Guyatone TZ-2 The Fuzz

Two knobs, one volume, one depth. Very straightforward.

At first, I didn't like it. I even considered selling it, but was too lazy to. I kept it and brought it back out after about a year. After setting the depth at 10 o clock (exactly facing the LED indicator), I was able to get exactly the "Heart Full of Soul" sound. This is also extremely similar to the "Strange Brew" rhythm part. In short, I now love this pedal to death, it sounds great. This is played through a cheap Ibanez GAX-70 with neck pickup with tone at around 5. Very cool.

If I turn this on, and my amp's gain channel, I get almost exactly the crunchy sound of Don Henly's "All She Wants to do is Dance."

Never a problem, though it sucks batteries dry. I bought some rechargable Ni-metal hydride 9Vs from Radio Shack and a charger and they are an awesome investment.

This gets an 8 overall. Easy to use, very good sound. Cool beans.

Two knobs: volume (controls volume) and depth (controls distortion/fuzz tone). Having used many distortion/fuzz effects over the years, I have come to the conclusion that anything more than these two controls is completely unnecessary. It is surprising how much useable fuzz one can attain even with the depth control set at a fairly modest level.

My setup: a Fender Telecatser through a Fender amp (i.e. twang city). Occasionally I use an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man for that Twin Peaks meets The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly sound. After growing tired of my old (and in some cases ailing) distortion pedals, I began looking for something that would give me a gritty, snarling tone without accentuating the Telecaster's already over the top high end nasality.

Deliverance arrived in the form of the TZ-2 (or "The Fuzz" as it has been brilliantly christened by Guyatone). After maybe 15 seconds of knob twiddling I had arrived at my long sought-after sound: that of a metal garbage can being ripped in half. Total fuzz, keening notes, overly saturated sonics, and an indefinably glorious obnoxiousness that made me feel like the hero in one of those video games who tries to take down a legion of zombies with a roaring chainsaw.

I have noticed that The Fuzz can produce extremely ultra-bassy notes (especially on the low E-string while chording), which can actually be a pretty cool thing depending on the situation. But by cranking the amp and rolling back on the TZ-2's volume knob a bit, I was able to reign in the bass, while still maintaining maximum mayhem.

For the sheer unadulterated carnage I like to conjure from a guitar (read: snuff film for the ears) - no holds barred, no prisoners taken - the TZ-2 is IT.

I have not gigged with this device yet, though I plan too very soon. I usually keep my pedals close to the amp, rather than in the middle of the stage - a routine developed after years of subjecting numerous effects pedals to merciless stomping by various spastic lead singers, overly-animated co-guitarists, and the odd super-diligent sound man running out on stage to rescue a fallen mic.

I was initially concerned by the rubber ring that holds the bottom plate onto The Fuzz, as were several other reviewers. This fear, however, pales in comparison to the jolt I received upon first removing said bottom plate to install a battery. The site of the pedal's nakedly exposed guts - diodes and such just right THERE, no attempt to cover them up decoratively - had me wondering if my TZ-2 might not have left the factory a bit early.

The steel casing seems suitably sturdy, though, and the FET switch is extremely quiet.

I have not had to contact Guyatone yet, but the 3-year parts and labor warranty impresses. I get a very positive and professional vibe from the company's advertising collateral.

I am already hopelessly in love with my TZ-2 after a very brief period of courting. This box does exactly what I want and more: a pleading fuzzed out cry of anguish that is surprisingly malleable. So many shades of distorted malignance are available through the maipulation of the sensitive controls. While I generally prefer to find a sound and stick with it regardless of the song, mood or situation, I am eagerly looking forward to further experimentation with The Fuzz. If this device were lost or stolen I would replace it tomorrow (and the low price makes this utterly doable). The Guyatone TZ-2 is a revelation.

Very easy to use- just two knobs, volume and drive control the sound.

This fuzz pedal sounds pretty good to me- it has alot of treble, maybe too much, but that can be turned down by using your guitar's tone controls. This pedal is not noisy- when I stop playing (with my Gibson Les Paul Standard through a Marshall AVT 50 amp) it is totally quiet. Chords do not sound as clear on this pedal as on more expensive boutique pedals, but for leads this is just fine.

It is actually fairly well-made. It is not a toy, though it has plastic 1/4 inch jack shafts instead of metal jacks. The knobs are sturdy.

I never attempted to contact Guyatone so I dont know. I assume that they are proud of their products because they are well thought out designs.

For the price you cant beat this pedal. Its small also, which is an advantage over the Big Muff fuzz pedal. I bought this fuzz pedal to add to my collection of fuzzes, which includes an old 1982 DOD FX 50 Overdrive Preamp, an Austone Fuzz Nutz, a Big Muff, a Maestro MFZ Fuzz, and a Roger Mayer Spitfire.

The one knob makes it more fuzzy or less fuzzy, and the other knob makes it louder or softer. If you are still confused, the manual is translated into roughly a dozen different languages. I think most of the adjustments you'll need to make in so far as getting a decent sound out of this thing are with your amp and guitar. For example: my setup, in general, is kind of trebly, and with the "hint of upper octave" the TZ-2 delivers, playing it through my normal settings produces a sound analogous to a kitten stuck in a band saw. However, if I ease off on my treble and crank the bass, it sounds NASTY. In a good way. Quality-porn-nasty, not Vince-Neil-porn-nasty. Furthermore, for some reason, this thing sharpens and defines an otherwise unplayably muddy guitar/amp setting. Weird.

I play a Fender Jagmaster through a Fender M-80 (named after the explosive device) chorus through a set of headphones because the other residents of my apartment complex have pretty much had it with me and I really don't want to wind up evicted/arrested/whacked. (It should be noted that this pedal sounds infinetely better when played through a loud amp in a small room). The TZ-2 is beautifully noisy. It's thick without being lush (read: overprocessed), and dirty without being sloppy. It has very limited sustain, but I don't really care. Also, as mentioned in previous reviews, it's not a true bypass, so you can hear a slight crackle poking through your clean channel if you hook it up in series. It's not TOO bad, I just thought I'd mention it. Oh, and don't run the TZ-2 through an effects loop. The sound flattens out like a truck ran over it, although that may just be my amp. As far as artists this pedal can be used to emulate (and I want to stress that this is through my setup, so if you try the same thing, please don't be all "What the bloody hell is this guy talking about?!?"): OK, fuzz set on high, through the neck pickup, bass on the amp cranked, the closest approximation is "The Day the Whole World Went Away" by Nine inch Nails. You KNOW the riff I'm talking about. If you dial in a lower fuzz setting and add more treble, it almost sounds like "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks. Industrial and British Invasion in the same pedal. Who knew?

This pedal seems to be solidly constructed. I don't like the rubber ring holding on the base plate, but that's a relatively minor complaint. The real problem is that the TZ-2 chews batteries like bubble gum. It might be a function of the fact that the bypass switch doesn't work 100%. I went through a pack of Energizers in two weeks, said "The hell with this.", and dropped $20 on a Boss power adaptor (I know I got ripped off, I know... it was an act of desperation). Basically, I wouldn't gig with this sucker unless you're plugged into a wall.

Have not had the pleasure.

As you can see from my setup, I am a bang-for-the-buck kind of guy. I don't go into Guitar Center, grab a Strat and a Mesa Boogie and crank "Enter Sandman" and "Smoke on the Water". I'm the guy with the bleach-blonde bedhead you see sitting Indian style with a Danelectro DC-3 in my lap playing fragments of Radiohead's back catologue for an hour and a half. Bottom line is: this pedal is cheap and obnoxious. It lives up to the whole "Univox vibe" it aims for, and for those on a budget... if getting that Zvex Fuzz Factory means you won't won't be able to eat for the next month or so, get this, you won't regret it. If you want to sound like Pennywise, get a ProCo Rat. If you want to sound like Creed or Three Doors Down or whatever, be a good little boy and get yourself a Big Muff. If you want to sound like Hendrix, I'm sorry, you're gonna have to go a little higher end. If you're aiming for a Deftones/Orange 9mm/Helmet or Ministy/Killing Joke, or even a Superdrag-y/Britpop sound, ya can't go wrong. Oh, and I love the green and orange look. It's so fricking cool. Whoever came up with this color scheme was either legally blind or trippin' BALLS.

simple as can be, two knobs

well i got this pedal for two reasons, or maybe three...at any rate i wanted to get a pedal that i could use as a distortion pedal that would sound like absolute garbage for when i'm playing punk, and well that's what happens when you use a fuzz pedal for rythm, i also wanted a weird sound like "the cramps" type stuff for creepy rockabilly rhythm. it also was the cheapest in the store.

i would throsw this at someone if they made me mad, it seems to be uilt of of admantium, th only thing that sucks is the lil plastic ring, but it's alot easier than unscrewing something for 384590405 hours like on boss pedals. hey, if and when it breaks, out comes the duct tape.

i play punk, surf and rockabilly and this thing is pretty good for punk and rockabilly, it sounds like a really crappy distortion pedal if you use it for rhythm, i wouldn't know how it is fro solos, i don't know how to play solos, but on the single note stuff it sounds nice and smooth. yuck. through my crappy crate practice amp it sounds all weird and elctronicky, like a distorted square wave type sound but through a fender blues jr. it sounded more analog and warm

As simple as simple gets: one volume, one "depth" (fuzz intensity), one bypass switch.

In the store, I compared it to a used "JH Experience" fuzz, in fact, that was why I went to the store in the first place. I was rather disappointed by the "Experience" pedal: this version had no "swell" control on it, all it had was 2 unlabeled knobs (fuzz and volume) and a sliding "octave switch". The overall sound was raspy, noisy, unpleasant and ultimately disappointing, I expected a whole lot better from it.
Then, I tried that tiny orange sucker. Agreed, it's a lighter fuzz, not a Big Muff-like tone, which suits me fine since I already have a Sovtek Muff. No, the "hint of octave overtone" is what sold me on it. I used to have a home made FOXX Tone machine (the poor thing has gone to its final resting grounds) which delivered that same octave above tone (as does the Experience pedal). My main beef with both the Foxx and the Experience is that their octave above tone is raspy, and too "ring modulator" like. On the TZ2, the octave above tone is less harsh and raspy, it's to my ears rather smoother.
The TZ2 sounds clean, and the octave above sounds more pleasant. And it's cheaper!

It's well-built and solid. I haven't put it to the test yet but the store tryout impressed me.

It's brand new!

I needed a replacement for my defunct Foxx Tone and while not as "versatile" - my old Foxx had controls for volume, tone, fuzz and a foot selectable octave switch - "The Fuzz" certainly makes for a cleaner sounding version; and combined with my other fuzz/overdrive unit I have a broad sonic palette.
I take back all of the nasty things I've said in the past about Guyatone: this line of micro effects has to be the coolest of all! And best of all: it's a great bang for the buck.

For anyone out there thinks that thinks their review has no impact on the product here's some good new. Kevin B. (I won't post a full name here in public w/out permission) of Godlyke, Inc.-the distributor for Guyatone in the U.S.- emailed me yesterday concerning my product review and went over some of it's finer points with me. This on its' own feels pretty amazing after the crap I'm used to going through to get Fender authorized service! Kevin pointed out that the switch is an FET switch (like a BOSS pedal) which is why it doesn't give the "hard" click like the old fashioned switch it resembles. I didn't note how extremely quiet the switching actually is-an FET switch is the answer to that question. Further, the shielding card ('tho' i said cardboard like-I meant in it's "side of a box" like appearance)it's actually steel-I don't wish to mislead here. In fact the whole housing is steel-not aluminum-thus making it probably stronger than I suspected. The circuit is NOT a true bypass circuit, thus explaining the very small amount of affect on my clean signal (and I do mean VERY small). Kevin said he heard no difference in the 500 or so pedals he tried, maybe mine is a fluke, maybe Kevins' ears are a little tired after trying 500 pedals! (I don't know whether to be envious of his job or feel sorry for him ;-) Lastly- i didn't mention that the warrenty is for 3 years-pretty generous. I still find the O-ring style bottom plate type attachment dubious-mine already seems a bit stretched after removing it once, but it does reveal that the company is using Dano Vintage Power Source batteries-a nice touch. So-ultimately, it's still a good bet on a vintage style fuzz. It's dirt cheap and probably better built than I gave it credit for. Kudos to Godlyke(and they don't even design 'em-they just get 'em to the people)for actually making an effort to talk to the consumer about their product.

Very simple-an input, an output, a level control, a fuzz control (called something else on the pedal itself, but I forget what it is at the moment), and an old fashioned chrome stomp switch. Oh yeah- and an LED indicator light. It doesn't get a ten because the snap on bottom of the pedal,which acts as battery compartment cover, is a real pain in the ass to use without potentially ripping up. There's also some kind of cardboardish shielding card (I guess that's what it's for) that you have to keep in it as well. This whole pedal has a very "slapped together" quality (or lack of...) to it. It also utilizes that dubious marketing approach of building it smaller and "cuter" than a normal pedal.

A blurb in Vintage Guitar said the circuit was based on the old Univox Super Fuzz, which is why I got it. I like the buzzy undefined sound of old fuzztones, and this one is just that. It's not high on sustain, just a nifty kind of fuzz that when turned up all the way will compress a note when you first hit it, then uncompress a bit as it sustains, giving a pretty weird (and probably unintentional) effect. At lower settings it merely sounds like a late '60s/early '70s fuzz tone. Not Yardbirdsian in the least, more like "Spirit in the Sky" type distortion. Overall it could be a bit harsh sounding the more the fuzz is cranked, but it's definitely useable. This box supposedly has a true bypass type circuit, but I still think it harshens the sound a very wee bit when placed in yer pedal lineup. If you like note definition in chords this ain't the pedal to get, but it does have a delightfully cheesy garage type quality to the sound that might appeal to Smashing Pumpkins fans or those looking for different kinds of fuzz textures. It's not nearly as "in yer face" as a Big Muff, but still pretty cool. I give it a ten 'cuz it does what a fuzztone should do, which has little to do with "pristine" sound quality.

I've only had it a week, but the switch feels MUCH flimsier than any of the old fashioned buttons (think button on an old Fender footswitch) I've ever encountered. I've got several effects and footswitches of this design that are decades old-I don't think this one is gonna make it that far. Then again, these things don't cost very much either. The jacks are plastic, and the housing is stamped aluminum. I think I could crush it if I stood on it (but I'm probably bigger than the average reader too...), which is something I've never encountered before. I'll give it a five because I've been fooled on a products' reliability before-but I may be being generous.

Haven't had to use 'em yet. If this thing died right now I don't think I'd be too upset, or even follow up. I sincerely doubt anyone who sees this thing is thinking it's a pro-level tool with a high level of roadability.

This is one of Guyatones' new Micro-Effects series (I could be wrong-but I swear I've seen something very similar to these products years ago-like the late '70s-maybe it's just the look of those chrome footswiches). I play a variety of music on a variety of guitars an amps. This thing does what it does well with all my stuff. While I find it of very limited use, it's still a very fun little box (which is what I think they were shooting for). If you want a retro sounding fuzz that's not vintage in price or tone degrading circuit I highly recommend checking these out. But don't start crying if you break it.