Univox Super Fuzz

I don't know how old my super fuzz is. I'ts orange and blue. It's got two knobs; one for fuzz, and one for level. There's also a switch between the two that basically just scoops or boosts midrange. I bought mine used, so no manual. Real easy to get a good sound.

I use a SG standard and a Fender champ. It's not really that noisy for an older pedal, which can of upsets me because I love noise. It's always real fuzzy, but if you crank the fuzz knob all the way and play a chord in rapid succession, it will just lose itself. It's hard to explain, it like takes a split second for a chord or whatever to like, fade in. Anyway's it has two sounds, setting 1 is black sabbath, "Tommorrow's dream". Setting 2 with the scooped midrange sounds more like the Misfits. I also use this setting for "Paranoid".

reliable, simple construction.

who knows.

I love it. That's all I can say. I use it more than any vintage big muff, tubescreamer. In my opinion, the best sounding fuzz, but a close second is the maestro "fuzz tone". Good luck finding one!

This pedal is VERY easy to use. All it has is a balance (volume) control, expander (gain) control, and a tone switch. Both tones are great, the best fuzz I have ever heard. The tones are scooped mid range, and boosted mid range. They are very dependant on the amplifier tone control. Using the amp EQ you can get almost any distortion tone wanted. This is over 20 years old, so there is no manual. It cant get any easier for the versatility, if you use your amp with it right. The gain control does almost nothing, its always very fuzzy.

There is not a bad sound in this. This is the ultimate fuzz pedal, and I have tried a ton of fuzzes. It is kinda noisy when the gain is on max, but not too bad. I use it with a Fender Strat into a Fender amp, plus a dunlop crybaby, ELH Deluxe Electric Mistress, and ELH Deluxe Memory Man. This pedal is used by Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr., and Smashing Pumpkins just to name a few. There is no bad sound on this.

Its lasted 20 years I think everything will be just fine. Really thick die cast steel. If you can actually find a second one to use as a backup, dont bother getting it anyway cuz this will not break down.

Univox became Korg, but there are schematics on the net if you need to make small repairs. There is no customer support from the company but maybe the store you buy it from.

I play punk rock and indie rock. Its good for any rock or metal or anything requiring very high gain. I've been playing for 4 years. If it were stolen I would have the person hunted down and shot, this pedal is too kool. Not a bad feature on it and nothing else I wish it had. I got it at AnalogMan Vintage Guitar Effects, he has a lot of great stuff if your looking for this or other older pedals - http://members.aol.com/AnalogMike/stock.htm I had been looking for the perfect fuzz forever, and I found it in this.

Not much to figure out - two dials, a sliding switch, and an on/off stomp switch.

The most MONSTEROUS fuzz ever made. Two different tone settings. The first tone setting is thin, and is great for that 60's garage sound. The second setting scoops the midrange, and sounds HUGE. All sounds are chock full of octavia-like overtunes (i.e. octave-up, caused by full-wave rectification). It sometimes sounds like the thing is ready to explode. Strange buzzsaw harmonics dominate - far more so than any of the old fuzzes, or the new boutique fuzzes. Nothing else is more aggresive than the Super Fuzz.

Mine was shredded for many years, until I paid $60 to get it repaired (at the time, there were no schematics on the internet for this box). Even after getting it repaired, the on/off switch broke right away. The box is thin, and made out of sheet metal (I have the older grey SuperFuzz, not the colorful diecast ones from the 70's). As much as I love this box, I would hesistate about using it live.

Univox became Korg, as far as I can tell. I doubt there is any customer support on this ancient box.

The greatest fuzziest fuzz of all time. I have heard many of the contenders, and have over a dozen fuzzes of my own, and this box still rules. The newer boutique pedals, as cool as they are, still don't sound as aggressive as the Super Fuzz. Nothing out there has the killer combination of octave up and midrange scoop that makes the Super Fuzz sound so huge. The Prescription Electronics Outbox tries to do this, but doesn't sound nearly as nasty as the Super Fuzz. The Boss HyperFuzz sounds similar, but is neither as harsh or as smooth as the Super Fuzz (it is, however, a cheap substitute, and gets you 90% of the sound for 1/3 of the asking price nowadays). Would I buy this at the current asking price of $300? No. However, if you can find a bargain on it, get it right away.
A few helpful hints for getting a Super Fuzz on the cheap:
- The same circuit was sold under many different names: Jax, Apollo, Ace Tone, and other names which I can't remember (Kent?). Try out any weirdo Japanese fuzzes in ugly boxes you may find. If the fuzz has two dials, and a two-position tone switch, and sounds like Mudhoney and the Cramps, it may be a Super Fuzz circuit. Often, these boxes will be sold for far less than a "real" Super Fuzz. - Learn how to solder, and check out R.G. Keen's site at http://www.eden.com/~keen. Keen has reverse-engineered many classic, long-gone fuzz boxes, and has made the schematics available, as well as new circuit board designs. If you are electronically inclined, you can build a Super Fuzz for far less than the prices being charged nowadays.