Analog Man Peppermint Fuzz

A fuzz face-like fuzz with an extra knob for "buzz". The "buzz" setting is affected by the vol and fuzz settings, and for only three knobs there is a lot of sounds on tap, but luckiliy its easy to get to the good ones. You will need to tweak your guitar's volume and your amp's drive among other things to get the most out of this pedal. It's not really hard at all, but is a little more involved than a standard fuzz face, so I'm docking it a point.

Honeymoon's over so I feel I can now safely say that I
love this pedal. I got mine a couple weeks ago and
have kicked another fuzz off my board to make room for
the peppermint. The demo vids don't really show off
what it can do. I don't know why people say it's not
versatile, I've got quite a few sweet sounds out of
it. The best part is it doesn't react like a fuzz face
like you expect when doing certain things (turning
volume down, jacking compression up) because do we
really need another fuzz face? Personally I love
rolling the buzz to zero and my guitar volume to one
or two. Very cool sound-

Based on how you set the knobs you can get a very harsh, inarticulate fuzz or a Sunface NKT275-like fuzz and everything in between. It's very fuzzy, very crazy, and you will get the audience's attention.

AnalogMike probably makes higher quality pedals than any other company today. I have no worries this thing will still be working when I'm in the ground.

Every time I have emailed Mike I always get a prompt, courteous response. Regardless of whether or not its about something I'm buying from him or just a question I think he might have the answer for, Mike is very good about keeping in touch with his customers.

Bottom line is another quality pedal from AnalogMike. I'm starting to think I should buy everything from him if I can expect quality like this every time. (I also have the Sunface NKT275.)

This pedal will take you to psychedelic guitar nirvana. It's "like" a Mosrite or Maestro or any of those "buzzy" fuzzes, but has more warmth and character. Very useable to me, and I have lots of fuzzes.

Just look at the paint job. Cool, right? So is the pedal. For $200, buy it. I can see these things going for $1000 in a few years.

Three knobs which seems easy enough to dial in desired sounds, but this fuzz can be a little tricky and takes a lot of experimentation to get the most out of it, but the time is well worth it. Manual is brief and to the point. I tend to think some people give up too easily with this fuzz and don't take the time to experiment and see what it can do, too bad because its a very unique and amazing sounding fuzz.

I use the Peppermint Fuzz with a Gibson Les Paul, American and Japanese Strats, Squier '51, etc. Running through a Fender NOS Tweed Blues Jr. and a Crate Palomino. I sometimes run a delay after the fuzz, Maxon AD999 or an EH Deluxe Memory Man. I also use it for looping and am always amazed how beautiful and thick sounding it is upon playback. This fuzz is of the vintage sounding variety all the way- lot of gain on tap but always remains very musical sounding. Easily cops early Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield fuzztones, very cool indeed. Great as a solo pedal, but is also adept at rhythm if you roll your guitar's volume back a bit. Definitely not a one trick pony, lot of very cool sounds available but be prepared to experiment. This is a psychadelic era sounding fuzz, but not of the trashy/buzzy varity such as the Mosrite Fuzzrite or Jordan Bosstone. Can be dialed in for a lot of sputter or smoother high gain fuzzface type tones. Not the brightest sounding fuzz (compared to say, a silicon fuzz such as the Sunface BC108 which is also an incredible Analogman fuzz) but it will brighten up when the guitar's volume is rolled back a touch. Again, it takes some time and experimentation to get the most out of it, but the effort will be rewarded. There is also a trim pot inside, which should be adjusted according to room temerature.

Analogman pedals are of the highest quality and the sound quality reflects this. No need for backups here.

Excellent customer service from Analogman, always answers all questions very courteously and propmtly. He has a passion for what he does which is evident from the correspondance I've had with him.

I've been playing nearly 30 years and have owned more than 100 pedals and many fuzzes, and Analogman's stuff is at the top of the heap. If this fuzz was stolen, I'd replace it immedeately. Love the great variety of stellar sounds this fuzz is capable of. The Peppermint Fuzz helps me to achieve the sounds in my head and always inspires me to create music. Hat's off to Analogman, incredible fx builder and his products are worth every penny.

The pedal is butt-simple to use and has a good variety of sounds. You can also mess with the internal bias control for more variations.

I use a homemade SSH strat with maple neck with a Vox AC15CC1X amp. My other pedals are a Fulltone Mini DejaVibe, Fulltone Soulbender,Fulltone OCD, EH MemoryMan Hazarai and an EH Electric Mistress. I was looking for a brighter, nastier fuzz sound ala Incense & Peppermints. My Soulbender covers the other bases pretty well. I ordered based on the website blurb, but found the pedal to be darker than my Soulbender. Analog Mike told me to mess with the knobs and back my guitar volume down, but I can't replicate anything like the psychedelic sound I was looking for. Other than my disappointment with the sound I was looking for, it's a very nice sounding fuzz.

Mike responded to my email the next day with an informative, if not exactly helpful, reply.

I guess I'm behind the curve somewhere in Fuzzology 101. I bought a SunLion pedal from Mike several years ago not realizing it was a FuzzFace clone and returned it. This time I thought I was getting a buzzy, nasty fuzz but got something very close to my Soulbender. Too bad no one stocks a variety of pedals in my area. Analog Man's pedals are well-built, great sounding and a decent value, but you can't really know what you're getting until you have it in hand.

VERY SENSITIVE PEDAL!!! This pedal is an attempt (a VERY good attempt)at an all-encompassing vintage fuzzbox. The manufacture describes it as a fuzz box that is after a specific type of fuzz,hard to find 60's psychedelic fuzz. this pedal has 3 knobs, one for volume, one for the amount of fuzz, and another texture/color knob called the "Buzz" knob. Of course, with three knobs it is relatively easy to dial in a good fuzztone, but this pedal is meant to go much deeper than that. Keeping with traditional design fuzz pedals of yesteryear it has no 9 volt adapter jack and sounds best with low end batteries, such as Sunbeam or anything from a dollar store. Trying to use high end batteries like Duracells or a battery connection jack will derive from its true tone. Also another vintage nuance that makes this pedal special is the fact that it is actually temperature sensitive! Its true! Just like those old fuzzboxes from back in the day the temperature in the room in which you are playing WILL affect the sound! Fortunately Mr. Analog Mike has installed a small bias knob inside the pedal to allow for adjustments to be made, so you can Trip in the Sun or get down in the Snow! So all in all this pedal can be a challenge for those of us who are more than a little crazy about tone. Also it comes with an instruction sheet that talks about all of the pedals oddities. Very helpful.

Really, it ought to be an 11 or a 12 even. Really, its that good. I'm not just saying this because it is expensive, or because the paint job gives me a ********, or because I am some fuzz guru with a stick up my ***. Its all about the SOUND.
This Pedal was designed with other pedals and sounds in mind. The instruction sheet mentions the Gibson Maestro Fuzztone, Jordan Bosstone, and the Mosrite Fuzzrite. Really, there aren't many manufactures or boxes out there that shoot for those sounds. To be honest I have never heard or seen a Jordan Bosstone, but I own a Maestro and have heard the Fuzzrite before. The Peppermint Fuzz can nail these sounds with ease and sometimes with more clarity and voice then the originals.
Another thing to be wary about when listening to this pedal, it's not Hendrix tone. It's not Cream either, and it definitely is not going to get you anywhere near modern fuzz sounds like the Smashing Pumpkins or Muse. Those nice, smooth, silky guitar sounds could not be further from the Peppermint Fuzz. Think The 13th Floor Elevators, think early Neil Young with Buffalo Springfield, think Donavan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man", think about The Nuggets collection. It's Psychedelic Garage Rock in a box and it's beautifully original.
I play the Peppermint Fuzz through a Fender Twin Reverb and and old Les Paul or a new (but heavily modified) Stratocaster. My effects chain goes guitar>Ernie Ball Volume Pedal>Peppermint Fuzz>TS808>Fulltone OCD>Line 6 DL4>Amp. The Peppermint Fuzz doesn't like buffers between it and the guitar so it is best to put it first in the chain, though putting it behind something can yield even more interesting sounds.
Another thing to be aware of. DONT SELL ALL YOUR STOMP BOXES TO BUY THIS PEDAL. it is not a one trick pony by any means but its not meant to be a lead horse either. It is a fuzz and it sometimes has a hard time playing intricate chords. Bar chords are fine, but it is meant to play lead. Your solos will will make the young folks stonned and give the old folks flashbacks! ;)

I have played many shows with this pedal and i have never had any serious trouble with it. It can be upgraded with an optional on/off switch that can be installed on the volume knob, and with no LED even those crappy dollar store batteries will last a long time. It is, however, a little uncanny how similar it is in it's nuances to the old fuzzboxes its modeled after. I would never have it as a sole source of distortion simply because its tone is not meant to be used that way, but it is a reliable little pedal with a wicked awesome sound.

I have never had any problems with the pedal so i wouldn't know, But Mike is good for it from what I hear. When I first got my Maestro I loved the sound but I really wished that it had some kind of tone knob. I e-mailed Mike because I heard he did good Mods and he told about this pedal before it was even released. I think hes cool.

IF YOU PLAY 60S ROCK YOU MUST TRY THIS PEDAL!!!! From Booker-T and The MG's, to the Beatles, to "Spirit in the Sky" that famous and trashy "Satisfaction" tone is ALL OVER this thing! IF YOU PLAY PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC YOU MUST TRY THIS PEDAL!!!From Dan Auerbach ripping lead tones to the deep and vast guitar sounds from the likes of The Black Angles this pedal brings the fuzz box back to its raunchy roots. Though it has its quirks its voice outshines them completely. I have A LOT of fuzzboxes and this is the one that is on my board the most. It is a fuzz in the truest form and i love the sound. Although again I will advise, don't leanve it all up to this guy. Have at least one other distortion unit, you will see what I'm talking about If you play the pedal. its just not very good for rhythm parts that arnt basic chords. "TOO FUZZY!"
also i think that this pedal may be a limited time sort of deal so get it while you can!!


a damn fine stomp box and an vital part of my sound

This thing has three knobs, Volume, Fuzz and Buzz.
The volume and fuzz work in the same fashion as any distortion/overdrive, and the Buzz knob tailors the sound in a gated way so the unit can go from a fuzz face minimum to all out velcro rip. The instructions are general and this thing is a little bit to get to know as all three knobs interact. No LED so you can either unplug or get the option to have an off switch added to leave plugged in on the pedalboard. The unit is positive ground and there is no option for external power due to being opposite ground that would fry any power supply if used. No doubt with the sounds you get from this unit it most likely has anti-matter in it as well. Good instruction sheet with the unit. Don't know how many were built but they are limited. Mine was new direct from analog Mike serial #175 and only a few hundred are going to be made.

This thing is the intro to satisfaction all the way. I had owned a Keeley Fuzz head that is very closely based upon the fuzz face and has the option of either silicon or germanium transistor select. Great unit overall for that type of distortion like old cream, some ZZ top and british 60s, but I was looking for a little bit more rip and tear from a fuzz. This unit is just what I wanted. It starts where the fuzz head leaves off and take you from fuzz to buzz with a much more pronounced gate threshold. Just imagine the sound you get from a radio just off station where everything gets that velcro buzz and rip sound. The original Meastro sound used by Kieth Richards on this unit is right there. If you want the best of fuzz world I would recommend both the Keeley and the Peppermint for total range as the Keeley gets the less buzzy authentic fuzz you might hear as more of a distortion overdrive break up, and the Peppermint is the more "effect" based fuzz tone that jumps out with the edge and tear. One is a flavor of fuzz based overdrive and the other is it's own entity tone you have heard. The peppermint is the sound you would need two fuzz units daisey chained to achieve all on it's own. This thing is awesome. As with distortion/overdrive units, fuzz effects are dynamic to the volume pot on the guitar, but with fuzz units, this interaction is exponentialy responsive. Volume adjustment not only alters the level of fuzz but also the character so to get the right fuzz may mean setting the effect and in turn adjusting the guitar, which literally becomes part of the fuzz circuit. Sound is outstanding and not many units out there will give you this distinct sound.

First AM effect I have bought and new so I cannot say, but you can check on others by AM for referance.

I don't know about support, but I can say this unit was here in three days from my order online.

I have been playing for more than 30 years. I know the sounds I like and have spent years learning how to get them, just like most readers here. This tone has resided in my audio memory since hearing it back in the late 60s. In my opinion this effect is just as distinct as chorus, delay, tremolo, etc. I do wish I understood what the off switch option was at the time I ordered so I would not have to unplug for battery saving. I would recommend this to everyone.

If you know what u want out of this fuzz its one of the easiest pedals to get a fuzzy sound out of.

i like to use my 808 tube screamer to make it not a bass-e as it comes but if you listen to the sound clips or the youtube video on analogman's website you know what your getting.

everything analogman makes is very reliable

i have asked him several questions and always get a quick response. almost always less then 24 hours

its what the description he gives it is. One of the best fuzzes i've used and one of my favorite pedals.

It's the three knob pedal that's very easy to use. Gain/fuzz, output volume, and a buzz knob which replaces the standard sun face sundial knob. I'd say it's a bit easier to use than the sunface beacuse the buzz knob really affects the sound more than the sun face's sundial knob and so it's a bit less subtle and more apparent in use.

Depends on what you're looking for in the "sound quality" department. Basically this pedal sounds kind of like a really crappy sounding sun face fuzz (analog man's take on the fuzz face for those who don't know). I love it!!! It has some crazy intermodulation sounds and it's definately heavier, fuzzier, and has more high frequency content than the sun face. It's like if you were able to keep turning the fuzz knob up on the sun face you would get to where the peppermint fuzz is at. The buzz knob is cool and when you turn it down you get a real weak sounding sputtery fuzz sound. Turn it up and it becomes way louder, has more gain and sustain: definately more pronounced of a control than on the sun face. It's sound is similar to a sun face though and initially when I first got it I thought it sounded a bit too much like the sun face but after some gigs and recordings with both fuzzes they do sound quite different. The sun face (I have the NKT germanium version) has a beautiful, warm sound and the peppermint fuzz is brash, ratty, buzzy, and out of control. Also the knobs are really much more useful on the peppermint fuzz and it's more versatile of a pedal. The sun face basically makes one really great sound and that's it. The fuzz knob needs to be turned up high and the sundial somewhere close to the 12 o'clock position. On the peppermint fuzz however, the fuzz knob sounds good all the way up or turned down considerably and the buzz knob really makes a huge difference and is quite useable across it's whole range. The vloume knob still needs to be turned up pretty high just like the sun face although this pedal can get LOUD! Basically it does exactly what it should: sounds like a really fuzzy, harsh, 60's style psychedelic fuzz.

Analogman pedals are very well built and I don't think you'd have any problem gigging on them regularly...I have for years.

Analogman is not a big company and therefore you get some amazing one-on-one customer service and support. Excellent!

Great pedal for what it does and there's really nothing else like it out there for the price. BTW, mine is the special donnerbox version which is handpainted. It cost a bit more but I got my peppermint fuzz months before it was actually released. The analogman version is an even better deal and quite a bit cheaper than the donnerbox version or their sun face. Basically if you're looking for that beautiful jimi or dave gilmour type lead sound than I reccommend the sun face NKT fuzz. But if you want something a bit more buzzy, obnoxious, psychedelic, and just plain wierd then go for the peppermint. You could always do what I did and buy both! Highly reccommended!!!