Wampler Velvet Fuzz Pedal Reviews

This is hands-down the most versatile, most musical fuzz I've ever played. It will do the face-melting, planet-destroying fuzz, of course, but so will most popular fuzzes. What makes the Velvet Fuzz unique is its' versatility. I can dial the gain all the way back to about 9 o'clock and get a nice crunchy distortion that is great for anything from full power chords to singing leads. The "Tight" mode on the toggle switch gives you articulation and string definition that I've never even dreamed possible with a fuzz.
This is my 2nd Wampler pedal, the 1st being the amazing Ego Compressor which pairs wonderfully with the Velvet Fuzz. (Don't let anyone tell you that fuzz & comp don't go together. They do if they're Wampler pedals). I am currently eyeballing the EQuator EQ pedal... we'll see.
I am definitely a Wampler fan for life.

If a thick chocolate milkshake had a sound, it would sound like this pedal. In all the demonstration videos on fuzz pedals, the Velvet Fuzz stood out to me for its creamy, wide, and rounded sound - no rough edges to the fuzz on this one. These qualities are especially important to those like me, who play a Strat through a clean (Fender-style) amp. The actual performance of this pedal did not disappoint. This pedal inspires a deep dive into the Trower, Pink Floyd, and Gary Clark Jr. catalogue. Thank you, Wampler pedal crew!

And thanks to Sweetwater and Sales Engineer Will Collins!

I say jack of all trades because you can get so many tones out of this pedal. Also, it is so versatile that any guitar I plugged into it sounded good with minimal tweaking. Now I'm not a fuzz expert but it is a lot of fun and sounds good. It is also very responsive to the volume knob.
Sweetwater is hands down the best place to buy. They have amazing customer service and prices. Thank you Jacob Stutzman.

Only one I own, but I like it! Nice change of pace from my regular overdrives. I use it more as a texture or change of color To my tone then it's true purpose of over the top distortion. My third Wampler pedal. I like them. See more of them in my future. Thanks Jozy! Keep the cool gear coming!

I like a smoother fuzz that doesn’t sound sputtery and hack up the sustain in your lead tones. It responds similar to a big muff with an OD inline to smooth stuff out into violin like sustain. I like this sound a lot, it’s great for the David Gilmour and Eric Johnson type tones on its own and is especially great when paired with a light mid-forward overdrive like an Ibanez Tubescreamer or a Boss OD1/OD2 type pedal.

I use this a lot with my voodoo labs giggity inline also. When you use the dark setting to roll off the bite of my strat’s bridge pickup, it’s a Eric Johnson Cliffs of Dover type tone all the way. It does really well with a compressor, in my case a EHX tone corset (Which is in and of itself a fantastic value in a compressor pedal FWIW and chosen often over my Keeley compressor). If you want a very playable, smooth and less fizzy/spitty/sputtery/lo-fi type fuzz, this is not your pedal. Also, unlike Lo-fi style fuzz boxes, pedals with high/mid EQ bumps (IE tubescreamers/klons) do not sacrifice your tone. The same can be said for buffers. It doesn’t ruin the impact of the effect, quite the opposite actually.

I love it for that Hendrix style tone where one slams the front end of a Marshall with a fuzz box, resulting in more sustain, gain, and playability.

My type,of fuzz for sure.

This is just an incredible pedal!

I was looking for a fuzz pedal amd came accross the velvet fuzz online. All i can say is wow. Killer with both my strat and les paul. I have now bought the ephoria overdrive and the db boost. Add a carbon copy delay and a uvi vibe and im in heaven. Run it though a 59 bassman and i get the sound i have had in my head for years. You wont be disappointed.

I'm not really a Fuzz guy, And I tried quite a few and didn't like the woofy tones, But this pedal changed all that for me. I am a re-formed Fuzz guy now.. I love it ! Shout out to Ben for getting me this pedal fast.

I've owned several other fuzz pedals. They are usually picky about where they are in the signal chain (like they need to be connected to a pickup in order to sound good. This fuzz however can pretty much go anywhere in the chain. I cannot make it sound bad. It is smooth but still breaks up like a fuzz should. Amazing pedal, it will stay on my board.

'Velvet Fuzz' as a descriptor was exactly what I was after tone-wise, and this pedal fulfills its name. I specifically did not want a harsh/fizzy/sputtery fuzz. I tried the JHS Mini Foot Fuzz and it was all of those. I tried the EWS Little Fuzzy Drive and for me it was neither a good fuzz nor a good drive: just kinda 'meh'.

The Velvet Fuzz provides fuzz with girth: velvety, fuzzy goodness.

Wanna turn your Strat bridge pickup into a fire breathing, humbucker feeling dragon, then this is the pedal for you. WOW!

I've owned several fuzz pedals over the last 40+ years, and I can say that the Wampler Velvet Fuzz is by far the best. Every position and setting sounds great! The build quality is outstanding, with excellent attention to detail – extremely solid! Well worth the price. This one has found a permanent place on my pedal board.

First off, I am a mega fan of Wampler. After hearing about their pedals from my local shop, I was immediately sold after trying the Mini Ego compressor then saved up for a while to get a Tumnus. I also recently started a band and have a board with 11-12 pedals on it. We have some psychedelic rock/R&B tunes that were missing a fuzz tone and I knew after seeing tons of reviews and videos that the Velvet was the secret ingredient to complete my board. Fuzz is a huge part of the sounds behind guys like David Gilmour, Hendrix, Eric Johnson, and many others.

The big and tight modes offer many tonal possibilities with the Velvet Fuzz. The brightness knob is a plus because the big mode has a pretty dark sound. I prefer the tight mode for huge lead sounds and the amount of fuzz is usable at any level. The original version (that says handmade in America) with its connections on the side vs the top for current version) is a little easier to use on a large board with multiple pedals, but tonally they are the same thing. Add a little delay and reverb and crunk the Velvet and this thing can't be stopped!

Long story short: Velvet Fuzz gives you a lot of options in 1 standard sized pedal. If you care about American made products, everything Wampler is made in Indiana. Brian Wampler shines when he is focused on dirt pedals and this is 1 of his best!

First..! Sweetwater is the best hands down.
I ordered on Friday afternoon and got my order on Sunday morning!! I"m clear across the country... unbelievable customer service,
Chris Carter and the sweetwater team is why they"re my first choice when buying musical equipment.

The Wampler Velvet Fuzz is pure quality in every way.. Sounds amazing,built tuff and the workmanship is second to none.
Every note,every chord,every lick shines through.. not done with most fuzz pedals.
I love it!!

This is my first Wampler pedal and I'm very pleased. Like many, I love that ripping fuzz sound through a cranked Marshall but I'm only ever going to be a hobbyist and bedroom noodler, so that inspiring sound has been--and I thought always would be--elusive until I got the Velvet Fuzz. I must admit that I wasn't blown away on first impression, even when stacked with a tube screamer in front, etc. Then just for the heck of it, I put a Marshall plexi type pedal in front of the Velvet Fuzz and was blown away. That seems counter intuitive since you'd think the fuzz should go into the Marshall pedal, but for me the Marshall pedal into the Velvet fuzz just worked. The core sound of the Marshall pedal is retained when this pedal is engaged for solos. It just pleasantly fuzzes things up and adds that crazy sustain. That configuration works well with guitar volume changes, too, and I can get clean by turning down the volume. My other old-fashioned fuzzes where always hit and miss and just so finicky that I tended not to use them. This pedal is consistent and easy to dial in. It also takes a wha really well, unlike my other fuzzes.
Thanks a lot Wampler! My other fuzzes and distortions are now going on ebay.

I've playing for 40+ and had never owned a fuzz pedal and decided ....it's time!! So after checking out quite of few models I went for it and purchased the velvet fuzz from Wampler here at Sweewater. after few videos and great reviews I had to get it. This is one awesome fuzz pedal hands down with nice easy to turn knobs and two voice switching modes in BIG and TIGHT which both sounding awesome and cleaner with better tonal response thru my tube combo amp at any level of settings and rolls nicely off with the volume knob on the guitar, sounds great by it self as well with my tc corona chorus, ehx canyon delay and fulltone plim soul overdrive, looks pretty cool too, I think I hear a wah-wah pedal calling:)

Very happy with this fuzzy velvet pedal and would consider a different Wampler pedal in the future since its very well made and have that killer tone! Made in USA!!

Thanks Kevin Scott again for making things go so smooth with all my purchases from Sweetwater.

I've wanted A Velvet Fuzz for a long time and I'm asking myself "why did I wait so long?" So, first, it sounds great right out of the box! Easy to dial in based on your pickups and guitar set-up. Second, ease of operation with three simple knobs and a toggle. For me, the simpler a pedal is to operate the better I like it. Tweakers would be bored with its three knob set-up but I love it. The engage switch operates quietly and the unit operates quietly when engaged without much hum or buzz (I use single coils). The sound can be tighter as I prefer or more loose and spitty if you wish. No matter what this pedal is a "get." Thanks Sweetwater for the great service and deal!!

This fuzz is great. I didn't want a fuzz that was going to be finicky with whether buffered pedals were in front or not and if the amp was set just right. Just put this in front of a clean amp and you're in fuzz heaven. Is it this fuzz vs that fuzz? No. It's just fuzz. Don't get caught on up on what type of fuzz it's mimicking because it's not mimicking any of them. It's just fuzz!

Love the tight switch. I run it with brightness fairly high. Surprised at how wide the gain range is. Can go from almost clean boost to extreme fuzz.

Wampler did it right. Everything I don't like about traditional fuzz circuits is fixed in the velvet fuzz. Usable gain at all settings. Just enough wooly low end in the big setting without being muddy or overbearing.
Sounds amazing with single coils. Hendrix? It's here. I use it through an egnater tweaker 15 and cab.
Highly recommend!

This fuzz is just as the name implies, velvet. I typically use it on the "tight" setting, preferring the smoother sound (think David Gilmour). Recently added a few more pedals into the mix and now this one is indispensable. The others help control or shape the sound, but none of them give it that velvety smoothness. It's as rugged as my other pedals, easy to use and tweak without a lot of advanced thought ... which means more time playing and less time reading a manual. Definitely worth the price!

The Wampler crew knows how to make a Fuzz. After a month with this little guy, I have become attached....This will not leave my pedal board. Wampler pedals are becoming my new standard.

Over 30 years playing rock and blues. Owned many fuzz pedals over the years and have always loved my EH Big Muff, still do. Have had the Wampler for slightly over a week and I am blown away. Most vestiile fuzz I've ever played through. I have removed my Big Muff from my main board and it now resides on a secondary board as I will still have some use for it but the Velvet is much more defined, much more versitile. Humbuckers or single coils, well defined fuzz, very focused sound and while I can get chunky sounds from it, even those are more articulate than anything else I've used. I no longer gig, I have a decent home recording studio, I mic the amps rather than depend on Pro tools or some other fake sounding software. I use Blackstar, Vox and Egnater amps and the tone that I get is incredible.

Almost forgot, this fuzz plays well with other pedals too.

Not really much to say only that its by far the best fuzz pedal I've had a chance to use. I'm running it through a 57 reissue fender tube combo 2x12 with a wampler ego comp. very happy with the results.

I have a Fuzz Face that I've used through my Fender Twin Reverb, but it never sounded that great, but the Wampler Velvet Fuzz sounds AMAZING! If you watch the videos from Wampler, they talk about how their intent was for players to be able to get the same kinds of sounds you'd get from a Fuzz Face pushing a big Marshall, even through a clean amp. They hit the nail on the head. The instruction sheet that accompanies the pedal includes a preset for a Hendrix-style tone and it is dang near perfect. I haven't found fuzz pedals to be very musical in the past, but the Wampler Velvet Fuzz is every bit as playable as my other drive pedals, true to Wampler form. If you're looking for a great, rich, thick fuzz tone like Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, or David Gilmour, look no further and order the Velvet Fuzz today!

Velvety smooth fluctuations of creamy fuzz goodness wrapped up in one fine package. At this point I am sold on Wampler and my board will eventually be covered with Wampler pedals.

I have been on a bit of a GAS binge and have invested in about 15 pedals this year. My goal was to create a great pedalboard where I could easily swap out pedals and get any tone I desired. Using almost all Wampler pedals, I achieved my goal.

One of the core pedals needed by any blues or rock enthusiasts is a Fuzz. The Wampler Velvet delivers and then some. You get an amazing EL-34 tone with traditional fuzz and then flip it to the fat switch and you get rockin rhythm tones. The pedal responds very well to your guitars volume control.

I've used a number of Fuzzes through the years, but the Velvet Fuzz is what I've dreamed about. It plays nice with other pedals, is VERY tweakable/versatile, and nails that Marshall & Fuzz tone I craved. Different Fuzzes for different folks, but this is a fuzz I actually use a lot. Check out various videos and see if the Velvet has the tone(s) you've been looking for.

My favorite Fuzz Pedal since 2001 has been the original London Fuzz by MJM. It has a very "Old School" tone to it, but it can, like all fuzz pedals get noisy and finicky depending on the application. I just got in early 2014, the Wampler Velvet Fuzz pedal, because I had researched it and felt it was time after many years to try a new fuzz. I was blown away when I plugged into my new Vintage Sound (Princeton style 20 watt with 12' speaker) and heard the sweet full rich sound of the Velvet! I could not believe how smooth and sustaining this fuzz pedal was and this was on the "Tight" setting which is thinner than the "Fat" setting, but has all the depth of a full range fuzz with less bass. Eric Johnson lead tones are in this box and I was thrilled to hear how easy it was to get familiar and comfortable with this Velvet Fuzz! This is my go to fuzz now. I seem to use the "Tight" setting more than the "Fat" , which surprised me. I found about everything I could want in a fuzz pedal in this Wampler Velvet! Simply an organic sounding and deep fuzz producing, awesome Fuzz Pedal! Highly recommended to the serious musician!

If Mr. Wampler has constructed it, you can bet that it's going to put a smile on your face. This pedal may be used for thick solos ("Big" mode) or for a fuzzy cloak for general riffing and noodling ("Tight" mode). This pedal sounds fantastic coupled with just about any other pedal, AND it is extremely responsive to the tone and volume controls on your guitar. Importantly, a turn of any of the three knobs yields a noticeable tonal difference. If you're looking to add something to your arsenal that represents versatility and rockability, you can't go wrong with this one. One "complaint" is the switch. It might be more user-friendly as a button. That's why you should buy two.

This has to be one of the greatest fuzz pedals EVER MADE, transparent enough that you can tell if your running a LP or a Tele through it, but soooo musical. Killer harmonics, great honk, and that beautiful doubled, syrup sounding violin like lead tone, thats as close to Eric Johnson as any pedal I've ever heard. I've known of Brian Wampler, from way back when he did pedal mods, on other peoples pedals, he's always been a gear geek, just like the rest of us. Build quality and components are second to NONE, and this pedal, will inspire you, with the sounds you can pull from it. Try doing what I did and run this thing between two OD pedals, it sounds awesome being pushed, or pulled, you'll love it. I really am Blown Away by this pedal, I own 3 Wampler pedals, ALL are AWESOME.

Got the pedal directly from the Wampler website, but wanted to post review here. My first Wampler pedal; after getting the Velvet Fuzz I plan on getting more. This pedal is fantastic, smooth, thick and velvety. I love the tight setting, sounds like a mix of distortion and fuzz(thick).The big setting is nice, it can take the paint off the walls if needed. Definitely has the vintage sound about it. I would recommend to anyone.

Being a tone snob who cut his teeth on Strymon and Origin Effects etc. etc. I always avoided the mass produced pedals everyone raved about in favor of the highest price boutique gear I could find, but this little beauty lives up to the hype I always read about in countless reviews.

Deep Growling Marshall toned Fuzz that will put your tube amp into the tone zone with little effort, I was quite shocked when I hit the switch for the first time, and instantly smiled and said that is Bad A**!

For this price its a steal, the sounds that come out of it are all Great! Alot of EQing options for mixing in different settings, from Dark to Light, Im a Fuzz Freak All the Way Baby! and this little pedal has what your looking for without the hizz and buzz of Old School Fuzz Faces......Love it!

This thing is velvety smooth. Both the big and tight settings offer very different sounds and playing feel. Big, rich, and gloriously fuzzy. I was never much of a fuzz fan, I just couldn"t play a fuzz pedal. However, Wampler has a real gem here. The "big" mode with my les Paul traditional is now one of my favorite sounds. So much fun, and such a huge sound.

Great Sounding Fuzz. I'm not a "Fuzz" guy but this is more like a distortion pedal with a fuzz on top. Great tone and sustain, very versatile. Really like this with my Pitch Fork 1 octave up for a "Jimi" sound.

I really like this tone a great deal. It can be used to come up with close to some vintage tones. I find it works excellent with a wah. The best thing about it is not only can it also work like an overdrive but, in either mode their is articulation with intervals and chords. It does not muddy up to the point where you lose definition. It also has its' own tone. It is not designed to sound like a Muff or say a bender, etc. I can get bender and muff tones from other fuzz pedals I have but, this one is unable to get the "Satisfaction" or " In a gada la vida" like tone from it. That is why I did not give it a perfect five. Believe me it comes close to a perfect five, instead of 4.5 I would give it a 4.9.

My favorite fuzz pedals thus far have been The JHS Pollinator, MJM London Germanium and an old Vintage Maestro FZ1 Fuzz. I love those pedals but as usual with most vintage spec fuzzes they get can very unreliable in delivering a consistent tone. The Wampler Velvet fuzz is almost perfect. It delivers consistent and thick fuzz the same way every time. I have used it through both the clean and dirty channels of my Friedman BE100 as well as Fender Super Champ. I love the BIG setting for huge and fat fuzz. This pedal sounds like a Big Muff with smoother highs and deeper bass. I feel it really shines in it's darker fuzz tones. You can get Eric Johnson and David Gilmour tones with this pedal easily. I prefer older fuzz boxes for brighter fuzz tones, but this pedal does the dark thick tones very well. My only complaints are that it can be a bit bass heavy and could use a bit more mids, it is a fairly scooped sounding fuzz. It is also a bit boring looking. It would be cooler if it were a different color, or more old school looking. Overall a great pedal for a reliable and darker fuzz tone but it wont completely replace my other more vintage flavored fuzzes.

Very happy with this pedal...

i will explain why this is not a 5 star later. I have been playing guitar as a pro for over 30 yrs, had alot of pedals and , aloft of fuzzes. I could never find a fuzz that was truly thick and creamy tone wise, they all had to much edge .Enter the velvet fuzz. Just outstanding from a great od to massive gain thick but musical fuzz .The only reason this is not a 5 star is there is no way to foot switch between the tight and massive fuzz tones . If this was a two button pedal it would be a 10 !! truly an amazing pedal

I have many fuzz pedals but this one stands out in that it's sound does not change drastically from amp to amp. It even sounds great through transistor and modeling amps.