The Fuzz Factory is ZVEX's flagship pedal, and a true modern classic. Putting the brand on the map back in the mid-to-late '90s, the Fuzz Factory was popularised by Muse's Matt Bellamy; using the ferocious Fuzz Factory to achieve his otherworldly high-gain tones. In fact, he loves the Fuzz Factory so much that he has this pedal's unique circuit built into most of his custom Manson guitars!
Packed with a flexible control-set that lets you achieve anything from tight, glitchy gated fuzz tones to inter-modulating oscillations that fight for control of your guitar as your notes decay - the ZVEX Fuzz Factory can be dialled in to offer a multitude of crazy, saturated fuzz textures.
This "Vertical" version of the Fuzz Factory features the exact same circuitry as the original, albeit with a more conventional chassis that some players might find easier to mount on their pedalboards.
Unparalleled Control
Despite its small form-factor, the ZVEX Fuzz Factory has a bunch of tone-warping knobs that enable precise sonic manipulation. 'Volume' is self-explanatory, but the others are far more idiosyncratic and have a dramatic effect on the pedal's overall sound:
- Gate: Squelches noise after the end of a sustained note. Turn to the right to eliminate squeals, hiss and buzz, stopping just as they disappear, or use to tune in exact feedback pitch, if you’re that kind. Turning to left opens the gate.
- Compress: Adds attack characteristic when turned to left, which gets softer to the right, and suddenly pinches tone when all the way right. Also use to tune in fat feedback fuzz. Lower the 'Stability' and see what happens to this control!
- Drive: Increases distortion when used as a “normal” fuzz and adjusts feedback pitch and tonal thickness. This control becomes meaningless when 'Compress' is all the way right.
- Stability: Use all the way right. Do not adjust this control below 2:00, unless you like your fuzz soft and squishy. Use to control feedback pitch.
Specifications
- Voltage: 9V (Centre Negative)
- Current Draw: 3mA
- Pedal Dimensions (LxWxH): 4.3125" x 2.625" x 2"