MXR M173 Silicon Fuzz Classic 108

Great Silicone Fuzz

I was looking to replace my beloved (and very temperamental) Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face with something that would include a Tone control, so that it could be used with humbuckers and not sound, well, muddy. Some fuzzes are really one trick ponies, at least when it comes to pickup compatibility.

So I stumbled upon this fuzz, which is amazing, if you're looking for a balanced and rich silicone fuzz sound. It delivers bass and fizz without losing top-end, with or without engaging the buffer button.

What really surprised me is that it sounds great with humbuckers (Gibson 57 Classics), as well as with single coils (Fender EJ Signature set). I was expecting to have to use the buffer switch on the 57 Classics, as they have more bottom-end than the singles.

Well, no need for that, besides the cases in which that saturated fuzz tone (along with some oscillation, on higher gain settings) are not to your taste. If that's the case, just engage the buffer and you're good to go.

Basically, this is a polished up and more versatile Jimi Hendrix fuzz face, in my opinion. It also seems to have a little more gain, and the fuzz and volume buttons are way more usable, in all positions.

The only downside to it is that, although it cleans up very well, with the volume knob, it doesn't do so exactly like the Hendrix fuzz face. Other than that, I can honestly say this is the most pleasant fuzz pedal I've ever heard. This can take you from classic rock to full-blown stoner rock / metal.

Too edgy for me

Product quality is good. Buffer will help if you have wah pedal in front. Buffer will change the sound to cut thru more and somewhat more edgy. It is a matter of taste but I found that softer germanium fuzz was more pleasing to my ears.

A really nice Fuzz to have!

This is the MXR Silicon Fuzz by Dunlop. It works fantastic in my rig. My pedal board contains of a TS-9 by Ibanez, and a Vox wah, Specifically the Vox V847-a Wah.

The Fuzz works and sounds amazing by itself straight into my JTM-45. It really "biggens" the tone, in a very crazy way. The fuzz sound itself is not metallic or shrill sounding, but it is very very fat. It sounds almost like a distortion pedal when the fuzz is the only pedal engaged. The trick with this pedal (for me) is to use it with a mid-boosting overdrive pedal; the TS-9 works great for mid-boosting. When you have both the Fuzz and the TS-9 on you can get a really full killer lead tone. I have the "buffer" switch on because it sounds a little too "sputty" without it engaged.

Build quality is really heavy duty and really feels like you're holding quality.

I would recommend the Fulltone 70-BC Fuzz if you dont have mid-boosting overdrive at hand. That mid-boost is crucial if you want to play lead and cut trough the mix.

High-quality, great-sounding silicon fuzz.