Frantone Peachfuzz

3 knobs - Fuzz, Tone and Vol. Pretty simple layout, self explanatory in fact.

I bought this pedal because I went into a music store and said " I would like to buy a fuzz pedal that sounds like the amp is about to explode." ( i.e. - " Stay With Me " The Faces or to be exact Audley Freed's lead tone on the live Black Crowes - "Sometimes Salvation") I tried this pedal with a Fulltone 70's pedal and this pedal was quieter ( amazingly so ) and cleaned up better. Again the pedal was amazingly quiet. It can go from an overdrive to full out " amp exploding fuzz " - I believe because of the tone knob. This is where this pedal shines. The tone knob is responsive and very useful. It provides a denser and fuller tone which work with the fuzz knob. So with full fuzz and higher ( brighter tone ) setting you get classic fuzzy, less fuzz and less tone you get overdrive-distortion tones. So a very versatile pedal. The ad doesn't not lie - it can in fact go from Overdrive to all out fuzz. True Bypass too.

HAND MADE think about that for a minute... No prob here - I changed the battery and the inside was amazingly neat and clean - I say this is a very reliable pedal. I have had this pedal for about 2 yrs and no problems at all.

I have had no problems with this pedal. Therefore no reason to deal with them.

I play hard rock and have been for 28 years. I just rediscovered this pedal an put it back on my board. I also have on a Keeley Compressor, A Keeley AD-9 delay and a Boss e.q.. I run all of this through either a Hiwatt DR504 head or a Hughes & Kettner Puretone head through a 4x12 Celestion cab. With an '87 Gibson Les Paul. I really love the fact that you can get all these different gain tones with one pedal. I can go from Duane to Angus to Slash to Hammett all with this pedal. Quiet as a mouse. It also has an amazing amount of volume/output too. However like all good equipment this pedal needs to played loud - There may be some disappointment with bedroom levels.

The Peachfuzz is a very simple and basic fuzz pedal. 3 knobs, one representing "Fuzz", "Tone", and "Volume". I like my pedals like my amps, with as few knobs as possible, and as soon as you plug it in you'll get a sweet sound. It doesn't require much tweaking, which in my mind is a good thing!

Right away the Peachfuzz reminded my of J. Mascis of Dinorsaur Jr's guitar tone. Sweet, rich distortion with elephant sized sustain but very musical. Turn down the fuzz and you have instant T. Rex "Slider" style crunch. Unlike the Big Muff PI you can play chords through the Peachfuzz and every note come through clearly, which is it way it's become my primary distortion pedal. I can do so much, from thick lead sounds to crunchy rhytmns. I play through a '65 Fender Twin Reverb Reissue, Vox AC15cc1x, and an old Ampeg Rocket Reverb and this things sounds smooth through all of them. I play a American Telecaster, Rickenback 330, and an old Epiphone Emperor and I think I prefer the Peachfuzz much with the Tele because it makes it sound beefy whereas other fuzz pedals can make single coils sound too fizzy. The only time this pedal doesn't excel is when you turn the fuzz way down low, but if you are doing that just use an overdrive pedal! This baby is made for tons of gain, so use it that way! The only complaint I have is the pedal does not responsed to the tone control on the guitar very well, I hardly hear a different if it's all the way up or down.

I've never had any problem with this pedal, but I've only owned it for a few months. I've never played any gig with a backup pedal so I doubt I would need to with this!

Never dealt with them.

I love this pedal to death, it's the best used gear find I've come across. My music ranges from the Replacement's like country punk rock to power pop akin to Big Star or, for something more current, Sloan and I keep this pedal plugged into board at all times because I always find a use for it. I've only been playing for five years but I've owned a lot of gear compared to most people of my experience level. Currently I have a Fulltone Full Drive 2, Keeley Modded ProCo Rat, MXR Phase 90, Akai Intelliphase, EHX Holy Grail, Dredgetone Dredge Overdrive, and Visual Studios H2O and have cycled through dozens more and this is probably my favorite pedal. I usually prefer mellowed overdrive tones, but when I kick on my Peachfuzz it seriously makes me a better player because the sound that comes up of my guitar when I use it puts me in a groove like no other. Find one and buy, just don't try to get it off of me!

This is the standard 3 knob layout that seems to be the "norm" these days. I do wish it had seperate bass and treble controls in place of the one tone control, the case is certainly large enough to accomadate an extra knob, O' well I feel I lucked out with this one as the tone knob is voiced well and this pedal packs plenty of bass and treble if you need it..so, if it sounds like I am complaining I am not. It is very easy to use.

I am not looking for anyones sound but my own and this pedal does some really great things with my guitar and set up. It seems to me to be in between a fuzz and a distortion effect, I hear both and I really like that it is not a balls to the wall uncontrollable fuzz pedal.. you can actually play this effect and make music with it. It is articulate and cleans up well with the volume on the guitar and it is very pick sensitive it is also very quiet for a fuzz. My Guitar is a modified strat with an EMG SA pickup system (with mid boost.) The first effect I hit is a Barber Tone Press then an Electro Harmonix Metal Muff then an Xotic BB then a Fulltone OCD then the Peachfuzz and last but not least a BBE Sonic Stomp straight into a Genz Benz El'Diablo 30/60 tube combo. I also have effects that run through the effects loop of the amp but I won't bore you with that. I really like the Peachfuzz a lot, it sounds awesome through my rig.

Seems to be built very well. Mine stays at home (for recording.)

Don't know.

I play mostly rock, been playing for 40 years. I feel I know good tone and good products. I own lots of other pedals both analog and digital and I switch things out on my pedal board as I need them. About the only thing I could suggest for this pedal would be a "silent" switch so my condenser mic's dont pick up the snap of the on/off switch. For me this pedal is a class act, it is quiet and expressive yet it will grind and bark with the best of them when called upon, I can't ask for much more. I rest my case.

A very simple...like a fuzz should be. Fuzz, Tone, and volume.

USA Deluxe Stratocaster--->BOSS TU-2--->BOSS DD-20--->Ernie Ball Volume Pedal--->Peach Fuzz--->VOODOOLAB Sparkle Drive--->BOSS EQ-20--->MESA BOOGIE .50 Calibre +. It sounds great. Silicone instead of germanium so it's much more of a controlled sound but still very thick. I know I don't have a super "pro" rig but I think that it sounds pretty good for what I paid for the stuff. Anyway, I really like this fuzz. When I bought it I also tried the Seymour Duncan Tweek Fuzz, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Frantone The Sweet (which is germanium), Diaz Square Face, BOSS Blues Driver, and an Electro-Harmonix USA Big Muff. The Peach Fuzz had the best character: it's not shrill or muddy and it makes the speakers really move air like a distorted tube amp should. It's also true-bypass which isn't a deal breaker but a nice feature.

It seems rugged enough but the paint really sucks so much that it chipped the first week I had it. No big deal.

This is a great pedal and it has done everything I need it to do. I really like having a tone knob on a fuzz and for some reason it's kind of rare. I play rock/pop/indie or whatever name you wan't give it and this is just the kind of thick aggressive fuzz tone that I need for the occasional heavy instrumental section.

Tow knobs(an older unit). Easy to use.

I use it to add a little grit to the sound. Not much fuzz dialed in. I prefer this to overdrive pedals.

The switches on all Frantone products go bad more often then they should. I never play a gig without some other pedal as a backup.

Terrible support from Mia and Fran. They sent a pedal back to me broken and another pedal had the exact same bad switch I sent it to them with. They also have a bad attitude. Boutique-itis at its worst. I think I would rather deal with Mike Fuller at Fulltone, and that is saying alot!

I love the sound of this pedal but I would never buy a new product from them again. I bought a backup used on ebay. It's switch also failed. I don't abuse my pedals. To be fair I travel with it to most gigs and it gets a fair amount of use but 2 broken switches in 2 years combined with crappy customer service makes it hard for me to trust this company.

3 Knobs (tone, fuzz and volume), in and out, 9v in, hardly rocket science.

I have an Ibanez RGT42 and a Yamaha Pacifica 112, not the best guitars, but I love em both into a Vox AD30VT. Also in the chain is a T-Rex Moller overdrive and a vox Big Ben Overdrive as well as my Boss GT8 (I need a pedalboard).

Used into the clean channel of my amp and with the Moller, I get a fantastic lead sound, the bottom end gets very muddy (no matter what I do) so I don't do any palm muted stuff low down the neck with it. But, I couldn't care less about the muddiness because of how good it sounds for lead work.

Quite simply, it really fattens up the tone of an already overdriven tone, just a really nice fat lead tone with lots of sustain. Sounds really nice with my guitar tutors Broadcaster (its a real one) into his Mesa Mark III combo.

It does get noisy at high levels of fuzz, but I use it with the fuzz on about half, so its barely noticable, and I use it pretty much exclusively for leads, so that doesn't matter.

I would use this at a gig without a backup. It is very neatly built inside, although the paint does chip very easily, which is a shame because the paint is lovely.

Haven't had the need to deal with them, but apparently they are very heplful.

I like it a lot, be it for a high gain bluesy lead, a la Gary Moore, or a bit of Pink Floyd (i.e. the outro solo to Comfortably Numb).

I love this pedal, and if it suddenly dissappeared into thin air never to be seen again, I would buy another with no hesitation.

C'mon people, it's a fuzzbox, not a super-computer. Easy.

I put no opinion purpousfully. I kinda got pressured in by the guy selling it to get it (although I admit I did like it at the time) before truly researching it, so its nobody's fault but mine (*gag* on song reference! lol).

At the time, I recently decided that I needed a fuzz, having listened to Jimi's fuzz tone live at the Isle of Wright (called Wild Blue Angel). That sound was just to die for. I have yet to find/hear a pedal (or any other guitarist) that gets that same fuzz flavor. I also like Jack White's sound, and I know he used an old American Big Muff for it.

I went into the local "boutique" store and asked the owner if he had any suggestions for that sound. He's a Frantone dealer, so he let me try the Peachfuzz. I thought it was ok at the time, but I got kinda pressured into getting it. I later found out the Peachfuzz is silicone based, not germanium based like the Muffs and Fuzzfaces which is what I wanted. So essentially, it wasn't the same sound as the afformentioned, although it got somewhat close to a Big Muff.

I brought it home at tried it on my Fender Hot Rod Deville 410, and I kinda liked it. Sounded pretty good w/ my strat. It isn't a very aggresive fuzz...the Wweet probably has more of that mean germanium bite. But there was several things I noticed....it does clean up when the guitar volume is turned down, but you have to roll way back (like around 4-5) for it to be a usable clean. The tone control, while a nice feature (and very effective), still affects the tone no matter what the volume setting. I noticed this because I was using the tone at 9 o'clock, very bassy, to get that smooth lead tone on the treble strings. But when I rolled back the volume, the tone filter was still there, and the single-pickup chime was gone competely. It was the same sound just less volume and fuzz.

With humbuckers the fuzz becomes way too saturated for any definition...this is where the tracking really goes to shit...and I had no luck thinning it up. I don't quite see how people say this doesn't have enough fuzz, because I got buttloads of it (lol) at relatively low "Fuzz" setting. It's mostly because there is a ton of bass added in this circuit to the point where it overwhelms the sound. Some people like this, but it wasn't what I was looking for.

So I stopped using it....until I got my Dr Z KT-45. I pulled it out again, and found a new issue--this pedal has a ton of output. I set the amp at a meduim volume (which is loud, but "medium" for the amp) so the sound is a punchy clean with some grit, and then usually add drive or treble boost for gain. The Frantone seriously increased my volume, and I couldn't get it down at all, even when turning down the volume AND fuzz on the pedal...it was still too loud. And way way too much bass.

Basically, this pedal got completely kicked off my board by my BSM Fuzzbender. The tones are great, it cleans up very well with guitar volume (fuzz is completely gone by 8), and it works well with humbuckers (the tonebender side has tighter bass and stronger mids). It is a different beast though--a fuzzface/tonebender clone vs. a silicone Big Muff clone. It just met my needs and my personal taste better.

No problems with it. My gear costs too much money to own backups :-)

Haven't dealt with them

The Frantone is very thick sounding, which I say is good in some applications. It does not, however, interact well with other gain units--it really doesn't need them anyway.

It is true bypass, which I like. The paint chips though.

Ok, to recapitulate, it's a toneful pedal, but it wasn't to my personal taste and it didn't mesh well in my rig; but I didn't properly research it before buying. For me, this pedal would be best as a lead sound, because I found it way too strong for rhythm, unless that is the sound you like. Set your volume low and clean, and use the pedal to boost you to gigging volume.

I do like the Frantone line. They have a good presentation and are structurally sound. This one just didn't do it for me. I am looking into getting a Vibutron.

I am selling mine. There is nothing wrong with it functionally, just a couple paint chips. I've had it for about a year now, used it rarely. Never gigged. Contact me if you are interested.

I'd first like to point out that this is a review of the vintage Frantone Peachfuzz. The one everyone wants, cause vintage is better right?

It has Two knobs, Volume and Fuzz. Duh...

The battery is a little tedious to change, four screws on the bottom... ugh... it's not like a Boss, i'll tell you that much.

Really easy to find some great tones in this baby.

The review will be for this setup: a 1991 Gibson Les Paul Studio ---> Dunlop Cry Baby -----> Frantone Peachfuzz ----> Traynor 50 watt tube amp (the blue one!)

WARNING: Watch out for the volume knob on this beast, it's deadly! VERY responsive! I really like the tone that gets belted outta this machine. It's got lots of low end, but still maintains the character of your fingers. With the fuzz low; it's almost like an overdrive/fuzz. When you crank the fuzz up, you can still hear every note in a chord, it's very transparent for a fuzz pedal! With the fuzz maxed, a rhythm sound will get lost in the mix, and will be a bit harsh, but this is only because of the crazy fuzz that this thing gives out. I find that as i turn up the volume knob, the low end is boosted substantially, i don't know if this is good or bad... I like it though. The cool thing about it is if you roll back on the guitar volume, it cleans up like a baby's bum! And it really responds to your picking dynamics, like play soft, and you'll get clean, dig in and you get a hint of fuzz.

Imagine a TS-808 fused with a Big Muff, and you've got the Peachfuzz: Punch and transparency with a great fuzz tone!

One thing i really like is how the note breaks down after you hold it. It doesn't have endless sustain, but the sound as the note is dying, almost sounds like your sweeping from treble to bass on a wah pedal very slowly. It's nice...

One issue with mine is that there's a really really noticable hum from the pedal when i use the adaptor jack. I probably could have it looked at... It's not from my guitar, cause i rolled back the volumes, and nothing happened, then took out the d/c jack and it was perfect. So, who knows, age i guess.

You can get a tone similar to Jimi in purple haze, and a really soaring lead tone if you crank the fuzz up. Loads of sustain in the higher register.

Oh, man. Rectangular metal casing. Metal stomp switch. All great, but my only issue..

The black plastic volume knob slid off (probably because it's old!) in my gig bag, and wouldn't stay back on. BUT my intuitive genius mind fixed this right up with some contact cement inside the knob. I just stuck it back on, it dried, and hasn't broke since!

It kinda kills batteries fast if your not careful, just unplug the patch from the input when it's not being used!

Another thing is, when the battery is dying, the LED lights up slightly dimmer, but no sound comes out... It's noticable if you've got a good eye, but be wary of this.

I would definetely depend on this pedal, but i'd put in a new battery before a show, just to be safe!

Haven't dealt with them yet, i've had no problems so far.

I really like this pedal, and it really fits my style of music. I play mostly classic/psych rock with a faster fuzzed out edge. Inspired by Jimi, Jimmy, (lol), David Gilmour, The Vines, The Datsuns, a crapton of late 60's to early 70's psychedelia, ooh, Quicksilver Messenger service is awesome, Spirit is awesome, The Smoke, whatever, anyway

The new pedal comes with a Tone knob, this might be helpful, but i'm fine with this sound. I also am a fan of the knob style, they're big, black, and cool. I can move them with my feet onstage and not worry! If i need an extra fuzz or volume boost, that is!

It has inspired me on many occasions, and also inspired my Band's name, so i'd recommend this pedal if you want a very rare transparent sounding fuzz!

Well, a pedal with 3 konbs (level, tone and gain) can't be that hard to use now can it? This one isn't at all hard to get a good sound out of because it sounds great at nearly any setting. I personally like it with the gain set pretty high (like 3 o'clock), the tone at about 12 o'clock and the level at about 11 o'clock.
I suppose the only slightly difficult thing about it is that the dials are pretty sensitive, so the changes you get are quite dramatic. This is, of course, a good thing but makes it slightly harder to get a sound you like - to start with.

Excellent. I couldn't ask for more. Bare in mind that it is primarily a lead tone pedal - though I like it with rhythem styles too. It has plenty of bass and mid range and tons of sustain. It has a lovely vintage, violin type tone. As you may have guessed I like it a lot.
Oh yeah, and it is really, really quiet.
I think some people feel it doesn't have enough gain, but thats kind of a stupid criticism; it has the amount of gain it is supposed to have. It is not a big muff-a-like. It has a really great character of its own.

Erm, I think it is reliable. Seems sound. I've had it about a year and it is still as it was the day I got it. The only slight issue I have is with the input and output jacks - they dont quite have the 'snap' sound when you plug it in that lets you know it has connected properly.

Never dealt with Frantone. I hear they are very good though.

Really, really good. One of the best lead tones I've heard from a fuzz (and I have got a few - Zvex Fuzz Factory, Effector 13 Silver Crank, Frantone Cream Puff, Big Muff reissue (Yuk!) and I've played lots of others - that I couldn't afford!). I would recomend it to anyone looking for vintage tone. Don't get one if you are expecting balls to the wall amounts of gain because you wont get it.

I use the Peachfuzz with my Mesa/Boogie Bass 400+ Amp. It sound best if switched between Pre- and Power-Amp,in the FX loop. (!)
(You have to play with the Master and Volume Knobs to find your balance between clean and fuzzed bass.)

It has so much BASS, you even can boost basses, a rather rare and precious feature, the search is over! Distorted bass still is a difficult issue, especially when you want to have kept some bass in the signal when it reaches the amp!!!

I'll give the sound only a 9, I want to try Fran's Lo Tone Fuzz one day, it must be heaven!

The Janitor seems to have access to the computer at Fran's place. Anyway answers come quick and are helpful.

I love fuzzed bass -> Fu Manchu ->This thing does it!