BuzzAround

Old-school germanium fuzz tone machine from Burns (and don't forget Baldwin!).

This is a positive ground effect, which means much woe if you want to power it on the same daisy chain as your standard polarity pedals. But wait... this new version of the kit has an optional onboard voltage inverter, which means your power supply won't complain.

Very similar to a Tone Bender Mk III. Excellent sustain and very tweakable with the Balance and Timbre controls. This is the heaviest version of a Tone Bender type circuit these ears have come across.

The choice of transistors will grow as more experimentation and fiddling goes on at FDHQ. There's plenty of room on the board to take the meatiest of vintage cans. Right now we're supplying a combination of Russian MП16Б, MП41A and whatever others we have in stock, NOS Newmarket CV7007 (OC77), or you can have the kit without cans if you want to source your own.

The kit is supplied with vertical-mount pots which have round shafts, so you'll need set-screw fitting knobs.

If you want the PCB without parts there's a link for that at the bottom of the page.

Partial kit: PCB, all board-mounted components, pots.

Full kit: As above, plus footswitch and appropriate daughterboard/components for your selected bypass type (see Downloads section for details of those), jack sockets, DC socket, battery snap, hook-up wire, LED.

Enclosure (pre-drilled) is available as an option with full kits, and can take a battery if desired with footswitch positioned 22mm higher, closer to the controls. Knobs are not included.

Inspired by: Burns / Balwin Buzzaround

Difficulty: Easy

PCB size: 50 x 32mm

Knobs required: 3

Enclosure: 1590B

Direct Connect compatible (4-way)

Download the INSTRUCTION PDF

Here's the older version

Product Code: eJNXSSx

Brand: Pedal Parts

Weight: 80.0g

Product Condition: New

Transistors* Kit type* Voltage inverter* Allow for battery?* Ribbon connector?* Pre-built (UK Only)?*

£55.20 inc. tax

£46.00 ex. tax

? Tax based on United Kingdom.

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Customer Reviews

4 review(s) posted (write review)

This is the Shizzle
"Now this is just what I was looking for in a fuzz. Nice sustain. Surprising for a germanium box. Can get something approximating those early Fripp tones with it. Does a good job with metal riffs too. Stays musical on chords, like a good germanium fuzz will. Cleans up to a bluesy tone with the guitar volume knob. Really worthwhile build and a well laid out board. (mine was the previous non-charge-pump version)" Patrick T. - 20 July 2021

Something different
"This was my latest fuzz pedal build and it's really cool. It's got its own thing going on and there's lots of different sounds you can find by turning the three knobs. They are strangely interactive, so experimentation is key. Don't be afraid to run it into an amp that's already breaking up either. As usual, the kit and build docs were thorough and well laid out. Thanks Fuzz Dog!" Vance - 13 July 2020

So good it hurts!
"Simple build that went off without a hitch. Bought this on a whim after seeing a youtube demo from another builder (i have 2 buzzarounds already). First play- reckon it blows the other more expensive builds away :). Fantastic pedal with plenty of tones available from thick/muffy to mean/nasty." BrettS - 08 May 2017

A fuzz with a difference
"This pedal is not your average fuzz. Great sounding thick fuzz tones, and controls that somehow seem to work but are not really intuitive. There's no normal volume control but give it a few minutes of tweaking and you'll find what you want. Plenty of fuzz in there, but not compressed like a muff. Not as smooth as a fuzz face, and more bottom than a tone bender. It has its own character and is very usable in a band/gig context. I built mine with the voltage inverter which is simple and works a treat. Great for a fuzz lead tone that's near fuzz face territory but a bit edgier." Tim O - 31 May 2016