ZVEX/WHORES War Factory Fuzz Pedal

Description

This special edition Fuzz Factory was made in collaboration with WHORES. not only via the artwork, but also with circuit calibration. Both parties were wanting to do something slightly different from the standard unit. We sent a prototype to Christian with socketed transistors and a few different ones for him to try. He hadnt really connected with the alternate semiconductors that we sent along, but then I came across a stash of 1960s Rootbeer Barrels aka RCA 2N1384 germaniums at our local Ax-Man surplus store. Upon trying them in a Fuzz Factory myself and thinking they sounded pretty lovely, I called Christian and exclaimed, I think we have the magic sauce! We sent a gain matched pair over for him to try, he concurred, and I went back to buy the small lot available. Now youre playing em! Enjoy!

This is a five-knob fuzz. Although the five knobs are named for the parameters over which they seem to have the most control, please dont hold me to it. They are controls for various operating levels and biases, and basically shape you a personalized fuzz.

• Gate: Squelches noise after end of sustain. Turn to right to eliminate squeals, hiss and buzz, stopping just as they disappear, or use to tune in exact feedback pitch, if youre that kind. Turning to left opens gate.
• Compress: Adds attack characteristic when turned to left, which gets softer to right, and suddenly pinches tone when all the way right. Also use to tune in fat feedback fuzz, if youre that kind. Lower the Stability and see what happens to this control.
• Drive: Increases distortion when used as a normal fuzz and adjusts feedback pitch and tonal thickness, if youre that kind. This con- trol becomes meaningless when Compress is all the way right.
• Stab: Use all the way right. Do not adjust this control below 2:00, un- less you like your fuzz soft and squishy. Use to control feedback pitch.
• GREENNESS: Yes, folks, like all ZVEX pedals, its as low current as possible, extending battery life so long… I have never changed the battery in the prototype (3 years). On current is less than 3 mA… compare to the Tube Screamer (of course an entirely different animal) at almost 40 mA.