There’s a lot of hesitation when it comes to purchasing budget-friendly distortion pedals. This is primarily because many believe they don’t quite deliver what guitarists are searching for. I believed the same—until I got my hands on the Behringer Super Fuzz.
Before I proceed, let me be the first to say that the Behringer Super Fuzz isn’t the best stompbox in the world. Despite that, it’s certainly one of the best for the price it comes with. I’ll list down all my thoughts about the Super Fuzz in this review. Is it worth buying? Let’s find out.
Level Controls That Make It Tick
Behringer created the Super Fuzz with one goal in mind: to recreate a variety of heavy super fuzz tones from the ’60s and ‘70s rock and metal music. For reference, think Stevie Ray Vaughan and Deep Purple.
To many musicians, this “vintage” tone goes quite nicely with their tube amplifiers, which further enhances the sound of that era.
First, let’s discuss the Super Fuzz’s sound modes: the Fuzz 1 (classic), the Fuzz 2 (grunge), and the gain boost.
- Recreate the whole variety of famous fuzz tones of the '60s and '70s
- This BEHRINGER product has been designed to compete head to head with leading products on the market
- 3 different sound modes for classic fuzz, grunge and gain boost
- Dedicated Gain, 2-band EQ and Level controls for awesome sound shaping
- Status LED for effect on/off and battery check
Fuzz 1
Fuzz 1 will give you a sort of “Jimmy Hendrix” tone, which could only be described as soft, warm, and round. It adds a bit of oomph to the sound of your guitar. It’s subtle, but there.
Fuzz 2
Fuzz 2 gives you a grunge style tone that’s aggressive, acidic, and dirty. It has a massive amount of grit and distortion. This super-fuzz sound is a personal favorite of Pete Townsend’s and many other metal rock bands that focus on extremely saturated sound.
Gain Boost
This feature simply raises the output of your guitar, even allowing you to push your amp into overdrive if you so wish.
Other Functions
Other than the switch modes, you also have the level, treble, gain, and bass functions.
The level function is a standard control found on most stompboxes. It allows you to control the distortion level of your guitar. The higher the level, the dirtier, and saturated the sound.
The Gain knob gives you the ability to control the fuzziness and gain of the guitar.
And, finally, the treble and bass functions make your sound modes brighter and increase the presence of low-end frequencies respectively.
Rockstar-Like Performance
Behringer proves that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to buy a nice-sounding stompbox. Although the Super Fuzz won’t win any awards, it still impresses with its functionality, versatility, and power. If you’re into the sound of early metal and rock, this might be your winning ticket.
Its simplicity and straightforward design make it suitable for beginners and intermediate guitar players. Its distinct and well-pronounced sound is good enough to use for live shows, Youtube performances, and studio recordings.
The pedal itself, when used, is exceptionally quiet. Plus, the little rubber pad atop it feels nice to press even with bare feet!
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Specifications
- Pedal type: Fuzz
- Inputs: 1 x 1/4″
- Outputs: 1 x 1/4″
- Batteries: 1 x 9V
- Height and width: 2.125″ x 2.75″
- Weight: 0.73 lbs.
- Effect type: Distortion
- Recreate the whole variety of famous fuzz tones of the '60s and '70s
- This BEHRINGER product has been designed to compete head to head with leading products on the market
- 3 different sound modes for classic fuzz, grunge and gain boost
- Dedicated Gain, 2-band EQ and Level controls for awesome sound shaping
- Status LED for effect on/off and battery check
Pros
There are three things I love most about the Super Fuzz: price, sound, and functionality.
The price is a no brainer. For such a powerful device, it’s almost unbelievable to think it’s under 100 bucks. It’s basically a replica of the Hyper Fuzz FZ2, which costs over 250 bucks.
Behringer achieves this price by cutting on construction materials. Instead of aluminum, steel, and other expensive housing materials, Behringer uses a plastic chassis to protect the Super Fuzz. Doing so allows them to focus and invest more in the device’s internal parts.
There’s nothing to complain about Super Fuzz’s sound. It doesn’t sound mind-blowingly awesome, but it doesn’t sound too bad, either! If you’re looking for gnarly, acidic, and metal-rock-band fuzz at a cheap price, I can guarantee you’ll like this one.
I also like that the Super Fuzz gives you a range of sound options to choose from. It’s not “one-note” like many stomp pedals of the same caliber.
Cons
Unlike most pedals, the Super Fuzz’s casing is made of plastic, which decreases its overall durability. This isn’t to say that it’ll break the first few times you’ll use it, but you do need to give it a bit of extra care so it’ll last with you longer.
It also isn’t suited for those who are searching for a super subtle, smooth, vintage fuzz. The “classic fuzz” mode is still far too rough than what you’d find in other models.
What Customer Reviews Say
As of the time of writing, there are a total of 540 ratings on the Behringer Super Fuzz, with 70% being 5 stars and only 4% of users rated it as 1 star. That’s impressive, to say the least!
The biggest selling point for many users is the intense, caustic fuzz the Super Fuzz can generate. It’s so aggressive that many say it’s more distortion than fuzz—and they wouldn’t have it any other way!
The second mode setting (Fuzz 2) shines the brightest among users because it gives you just the right amount of metal-rock sound that’ll make the band Sleep proud.
“Boost” is another topic that is often mentioned in reviews. This feature adds more volume than they’d expect for such a small and cheap device, plus it is impressively clean.
When it comes to price, the overall conclusion is that the Super Fuzz is a big bang for the buck. The plastic construction isn’t much of a deal-breaker to many, as they’ve found that the stompbox still runs strong even after several live performances.
Conclusion
To say that the Behringer Super Fuzz is the “perfect” budget stompbox in the market is probably an exaggeration, but it certainly comes close. If you’re someone who’s looking for an authentic “metal” tone while performing on stage, don’t pass up the Super Fuzz.
They’re great for beginners, as well, especially as you won’t have to invest a lot if you’re interested in growing your ability to use distortion pedals with your guitar.
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