Outlaw Supply Ole Fuzzy

This pedal is based on the Fulltone 70, featuring a Volume, Mid, and Fuzz control. With three controls, you have the ability to set your level to unity (or maybe a bit of a boost), and adjust the degree of fuzz to your tastes. What makes this type of fuzz pedal more versatile than other makes of fuzz is the mid control which allows you to control the amount of "cut" your sound will have. Most fuzz pedals lock you into a particular sound, but this one offers a great deal of freedom by working the mid control. It can take you from scooped fuzz face sounds to creamy 500lb violin sounds along its range. I've found that there are good tones to be had at every setting. It's hard to make the pedal sound "bad"; best however is another matter. I really have a hard time figuring out which sounds I like more than others.

Ultimately, I'd say that the pedal is very easy to use but is capable of a very wide range of fuzz tones so once you zero in on the range of sounds you like, you're good to go. You sort of have to move into the pedal like you move into a new house. Once you get adjusted, it's your new home, but it can be a tad unfamiliar at first. Doesn't mean its not a great house (or pedal) though. It is very easy to move in though, and that's definitely a bonus.

As I stated before, this pedal doesn't really do bad sounds, but some of the sounds work better for somethings rather than others though. What makes this all the more difficult for the user is the diversity of sounds available by adjusting the internal trim pot. With the trim pot, the texture of the fuzz is adjustable (from a smooth buttery fuzz to a rough and tough dirt devil at the other extreme). I find that this feature, more than any other is actually the magic behind the pedal. More so than the position of the mid knob, the level or the fuzz, the trim pot has the ability to drastically alter the character of the effect. To me it's an indispensable feature, one that really makes the pedal worth more than the price.

I'm currently using this pedal with my JCM 2000 TSL122 and my Crate V18 112. I find that it likes both amps very much, but in different ways. Neither is particularly better, but they are different. It magnifies the character of each amp. Through each I am able to get smooth Eric Johnson like tones and crunchy Jimi Hendrix like tones. Ole Fuzzy does not contain those players' sounds in a box (no pedal does), but I believe it is a gateway to them. I have no complaints about the sounds of the pedal. I find them to be more than superb.

As I was adjusting the trip pot, i noticed that with the fuzz maxed out, there is some noise but when I put the back cover back on, the noise basically goes away (though there is still some gain hiss).

Reliability is a bit of a concern. The first unit I received was was assembled with a faulty power jack which resulted in a blown diode of some sort. The problem had nothing to do with the build quality per se, rather a bad component, but once this issue was fixed the pedal seemed quite reliable.

As with my previous issue, I contacted Santor Phillips about the problem and he fixed it far faster than anyone would expect and shipped it back to me overnight. I could not be more pleased with the customer support I received. Top notch all the way across the board.

I play styles of music that embrace screaming lead guitars (rock, metal, blues, funk/r&b, fusion, etc). This pedal is a great fit for each of those styles (maybe with the exception of metal). It is far more versatile of a product than I expected to encounter when I first set out shopping for a fuzz box. In the course of a day, I tried out 17 different fuzz units at a variety of price points. My favorites were the Fulltone fuzzes and this fuzz (which is very similar to those pedals). When the price of Ole Fuzzy is factored in, I think that it is a no brainer. I would not hesitate to put this pedal up against the Fulltones and even pricier products. It holds its own beyond a shadow of a doubt and in my own opinion outshines most if not all of its competition.