We're used to Boss's Wazacraft range bringing back and updating classic pedals from the company's history like the CE-2 and Heavy Metal, but this isn't the return of the much-loved Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz, the FZ-1W is something quite different; it's a new fuzz pedal design. And it could be something special.
The FZ-1W came as the result of "deep analysis of many legendary fuzz pedals" and the analogue result is said to deliver "the inspiring tone, feel, and vibe of classic fuzz". Well they would say that but the Wazacraft reputation and split between Modern and Vintage modes here looks promising and refreshingly simple.
The company has used "top-quality silicon transistors" as we'd expect and believes the pedal delivers "higher gain, lower noise, deeper tone-shaping control" over vintage stompboxes.
The company encourage players to roll their guitar's volume controls in Vintage mode to take advantage of the FZ-1's musicality with heavy fuzz, crunch and clean all at your fingertips.
The FZ-1W's Tone control simultaneously adjusts the high and low frequencies to colour your fuzz tone. You can also turn down the Fuzz parameter and crank the level for a clean boost. But the Vintage mode is only half of the story here…
Modern mode on the FZ-1W is said to deliver a "more refined and versatile fuzz voice with focused midrange and fatter tone". The idea being that it is voiced for more contemporary fuzz demands with a wider gain range for "singing sustain" on solos.
The Tone knob takes on a different role in Modern mode; changing the brightness without altering the midrange to retain cut. The Modern mode also serves as a gain boost to make the pedal a versatile thing indeed.
The FZ-1W Fuzz is available now for $199.99 and we're looking forward to finding out more for ourselves. Visit Boss for more info.
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