Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face Mini Distortion

27 June 2014 | 4:57 pm | Reza Nasseri

Achieve anything with the Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face Mini Distortion.

There are three new “Mini” versions of the iconic Dunlop Fuzz Face available that all contain the original circuitry from those classic pedals, but in a much smaller format to fit comfortably on your pedal board. I had a chance to check out the bright, bold, aggressive tones of the little blue version, which is based on the original circuitry of a prized 1970 Fuzz Face fitted with silicon BC108 transistors. As always the simple two knob format is perfect for instantly dialling in a killer tone, and a diverse array of sounds are achieved by plugging in different guitars with different pickups and manipulating your volume knob and pick attack. New features include reversed ins and outs, a bright blue LED, AC power jack and convenient new 9V battery door, making this design much friendlier to use alongside other on-stage pedals.

The silicon transistors provide a faster, brighter tone and response taking your sound into the modern age and making this pedal a worthy rival to the Big Muff and Fuzz Factory. This unique tone is also more focused and brittle than the original Germanium circuitry and excels at producing the mammoth tones that were so important in defining the “Modern-Vintage” crossover blast of the Grunge and Alternative eras, and yet it's still so good for dialling in a simple singing lead tone. A lot of guitarists that have been around the block know how well fuzz compliments single coils through a warm amp like a Marshall JTM-45, but the new brighter tone of the silicon transistors make this unit far more versatile and lets you take advantage of your humbuckers and achieve anything from Classic '70s rock to stoner and doom.