Guyatone Fuzz 2000

Two knobs and a tone switch? Pretty easy if you ask me.

Despite the fact this looks like some awful early 90s digital affair (black & pink..mmm..nice. Anyone remember the Hart Foundation from WWF??) the fuzz it produces is surprisingly good.
Up to about halfway on the drive knob the sound is akin to a Fuzzface with that lovely sizzly nature and plenty of harmonics and sustain (but slightly brighter and doesn't clean up as well with your guitar vol knob) and beyond that it's not quite as thick and nasal as a Big Muff or MK2 Tonebender, but certainly WAY beyond what a Fuzzface would ever give you - think of it as a silicon Fuzz face on steroids.
The tone switch is best kept in the 'normal' position, but I could see it being in used in 'bright' position if you were to use this as a 'solo' pedal and wanted some extra treble to really cut through.
Noise-wise it's no noisier than any other fuzz I've used.

Seems pretty sturdy

Godlyke, Guyatone's distributor are helpful and quick to answer e-mails.

For comparison I also own an Analogman Sunface, Roger Mayer Axis & Classic fuzzes, Barge Concepts BBJr and recently got rid of a Voodoo Lab Bosstone. Whilst all of those have distinctive, vintage sounds, the Fuzz2000 can really do a bit of everything (except for the floor-splitting, gut-wrenching shudder of the BBJr) and would be a very suitable pedal for someone looking for a retro-sounding, versatile fuzz that's a cut above the horrible Boss/Jim Dunlop/DOD offerings but not as expensive and esoteric as the boutique fuzzes.

you've got volume, gain and a bright switch.

This is a fuzz. Pristine sound is antithetical to it's purpose. However, as fuzz tones go it is a very professional sounding unit.

What seperates this from the others is the amount of harmonic content. It is much more complex and 3 dimensional than other fuzz pedals to my ear. None of the white noise and sonic vomit I associate with zvex fuzz pedals, and more richness and depth than my other favorite fuzz the prescription electronics experience.

Many fuzz pedals sound good in isolation but get lost in a band mix or are just to buzzy and thin for a decent lead sound. This will not get lost in a mix in fact it sounds better in a mix.

The sound is balls out....way out. It is hard to describe. Very unique but still firmly a classic fuzz tone. It gives you everything you love about fuzz but more of it. The amount of available gain is beyond what a sane person could ever use.

Massive power chords and mind bending leads are what this pedal is all about. Mudhoney should have this pedal.

Top notch build quality.

This is great pedal. Only 100 units sold in the US for the millenium, so it's fairly rare. I've got a lot of fuzz and this is the one on my board.

Octave would be cool. Tone knob? could be cool, but could choke the sound. The bright switch gives enough tone flexibility.

Graphics look really lame, who cares.

Very simple, Level and Gain knobs with a bright switch. It is always a trade off to get rid of the tone knob on you effect. I like it since I'm always fiddling with the guitar and amp tone knobs and I'd like to keep it that way. That being said, the down side is if you are switching it on and off during the course of a song, you will get whatever it gives, with no opportunity to adjust it.

The large knobs give a very fine adjustment ability. The change in gain and level is very smooth and gradual despite the broad range available for each.

I would consider this pedal as very versatile for fuzz distortion. It spans from about 75% germanium fuzz (From 0 to 6 on gain dial) to about 75% transistor fuzz (6 to 10 on the gain dial). It doesn't quite hit the dallas arbiter fuzz, because it isn't quite deep enough or smooth enough nor does it get a Big Muff, because it isn't quite so defined and tame.

There is a certain looseness associated with the distortion, but it is stable, and consistend. Quite unique.

Anywhere on the gain dial is a very nice professional quality tone. From an awesome crunch 1-4 Gain to a top of the line Grunge tone 4-6. Above that it is "Yeah I'm loud what are you gonna do about it?"

Actually when you finally hit 10 on the gain dial there is so much gain it is difficult to control the feedback. Basically your into the shred zone. But the loosness of tone I mentioned before makes it pleasing for hard rock guys like me who don't care much for the "Sacrificing to the Devil" shredding Gibson SG tone. It is a bit more of a bombastic shred than a sinister shred. Are you a Metal guy that wants a unique shred tone that has awesome tone? Get This and crank it.

The tone is as transparent as it can get and still be a fuzz. So not tranparent as in clean boost, but transparent as in I can still tell whish pickup I've got selected on which guitar with which amp.

A significant note is that the amp/setting you play with really determines about 50 of the tone you get. If you want smoother fuzz, push the power tubes on your amp, if you want crunch, push the preamp tubes. Also the EQ on your amp significantly alters the frequency range which is important since the unit has no tone control. And you may like it a lot more with one amp than another. If your amp has a good high gain sound then this pedal will sound good.

No hiss, no mud, no wow or flutter in the tone, it sounds solid.
Its also true bypass, and sounds like it.

This thing is tight. It is a large box that is top quality all the way around. The battery compartment rips, and the paint job is slick even though I don't care for the pink writing.

Who knows?

It isn't a very cheap pedal. But it is a good compromise between run of the mill and botique stuff. Judging the percieved quality of the unit and the excellent, no drawback tone it has I got what I paid for. Does that still make it a good value? I'm not sure. That is what keeps it from being a 10.