Great Eastern FX has launched the Focus Fuzz Silicon, a “darker, grittier” and more affordable version of their limited edition fuzz pedal that sold out in a flash, and promised an electric guitar tone to persuade fuzz naysayers.
When Great Eastern launched the Focus Fuzz in March this year it was marketed as the “fuzz for people who don’t like fuzz”, and its heady cocktail of NOS germanium and silicon in the circuit proved to be a winner.
Whether or not it actually converted the fuzz agnostic or preached to the converted we might never know. But it sounded incredible, 250 units were duly sold, and the Focus Fuzz Silicon is designed in a similar spirit, trafficking in a fuzz that plays well with all manner of pickup and guitar amp combinations, and won’t completely overpower your tone.
David Greeves, chief designer and owner of Great Eastern FX, says the new voicing has a little more bite and aggression but it will still be recognisable to anyone smitten by the original.
“We’re really talking subtle differences here – it’s a new shade rather than a completely different colour!,” he says. “Most importantly, for anyone who missed out before, this pedal has everything that made the original special. It’s really player-friendly and forgiving to dial in, it will let you plug into a completely clean amp and still get killer saturated tones, and it won’t completely obliterate your original guitar tone and playing dynamics. We’re really excited to have the Focus Fuzz back and to be able to share it with more players.”
The Focus Fuzz Silicon is no garden variety Muff clone, nor is it putting on a Fuzz Face – the circuit is an all-original design. The original Focus Fuzz featured a pair of silicon transistors and a super-rare NOS germanium transistor (hence the limited run).
This time out, Greeves has selected three low-gain silicon transistors for the circuit. The tone, the housing, the control setup is reassuringly familiar. There are top-mounted jacks, an anodised aluminium faceplate, with three knobs for Fuzz, Level and Focus.
That latter dial allows you to set “bite, aggression and harmonics” to taste, adding gain while gradually taking some low frequencies so it doesn’t get all wooly on you.
The Fuzz adjusts both bias and gain at that same time, so you can find usable tones across the full travel of the dial. And Level controls output level, with enough on tap to push an amp into overdrive.
The Focus Fuzz Silicon is handmade in the UK and out now, priced £199/$239. Head over to Great Eastern FX for more details. And if you want to hear what the original Focus Fuzz and the Focus Fuzz Silicon sound like in comparison, check out the demo below.
