs up the signal, allowing it to be cleaned up efficiently on the go and is equally at home in front of or behind any number of pedals.
Features: By controlling the guitar’s loudness rather than the pedals, you can get a wide range of tones, from utterly fuzzed-out to crystal clear and anything in between. The fuzz is undeniable: a classic fuzz sound reminiscent of the late 1960s/early 1970s psychedelic hard rock.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal you can find.
Fuzz Faces may be tough to cut through a band mix, but the Erupter does it effortlessly without the higher-end frequencies sounding unduly harsh and with distinction and clarity at the bottom end of the spectrum, even when used at full force. Bias, the Erupter’s only control knob, is of the sounds useful everywhere variety, rather than the extreme/gated variety.
It may be set to be colder or hotter, with a sweet spot detent in the center (surely appropriate for most players’ needs). Some may wonder if the market really needs yet another Fuzz Face-style pedal.
However, if you’re looking for one that sounds about as fantastic as they come, with a plethora of additional creative options, the answer is definitely yes!
Pros
- Definition and clarity are excellent.
- Fuzz tone dynamic range utilizing guitar loudness.
- Dimensions are small.
Cons
- None
Best for Budget: SONICAKE Fuzz Guitar Effect Pedal Fazy Cream Vintage Fuzz Pedal True Bypass
Description: SONICAKE Fazy Cream is a fuzz pedal that emulates the classic muff sound. The FUZZ knob allows you to alter your tone from a whisper to a scream, and the TONE knob allows you to fine-tune your tone.
Features: The sound of Fazy Cream is influenced by classic muff sounds. The all-analog circuit ranges from classic creamy fuzz to high gain fuzzy distortion. Pitch Dark to Aggressively Blasting Tone Control Range Control structure is simple and straightforward: LEVEL (changing output loudness), TONE (adjusting tone brightness), and FUZZ (adjusting gain amount).
Fazy Cream also has a high-duty metal footswitch and a status LED, as well as a zinc-alloy die-cast housing that is resistant to wear and tear. If you are looking for the 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal you can find.
With so many inexpensive effects on the market, it’s an exciting moment to be a guitarist. Sonicake’s effect lineup certainly fills that void, and the Fazy Cream muff-style fuzz pedal is no exception.
Aside from a great price ($29.99 USD at the time of writing this review), the Fazy Cream excels in two other areas: it is a micro pedal that takes up little space on a pedalboard, and it is extremely versatile, ranging from vintage warm fuzz to a modern and aggressive distortion-like fuzz… and everything in between.
Pros
- Good price
- High quality
Cons
- Using humbuckers to push the Fuzz at 2 o’clock and beyond makes the signal a little muddy.
İbanez- FZMini
Description: The Ibanez 850 fuzz is a little version of the company’s latest reissue of the legendary distortion box, the Ibanez OD850.
Features: The matt orange is stunning, and the acoustics are incredible. The OD850 was a re-badged Maxon clone of a 1973 ‘violet’ vintage Ram’s Head Big Muff built for Ibanez, with a somewhat more useful tone stack and crunchier character that distinguished it apart from its Muffy brethren, making it a collector’s piece.
This small reissue is great for pedal board space, but it also has modern features like a center negative power jack. Dime the sustain and it will vanish within days. If you are looking for the 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal you can find.
The Tone knob controls how bright or dark the overall sound is. We liked it at around 1:00 on the dial for a fuzz that pierced through without being harsh. Where you set it depends on the sound you want and the musical context you’re performing in; nevertheless, all of the sounds are usable.
The brighter tones reminded us of early Beastie Boys-style punk, while the deeper tones sound smoky and are a nice choice to have on hand if you have other dirt boxes set up for certain sounds. Depending on the quantity of fuzz, the tone knob at the middle of the dial produces everything from classic rock to ’90s grunge wall of sound.
Pros
- Small and powerful
Cons
- None
Electro-Harmonix Nano Big Muff
Description: The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi has to be one of the most famous pedals of all time, yet in its original size it may be a touch too large for the current pedalboard.
Features: We’ve previously got the more practical small Big Muff, which was debuted eight years ago, but EHX has taken things a step further by cramming the electronics into this Nano version.
The Big Muff Pi has always been a wonderfully versatile pedal that offers many different flavors of fuzz and distortion, thanks in part to the tone knob, which can go from a rounded flutey tone ideal for David Gilmour or Ernie Isley gives rise, through all the goth and alt-rock tones, to a livelier, riotous garage fuzz.
If you are looking for the 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal, you should give this one a chance. This is probably one of the best 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal you can find.
So, does the Nano do all that its bigger siblings do? Yes, absolutely! We tested it against Muffs from 1973 and 1984, as well as a relatively newer one, and it performed admirably, with very small tonal differences. Nobody has an excuse not to have a Big Muff underfoot at this pricing.
Pros
- The Big Muff Pi character is retained.
- Well-priced.
Cons
- None
Buyer’s Guide for 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal
Fuzz pedals are similar to overdrive and distortion pedals in that they employ transistors or op-amps to clip your guitar signal, resulting in distortion. While an overdrive pedal may just provide light soft clipping to your signal, fuzz pedals almost usually apply significantly stronger clipping to your signal.
This is accomplished by including more and more violent clipping stages within the pedal. Fuzz pedals are also noted for having simpler overall designs than distortions and overdrives because there is only so much you can modify about the tone after you’ve firmly cut the signal.
That’s not to imply fuzz pedals aren’t helpful or adaptable; it’s just that most fuzz pedals only have 2-3 knobs, as opposed to the more extensive options found on overdrives and distortions.
Fuzz pedals don’t function as well with full chords because the strong clipping makes all of the harmonic content of a full chord sound mushy and muddy. Fuzz pedals function well with single chords or power chords, and the tone of the pedal typically compensates for the simplicity of the notes you’re playing.
Germanium/Silicon/OP amp?
The most frequent types of transistors used in fuzz pedals are germanium and silicon transistors, which date back to some of the earliest fuzz pedal designs.
Germanium transistors are commonly employed in vintage-styled pedals and have a lower gain than their silicon counterparts. They also have a smoother fuzz sound. The Fuzz Face and the Maestro Fuzz-Tone are two famous pedals that use germanium transistors.
Germanium transistors are also notorious for being unreliable, with some antique devices actually burning up when overused. These circuit concerns have mostly been resolved in current guitar pedals, but it also explains why most subsequent pedals switched to silicon transistors, which were more dependable and less expensive.
Most late 1960s and early 1970s fuzz pedal designs transitioned to silicon, including versions initially constructed of germanium, such as Dunlop’s 1970s Fuzz Face. The Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi, whose design has influenced numerous subsequent fuzz pedals, was one of the iconic designs that integrated silicon from the outset.
Overall, germanium transistors will produce a lower gain and a more vintage tone than silicon transistors. Germanium pedals are also more expensive since germanium transistors are less widespread and more unstable, necessitating a little more circuit testing and design.
Conclusion: 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal [2022 Review]
It’s a fantastic effect that almost every guitarist will use or has used at some time. Whatever fuzz sound you’re after, whether warm and trippy or violent and in your face, the selection of fuzz pedals is astounding. To be honest, the amount of boutique and clone pedals is crazy.
Every day, it seems like a new fuzz pedal is launched. In reality, there most likely is. We can only begin to scratch the surface of what is already accessible. However, we can offer you a sample of what we feel to be the greatest fuzz pedals on the market right now. We realize there may be omissions, so please accept our apologies if the pedal you’re looking for isn’t included.
We hope you liked our 5 Best Cheap Fuzz Pedal review and it was helpful.