One of the most important pedals in rock music history is the fuzz pedal with its distinct sound.
Famously Jimi Hendrix used fuzz pedals and it was the main ingredient of his sound. Also, many other players used it and its popularity increased in the grunge era.
Actually, when I hear the fuzz sound I immediately think of grunge music and awesome bands such as Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and others.
So, if you want to have that sound and feel the power of the fuzz pedal then you cam to the right place.
What’s The Best Fuzz Pedal?
There are many great fuzz pedals on the market but I talk from my own experience. So, for this post, I have chosen my best fuzz pedals that have different sounds, features, and price tags.
1. Electro-Harmonix Big Muff
A classic fuzz pedal that is the sound of grunge music.
There are many iterations of this pedal but Electric-Harmonix Big Muff Pi is the classic and my favorite fuzz pedal. This is the sound of grunge and the 90’s sound of alternative rock music. Bands such as Smashing Pumpkins are known for using this pedal and the sound is just amazing, full, and powerful. has a great sustain and works great with rhythm guitar and is perfect for recording lead tones.
The pedal itself is very simple to use with just three knobs but that’s enough to create a beast sound. The tone knob works like an HPF and rounds high frequencies while sustain is just the amount of the fuzz. One of my favorite thing about this fuzz pedal is the clarity. Even though you can crank up the distortion, it retains the clarity and you can hear every string and note which is a plus for any distortion pedal.
2. Way Huge Swollen Pickle
Very interesting and beautiful fuzz with cool features.
Way Huge Swollen Pickle is one of the best fuzz pedals you can find on the market and also it’s a beautiful pedal. There are a couple of variations of this pedal but I love the MKIIS version which is a bit smaller in size. This pedal offers additional features which allow you to modify your fuzz tone even further. And it’s a very versatile fuzz great for different types of distortion and music styles.
Apart from loudness and sustain knobs which add an amount of fuzz it has other great control knobs. With a scoop, you can control your mids and make the sound more mid-heavy while the crunch knob adds crunchiness to the sound. And lastly, filter control acts like a sweeper and you can make sound brighter or darker.
3. Dunlop Fuzz Face
Classic and famous circular fuzz with simple settings and awesome sound.
Dunlop Fuzz Face is a classic and famous pedal used by many guitar players throughout the years. There are countless versions of this pedal but the classic vintage with a germanium PNP transistor. This is a unique-looking fuzz pedal with a circle design. If you decide to buy this pedal you should know that it works only with batteries.
As I’ve said it’s very easy to use the Fuzz Face pedal because it has only two controls – volume and fuzz. You just control the volume and distortion or fuzz amount. This is not a modern-sounding fuzz pedal but if you like vintage sound and gear then you should buy it. A great fuzz for rhythm guitars.
4. MXR M173
Very simple yet powerful pedal from great MXR.
I love MXR pedals and simple-to-use pedals and the M173 fuzz is exactly that. One of the simplest fuzz pedals with high-quality sound that works with any guitar amp and can be used for rhythm and lead guitars. Two-knob fuzz pedal that gives you everything. Also, the design of the pedal is beautiful.
Simple, true bypass fuzz with just volume and fuzz controls but you can dial in different and powerful fuzz tones. The best thing is that it’s an analog pedal and has a buffer feature that helps to maintain the character when you put other pedals in front of it. MXR M173 is a beautiful, powerful, and affordable fuzz for those who want to have classic fuzz tones.
5. Fender The Pelt
Feature-rich fuzz pedal from Fender with great sound.
An interesting fuzz guitar pedal from Fender with great sound and additional features. This pedal is simple to use, has a compact size if you want to put it on the pedalboard, and the overall quality is good. Love using it for guitar solos and also works perfectly with single-coil guitars.
There are a couple of features I like and the first one is the bloom control that shapes the sound. Then you have a mid and thick switch to tweak the sound further. You can cut or boost mid-range frequencies and add muscle to your fuzz. And the overall quality of the fuzz sound is superb and is great for modern rock guitar tones.
6. Pro Co RAT 2
Another classic pedal with a diverse range of sounds.
Another classic and famous pedal. It is used by thousands of guitar players such as Malcolm Young, Joe Walsh, etc. RAT2 was released in 1988 and quickly became one of the most popular pedals among rock players. It’s marketed as distortion/overdrive/fuzz and that’s exactly what it does. This is a very versatile pedal and great for all genres of music.
With just three knobs you can dial in very different heavy tones. If you want to get a fuzzy sound, push the distortion knob to the max and there you have it. With the filter knob, you control the sound shape and clarity. The modern iteration of the classic pedal is great, retains the sound and a great thing is that the RAT2 price is under $100. One of the best fuzz pedals in the world.
7. TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz
Affordable, beautiful, simple, and powerful fuzz pedal.
Rusty Fuzz is a silicon-based fuzz pedal with a huge amount of grit and power. This is a member of affordable pedals from TC Electronic and you can get a variety of fuzz sounds. Great for lead tones, and classic fuzz tones, and also you can dial in Black Sabbath tones easily.
The pedal itself is very easy to use and has simple controls such as fuzz, volume, and tone. If you crank up the fuzz all the way it gets very heavy but doesn’t lose the clarity. I’m impressed by how great this fuzz sounds and is my favorite one in this price range. In general, this pedal line from TC Electronic includes various guitar effects and all of them sound amazing.
8. Behringer SF300
The best cheap fuzz pedal in my opinion.
If you want to have a great-sounding fuzz pedal without spending much money, then SF300 from Behringer is the one. This cheap fuzz pedal offers amazing sounds and tones that are hard to differentiate from an expensive one and comes with some great features too.
The first and most important feature for me is the tone variations it offers. It has three modes where you can have a classic fuzz tone, grunge tone, or use it as a boost. The second feature I like is the 2-band EQ for controlling high and low frequencies and in addition to that, it has volume and gain controls. This is a great fuzz pedal for beginners or for those, who want to taste the sound of fuzz.
Conclusion
A fuzz pedal is one of my favorite types of distortion for its power and energy. I just love the sound and if you want to get that sound then here are the best fuzz pedals you can find. And the choice is vast from classic to more modern, feature-packed, and powerful sound.