Brand

Hiwatt

Category

Fuzz Pedals

Fuzz drives the signal into extreme clipping, often flattening the waveform and generating a thick spectrum of harmonics. Transistor type, bias, input loading and tone filtering create markedly different responses, from loose and velvety to gated, spluttering or octave-rich. Some circuits interact strongly with pickup impedance and guitar volume, while others include buffers or blends for a more consistent response.

Tags

Analogue

The signal is shaped by continuously varying electronic circuitry rather than being converted into a digital effect algorithm. Component choice, operating voltage and circuit tolerances influence headroom, noise, clipping texture and the small variations in response between designs.

Filter

Changes tone by allowing selected frequency regions to pass while attenuating others. Cutoff sets the transition point, resonance emphasises frequencies around it, and an envelope, treadle or modulation source can move that point to create vocal or sweeping motion.