GEAR SPOTLIGHT
FRIEDMAN
FUZZ FIEND
REVIEW BY DAVID A. EVANS
STREET PRICE $299.00
Friedman Amplification’s
Fuzz Fiend is a serious
pedal.
It produces smooth, round
fuzz at low levels, but with
the click of a switch, it will
howl and snarl with an
astonishingly thick fuzz, the
likes of which few mortals
have ever heard.
The Fuzz Fiend looks like
it’s built for the connoisseur
of tone. Its glossy maroon
housing recalls the hood
of a fine sports car or a
component from a fancy hi-
fi system.
Moreover, Friedman’s
design exposes the
pedal’s vacuum tube to
the open air, but two
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GEAR SPOTLIGHT //
small “guardrails” protect
it from stray kicks. The
pedal’s housing is slatted
on the sides to cool the
interior. The circuits likely
need this cooling feature,
because it runs at 220 volts.
This tube, Friedman says,
delivers a smoother, more
aurally pleasing distortion
replete with clipping and
rich harmonics. And, my
goodness, is he ever right.
Lower Fuzz settings
delivered a rich, highly
articulate distortion. Indeed,
I was very impressed by
the bell-like clarity even
as I increased the fuzz
somewhat. Similarly, the
Fiend’s response to dynamic
change also impressed
Friedman Fuzz Fiend
me. The fuzz was tight
and musical, and never so
sloppy that chords descend
into murk and chaos. The
bass was full, but I wouldn’t
call it punchy or aggressive.
The Fuzz Fiend even
retained that articulation
as the Fuzz levels are
increased. Curiously, the
fuzz seemed to change
character as it becomes
stronger. The smoother
fuzz of the low levels gave
way to a sound that was
a bit more pixelated and
digital at the edges, but
which retained most of the
smoothness from the lower
settings.
I mentioned that the Fuzz
Fiend is a serious pedal, and
I’ll repeat that claim again—
in addition to the primary
bypass footswitch, the
Fiend features a momentary
second switch for maximum
fuzz. The second switch’s
name does not lie. When
Rage is depressed, the
Fiend delivers a hellaciously
rich and thick distortion. I
have no idea what the folks
at Friedman did to make
this pedal scream the way
it did when that button was
depressed, but it has to be
heard to be believed.
Rage boosted the output
volume considerably, and
thickened the distortion to
feedback-generating levels.
Seriously, the pedal seemed
to scream and feedback,
especially when I didn’t
even touch my guitar’s
strings. The Rage distortion
came across as almost
pixelated and digital, and its
high pitch will tear through
any mix like a buzzsaw. A
person could even tap out
some Morse code what with
the constant high pitched
squeal.
My only complaint about
the Rage switch—and this
is a small complaint—is
that the switch clicked
rather loudly. Now, now, I
can already envision eyes
rolling and dismissive scoffs,
but bear with me. I believe
that the pedal could be
improved with a noiseless
or clickless switch because
smooth, non-clicking action
would be faster. When we
guitarists need a boost, we
need it five minutes ago, so
any little delay ought to be
avoided.
outputs no sound at all. This
means that the user can dial
in, from zero, as much or as
little Bass, Mid, or Treble as
is desired. The setup allows
for a highly intuitive way to
sculpt one’s tone—pretty
cool!
Friedman’s Fuzz Fiend is an
excellent pedal that really
needs to be heard to be
believed. Trust me, once
Rage has been pressed,
other pedals might lose
their shine.
WHAT WE LIKE
Rich and smooth fuzz in
low settings; thick and
pixelated fuzz in high
settings; the insanity of the
Rage switch and an EQ that
can eliminate frequencies
altogether.
The Fiend also features
a cool selection of Bass,
Mid, and Treble EQ knobs.
These knobs accomplish
something I don’t think I’ve
seen in any other pedal;
they actually act as full-
CONCERNS
range volume knobs for
their respective frequencies. I wish the Rage switch had
a smoother action, without
Now, it’s true that any EQ
knob is, essentially, a volume the click.
knob for a given range of
frequencies. Yet none I’ve
come across can dial down
those frequencies to near
zero output the way that
the Fiend’s knobs can. When
the knobs are set to their
lowest settings, the pedal
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