fuzz pedal kit Knight School Fuzz (DIY Kit) – Catalinbread Effects

fuzz pedal kit Knight School Fuzz (DIY Kit) – Catalinbread EffectsIf you want to get your hands on one, were offering them in kit form, if you fancy building one yourself. Assembly is very straightforward and requires only a soldering iron, some solder, and proper ventilation; well take care of the rest. What began as an instructional device for a local pedal building class taught by a local amp tech became a pedal we have to share with you! We were approached with a couple simple requests: First and foremost, a

If you want to get your hands on one, we’re offering them in kit form, if you fancy building one yourself. Assembly is very straightforward and requires only a soldering iron, some solder, and proper ventilation; we’ll take care of the rest.

What began as an instructional device for a local pedal building class taught by a local amp tech became a pedal we have to share with you! 

We were approached with a couple simple requests: First and foremost, a ripping fuzz pedal that covers all the bases from full and throaty to sputtery and gnarly. Check. Secondly, it had to be able to be placed almost anywhere in the chain, compared to say, a Fuzz Face, which is notoriously picky about where it goes. Thirdly, it had to be simple to build, easy enough for even the most novice solder jockeys.

We believe we have succeeded with the Knight School Fuzz, which is based on one of the most underrated fuzz circuits in existence: the Jordan Boss Tone. This device originally plugged straight into your guitar during an era where pedalboards weren’t really “a thing” yet, so integrating one into a modern setup isn’t a simple procedure as most other vintage units. 

Unlike many circuits of the era, the Boss Tone isn’t based on anything else; most other venerable legacy fuzzes were copying each other in some form or another, but Jordan Electronics, whose engineers also built things like Geiger counters, was up for the challenge of an original circuit, and they crushed it with the Boss Tone, even though the housing wasn’t super user-friendly.

Despite its integration difficulties, you can hear the Boss Tone on several classic records by ZZ Top, the Black Keys, Spirit, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and countless others. Our Knight School Fuzz riffs on this formula, with some value swaps, different transistors for a more modern sound, and a Bias control that utterly dissolves the sound into gnarled madness as you crank it.