ToadWorks Mad Dog Fuzz

Simple... two knobs and a switch. It's pretty easy to get good tone out of it. I haven't found a setting I don't like yet. I bought mine used on ebay so no manual, but you'd have to be pretty daft to need one. The website says the manual is up there, but the link is dead.

The trick is to set the level so its consistent with the rest of your amp's channels. The only thing I wish it had was better battery access, but since I run it on a 9v adapter it doesn't really make any difference to me personally. The 9 rating is for a lack of an easily accessible battery compartment.

This one has an old school sort of sound to it, but I wouldn't call it a clone either. At about 9 o'clock you get that "Spirit in the Sky" fuzziness. Up past noon and the fuzz starts getting pretty crazy. All the way up and its pure, wonderful chaos. The low end is nice and tight and the high end is not overly bright. I play mostly with an Epi Les Paul and it fits that guitar nicely. I've not played it through any sort of single coil pickup, but the clips on their website sound like it does a nice job.

I don't hear any unwanted noise from this pedal (other than what you'd expect from a cranked fuzz). Its true bypass and hand wired. So it doesn't affect the signal adversely when its off.

There is some compression at higher gain (as was mentioned in the previous review), but if you understand the principle behind a fuzz/distortion circuit you'd know that as the signal is overloaded (to get it to distort) there will inherently be some compression. It can't be avoided no matter how boutique or hand wired or insert overblown catch phrase manufacturers use to make you spend more money. Personally I like the little bit of compression added to it.

I've been playing this fuzz with an Epi Les Paul, as I said, through a Crate V5112 tube amp (somewhat of a Marshall sounding amp with EL-34's and all). As with any fuzz pedal run it in front of the amp (not through the fx loop) and in front of your wah. This fuzz works pretty well with my wah and sounds incredible with a comb filter type effect (i.e. a stationary wah). All in all the sound quality is incredible.

Hand wired right here in the USA. No complaints yet. Built solid like a tank. I'm not even concerned about hitting the knobs and breaking them.

Who has the money to buy a back up? I got this one because it was the least expensive pedal I could find. Either way I'm confident that this pedal will continue to work and not give me problems at a gig. If it did I'd just use my good old amp distortion.

Never dealt with them, but they seem like they would be helpful. They have a good website anyway.

I play a lot of classic rock influenced alt/indie rock. Pretty straight ahead. I wanted a fuzz pedal to take my tone places my distortion couldn't. It does everything I bought it for and more. I find myself using it in places I never dreamed of. Props to Toadworks for including LP sound clips on their site and making a fuzz pedal that will work with something other than a strat. I searched for a long time for a pedal that didn't suck with a les paul (or any other guitar with humbuckers) and I finally found it. The tone is beefy and well rounded. It works well with a variety of music.

I love that it isn't really a clone and its not really an over the top modern fuzz, but lies somewhere happily in between. Its perfect for what I do. It puts me in the mood to write songs and explore areas of my playing that I don't normally reach for. Plus the fact that I got it used (nearly new) for $50 plus shipping on ebay is amazing. This pedal may not have the boutique price tag, but its worth absolutely every penny I paid for it and so much more.

If someone stole this pedal from me I would cry and then beat them repeatedly until they gave it back.

two knobs - fuzz and level - and a footswitch. simple. runs on either a nine volt battery or a nine volt power supply, the usual Boss style.

i play modern 'indie' rock using a vox AC30 and either a fender tele or a gibson SG. in my opinion, single coils suit this pedal best; the SG, for some reason, is way too bright for my taste even when you roll the tone all the way down. this is odd to me, as the humbuckered SG isnt very shimmery. i usually leave my amp set to flat to let the guitars do their thing, but certainly a small adjustment to the treble would remedy this. the tele, however, has much more interaction in the tone departent. good stuff! this fuzz meets the manufacturers claim that it has a unique sound. as you probably can tell, i was looking for a darker sound, but its individuality really sold me. just make you sure you try before you buy. personal taste aside, this (hand-wired) pedal sounds nice and warm. it is not noisy at all unless i run it through an overdrive pedal (which, by the way, if set right sounds killer). no popping when you hit the switch. massive sustain too. a minor gripe is that when the fuzz is turned up too much, it does some strange compression thing. it also would have been cool if it had an effing tone knob!

this is a hand-wired, american made product. its lightweight, compact, and solid. ive only had it for a few days, but i dont think ill have any problems. it seems really sturdy.

all i can say is that at 87 bucks, you should own one. i would definitely replace it if stolen. compared to all fuzz pedals ever made, its a nice one. compared to fuzz pedals in its price range, its amazing.