Best Fuzz Pedals for Guitar

Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz Pedal

The results are in: the Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz pedal is one of the top-selling pedals in Sweetwater history! Josh Scott recently revealed this tasty morsel of gossip, and he’d probably say that the SF300 Super Fuzz holds its own against countless boutique fuzz pedals while costing about as much as a Kansas City cup of coffee. The pedal features a 2-band EQ and three modes, including two fuzz modes (mid-forward or scooped mids) and a boost mode for even more utility. As if that wasn’t enough bang for your buck, two “secret” modes are easy to access and well-documented on the Internet. Like other Behringer pedals, the sound and features lack nothing, but Behringer’s plastic housing may not be rugged enough for some tour pedalboards and traveling performers. At this price, you can easily buy two or three (but one is always a good place to start)!

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2 Fuzz Pedal 

Unearthed from a box in Bob Myer’s garage, the schematics behind the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2 fuzz pedal is a bold, new take on the beloved Muff tone. With its dual op-amp design, the Big Muff Pi 2 delivers the same sustained grit but offers a more dynamic and woolier tone with its less-refined clipping. Owners of other Big Muff pedals will be familiar with the controls as the Big Muff 2 sports the same three-control layout — Tone, Sustain, and Volume. The Tone knob ranges from deep, thick growl to ear-splitting rasp as you crank it while the Sustain knob gives rise to everything from low-grade grit to a full-blown wall of fuzz. Guitarists here at Sweetwater have played almost every Big Muff fuzz pedal imaginable, and we believe the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2 fuzz pedal will be a worthy addition to your collection. 

Pro Co RAT 2 Distortion/Fuzz/Overdrive Pedal

Fuzz, boost, distortion, and more — whatever shade of dirt fills your garden, the mighty Pro Co RAT 2 distortion/fuzz/overdrive pedal has got it. The original RAT is one of the most influential fuzz/distortion devices of all time, and it’s a perfect pick for players needing flexible, modern tones at a great price. The RAT 2 is often associated with filthy, crushing ’90s-style fuzz and distortion — and for good reason. A silicon diode powers hard clipping, which makes for an oversized tone with commanding presence, especially when it comes to low-end heft. A filter knob lets players readily adapt the RAT 2 to different needs on the fly. Adjustments counterclockwise yield rounder bass-forward fuzz fit for rhythm work and crushing palm mutes, while clockwise adjustment brings the RAT 2’s teeth to the fore with piercing treble and midrange bite. We aren’t usually thrilled to see vermin at our feet, but the Pro Co RAT 2 is one unforgettable exception!

Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M Fuzz Pedal

Pedal history buffs, beware! The Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M fuzz pedal lays claim to vintage fame with a pedigree that can’t be topped. Rooted in the Maestro FZ-1 that was first released in 1962, the Fuzz-Tone FZ-M captures undeniable pedal history with an all-analog circuit plus some new perks. We could wax on about the FZ-1’s diodes and circuitry, but just know that Maestro’s first fuzz box produced the watershed sounds of ’60s rock ‘n’ roll, including tones on “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones. Simply put, it’s the real deal. The revived FZ-M lets players take familiar ’60s tone on the road with a sturdier housing, familiar controls, a new modern voice toggle perfect for contemporary styles, and Maestro’s sauve LED bugle logo that illuminates when active. If the sound of the ’60s is everything you want, then skip the time machine and go with a Fuzz-Tone FZ-M from Maestro.

BOSS FZ-1W Waza Craft Fuzz Pedal

BOSS pedals like this FZ-1W Waza Craft fuzz deliver familiar BOSS performance and reliability with the utmost quality control and optimized (but preserved) circuitry lifted from earlier models. The FZ-1W roars with vintage-inspired analog tone and stunning low-noise performance, proving the Waza Craft series contains must-play pedals for BOSS fans and newcomers alike. Much like the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M, a ’60s-inspired circuit offers instantly familiar tones. However, the sum of the FZ-1W’s gain potential outshines its old-school ancestors, regardless of whether you choose the smoother vintage voice or the more cutting modern mode that offers even more gain. Most fuzz pedals feature true bypass switching, but the FZ-1W is buffered. For players following the common formula of fuzz followed by a buffered pedal at the start of the chain, know that buffered bypass lets you save pedalboard room while enjoying signal preservation and practically no sonic footprint when bypassed.

Walrus Audio Eons 5-state Fuzz Pedal

The Walrus Audio Eons 5-state fuzz pedal packs the most flexibility of any pedal on our list. Most fuzz pedals create fuzz by clipping the guitar signal with one clipping diode. However, the Eons 5-state provides players with three diode types — silicon, germanium, and LED — for a spread of five states to explore. Each state brings different headroom, low-end character, and clipping. Hard-, soft-, and combo-clipping options unlock colorful ways to dial in tone to different demands, such as palm-muted power with seismic bass, smooth solo saturation, and even bottlenecked compression that implodes gain from within for sputtering attitude. Eons’ 3V–18V voltage starve control lets players shape sputtering tone precisely, so the option is always there, regardless of your diode state. What’s more, Eons features dedicated bass and treble EQ controls — a fuzz pedal rarity that, combined with five voices aboard, makes this a top Sweetwater pick for the studio. Fuzz fanatics will never have to carry a suitcase of fuzz pedals to and fro ever again.

Electro-Harmonix Satisfaction Plus Fuzz Pedal

A name like “Satisfaction Plus” sets players’ expectations high, but the new bells and whistles on EHX’s latest powerhouse more than deliver. The Electro-Harmonix Satisfaction Plus fuzz pedal adds extra knobs and a fat voice toggle to the original Satisfaction for superior tone-shaping ability without compromise. Fuzz fanatics love the pedal’s new bias control; it works like a dying battery by offering full-fledged sustain, fuzzy spitting sputter, and countless in-betweens. Even more satisfying is a powerful tone knob, complete with tilt-style EQ. This knob adjusts bass and treble simultaneously, letting players tame and tweak tone in record time, regardless of genre, pickups, amp, and personal tastes. Any vintage fuzz can muddy tone with cacophonous gain; some mud is good, but there’s always potential to overdo it. The Satisfaction Plus’s updated circuitry guarantees an outstanding range so that any player can achieve lots of ideal fuzz sounds without the fuss, price tag, or frustrations of true vintage units.  

Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Pedal

This Dunlop delicacy gets its delicious scorching tone from one of two places: either it successfully re-creates Jimi Hendrix’s favorite vintage Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face using exacting research into the original’s components and specs, or it is a round pedal (and round pedals objectively sound better). Players siding with our round reasoning know this pedal’s towering tone has nothing to do with a maskless handwired circuit board, a period-correct BC108 silicon transistor, or a vintage turquoise hammertone finish. Surely, it is round geometry that took Hendrix’s public image from “like” to “love” in 1970’s Electric Ladyland. No well-rounded fuzz collection is complete without a Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face pedal in the mix.  

EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainar Pedal

The EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainar pedal pays homage to the “copy of a copy of a copy” game of pedal-circuitry telephone. Listen closely, and you’ll find the sound is genuinely off the beaten path, but it’s subtle. Experts chalk the Hizumitas’s appeal up to a feel that responds like a fuzz but sounds like a hybrid. Many fuzzes are notoriously introverted and demand privacy, but not this one. When you pluck or strum, Hizumitas leans toward a distortion pedal sound but quickly blooms into fuzz sustain with a warm, organic cadence. Because the Hizumitas likes to socialize, it blends well with reverb, delay, and modulation — perfect for ambitious experiments, such as shoegaze.

The pedal’s secretive sound was refined collaboratively between EarthQuaker Devices and Wata, a connoisseur of rare fuzz. Wata’s work with acclaimed Japanese art-rock institution Boris relies on fuzz often. For years, her fuzz of choice was the Elk BM Sustainar pedal, a vintage MIJ copy of the most ubiquitous fuzz pedal ever made. During development, EQD discovered that no two Elk BM Sustainar pedals sounded the same. Designers turned to Wata’s personal unit to capture the magic that first enraptured her years ago. Grab a Hizumitas of your own, and join the proud, devoted ranks of this sophisticated delicacy.

JHS 3 Series Fuzz Pedal

The ever-growing JHS fuzz pedal lineup shows that this brand knows its stuff, especially regarding exacting re-creations of popular vintage circuits. HOWEVER, the JHS 3 Series Fuzz pedal takes a different approach; it distills JHS’s wealth of fuzz facts into a potent pedal packed with sweet spots. Volume and fuzz controls are tailored for widely usable and less fickle output than most vintage units, making it extremely beginner-friendly but also a great low-maintenance fuzz for experienced players. The bias control brings out a more experimental side and starves pedal voltage for varying degrees of spit and sputter. Bias is extremely sensitive and has a wide range, so get ready to explore tones from unfettered fuzz to absurd broken amp to torn speaker sounds. Plus, there’s a fat voice toggle for extra low end if desired — perfect for palm-muted power chords and picking!