![A guitar effects pedal sits on a workbench. It has two control knobs, labelled VOL and FUZZ, a footswitch, and a picture of fuzzy beard outlined on it. The lower case is 3D printed white ABS, the top surface us laser etched plywood with a living hinge letting it wrap around the top and bottom edges.](/builds/phase-one/beard-fuzz/IMG_3003_hufc61da9f3a20a3b22984034bd330442b_2288183_500x500_fit_q85_box.jpeg)
- Body: 3D-printed ABS lower, with laser-cut plywood upper
- Wiring: Fuzz-face based circuit
The Beard Fuzz
Part of what I love about electric guitars is their deeply analog nature, with the tone of a saturated amp being an iconic sound, and how a skilled played can manipulate the output of the guitar to be either side of that threshold. In a similar nature, the classic fuzz pedal has a similar appeal, just turning the results up to eleven. If you play a fuzz quite, it’ll clean up nicely, but push it at all and you’re into a wonderful world of crazy distorted sounds.
Thus when I wanted to play with a fuzz for the first time, it seemed natural I’d make my own :)
This was not just learning about another part of the sound though, it was also a way to play with new construction techniques, using a 3D-printed lower shell and a single laser-cut wooden upper.
You can hear the results here:
In total I made 5 of these and shipped them to friends and clients for testing.