Z.Vex Fuzzolo review

Mini stompbox that's a fuzz-furred beast

  • £99
  • €126
  • $129
Reviews
By
( )
published
With a wide range of sounds on tap, this is a bison full of fuzz

MusicRadar Verdict

Powerful fuzz in a cute package that won't take up much pedalboard space.

Pros

  • +

    Super compact. Surprisingly powerful tones. Colourful graphics. USA-made.

Cons

  • -

    No battery power.

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Fuzzolo is another addition to Z.Vex's California Mini pedal range, and like the rest of the series it has no battery power, just a socket for an adaptor.

"Derived in part from Z.Vex's Mastotron and Woolly Mammoth, the Fuzzolo offers silicon transistor-based fuzz"

The inputs and outputs are also offset against each other, allowing for a really slim body at about 44mm across.

Derived in part from Z.Vex's Mastotron and Woolly Mammoth, the Fuzzolo offers silicon transistor-based fuzz controlled by two knobs: one for volume and the other setting the pulse width with a range that goes from a square wave to a narrow/wide pulse shape.

With the pulse width knob at minimum, the Fuzzolo offers a thick ripping fuzz with lot of bottom end. The volume knob doesn't increase the fuzziness as such, but offers plenty of boost.

Then, as you turn the pulse width knob up, the fuzz gets more broken up and spluttery until it gets into full-on barely controllable sonic chaos.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.