MusicRadar Verdict

If you take your fuzz to extremes, get down to the factory...

Pros

+
Huge tonal manipulation possibilities. Quality build. Hand-painted.

Cons

-
Expensive. Requires taming!

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

After the obvious classics born in the 60s and 70s, it's fair to say that the Fuzz Factory is the most well-known and celebrated modern fuzz pedal.

"The result is a pedal that needs careful juxtaposition of its knobs to get to the sounds you want"

Launched almost 20 years ago, it was an original (and anarchic) design, when a lot of pedals were emulations of vintage gear, and quite unique in its compact hand-painted form.

What you get is a five-knob fuzz that uses two new old-stock 60s germanium transistors but offers manipulation of the circuitry like no other.

The result is a pedal that needs careful juxtaposition of its knobs to get to the sounds you want, with squeals, howls and feedback along the way while you are getting them that should appeal to sonic adventurers.

Beyond that, it can deliver conventional harmonically rich fuzz, cool resonant droning feedback that you can tune to pitch, and gated staccato madness.

Yes, it can be a beast that needs taming, but it offers probably the widest variety of fuzz-derived sounds in a single pedal.

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.

“Prince was really excited and kept pumping us up, saying ‘We’re making history tonight’”: How Prince summoned one of the greatest guitar solos of all time from thin air

“If you’re a singer, you’re totally reliant on your body. You can't put a bit more distortion on your amp or use effects. You can’t compensate. You’re very exposed”: Why Iron Maiden had to change their singer to reach the next level

“The effects of these sudden and unpredictable tariff actions will have a long-term effect on musicians worldwide”: Guitar industry leaders to meet with Trump in a bid to avert “devastating” impact of tariffs

See more latest