I love a good fuzz pedal. There’s just something about how they transform your guitar's sound, and each one does it in its own way. A Fuzz Face has that fat lead tone that responds to every touch. The Tone Bender circuit took things a stage further (literally) and added even more grunt. The “Big Muff” style circuit is a legendary successor to both of these. The Wampler Velvet Fuzz was one of my early takes on an improved fuzz circuit but with a twist - it was designed to be easy to dial in for folk who just didn’t get on with regular fuzz pedals.

I wanted to put all of those classic tones into a single compact guitar pedal. I wanted the ability to dial in glassy cleans by backing off your guitar's volume like a Fuzz Face while also retaining the sparkling tonality and usability of the Velvet Fuzz. I wanted to create something that could be stacked with other pedals or played on its own, something that wasn’t just another clone. So I designed the Cryptid. It is a unique circuit designed to give you my favorite aspects of all of those classics while also offering up unique new tones and inspiring you to find your new sound.

Tweaking your tone is easy. The Cryptid's Volume, Tone, and Fuzz are pretty self-explanatory. The Character (bias) control goes from distorted fuzz sounds, similar to what we did with the Velvet Fuzz, all the way through to other classic tones, including muff, bender, and even steps into “Fuzz Factory” territory. The 3-position Tight switch shapes the pedal's low end for anything from doom-approved sub-sonics to a tight, distortion-esque vibe. Finally, the Chime toggle adds a bit of extra harmonic air on top without any harshness.

Technical Details

• Unique Fuzz circuit by Brian Wampler
• Built in the U.S.A
• Battery connection and 9v-18v power jack
• High-grade components selected for their superior sound and response
• Controls: Volume, Fuzz, Tone, Character knobs, Chime and Tight switches
• Top-mounted jacks make pedalboard placement effortless
• Power draw: 15 mA @ 9V and 30 mA @ 18v
• 2.59″ x 4.98″ x 2.29″ (66mm x 126.5 mm x 58.2mm)