Silktone / Fuzz + Black

At the heart of the Silktone Fuzz+ are two germanium transistors, offering a wide range of tones through fine-tuning while eliminating all the issues commonly associated with standard germanium fuzz pedals. We wanted to recreate that wonderful tone everyone knows and loves, not only when these transistors are biased at their sweet spot, but also when they're not.

Using our unique bias control makes achieving all of this simple.
Want that sweet spot? - Set it to 4.50.
Prefer a fat, sticky fuzz? - Set it to 7.50 or higher.
Want a spitting gate fuzz? Yeah, me too - set it to 1.00.

■ What exactly is the “CLEANUP” knob?
Turning this knob up cleans up the fuzz. By emulating the guitar's volume knob, it works in tandem with the pickup simulator. When you roll back the guitar's volume knob slightly, you get that cleaner, sparkling boost/light overdrive tone characteristic of great germanium fuzz.

■ Why is a “Pickup Simulator” included?
Many fuzz pedals have extremely low input impedance. Placing a high-impedance guitar before the fuzz creates a very pleasant mid-high frequency boost and roll-off, maintaining a relatively gentle and musical sound. However, connecting a low-output impedance buffer or other pedal before a typical low-impedance fuzz causes an extremely unpleasant whining vibration, completely destroying musicality and nuance. If you've ever placed a buffered Tube Screamer or wah before a fuzz, you'll understand this well.
The Silktone Fuzz+ fixes this issue with its onboard pickup simulator, so no matter where you place the pedal in your chain, it behaves just like connecting your guitar directly.
I like using it after a Cooked-Back Wah for cool Q-filtering.

■What is “Bias”?
Bias is the operating voltage of a transistor, determining how it distorts and clips the audio signal. To achieve adjustable bias in a Fuzz Face circuit, most builders use a couple of common methods. One is making both transistors adjustable. This approach complicates things easily because the transistors interact with each other, and the first transistor is very sensitive to changes.
Especially with temperature-sensitive germanium, it becomes difficult to consistently lock in a good tone...
Another method (one I see often) is to make only the second transistor adjustable. This approach narrows the tone range,
but again, it works better unless you're using germanium that goes haywire with temperature. In that case, no compensation is made for the first transistor,
and it could go completely off the rails.
We've adopted a slightly different approach from both of these methods. The beauty of the Fuzz Face circuit is that the two transistors
are directly coupled, so changing one's value automatically affects the other. We leverage this by carefully biasing both transistors internally to achieve the desired state, while using an external bias control to provide easy access to a wide range of tones. All these tones inherently sound great and can be reliably recalled anytime (regardless of temperature).
■ Why an LED Bias Meter is Used
Because germanium fuzz is extremely temperature-sensitive, even adjusting the bias knob on other pedals becomes completely meaningless when temperatures fluctuate significantly.

■Why an LED Bias Meter is Used
Germanium fuzz is extremely temperature-sensitive. Even the bias knob adjustments on other pedals become completely meaningless when temperatures fluctuate significantly, forcing you to adjust by ear every time—which isn't always easy. Suppose you have a traditional bias knob without a display and set it to around 10 o'clock in a 21°C room to get a great sound.
Then, if you play outdoors at 32°C or go to a 10°C basement, that same 10 o'clock position will sound completely different, likely introducing gating effects or something similar. You'd have to find a new sweet spot every time. This was always a hassle for me.
With the Silktone Fuzz+'s active bias monitor, you skip the guesswork.