Fuzz Review: Skreddy Supa Tone

Who: Skreddypedals
What: Supa Tone
Price (MSRP/PAID): $195/$128
Battery: Yes
Power Supply: Yes 9V Center Neg (Boss Style)
Size: 4.5″ x 2.75″ x 2.1″ (Approx: including jacks and knobs)
Available from: Direct/Dealers
Bypass:True
Review Date: 1/6/2012

Marketing:

Raspy, boomy fuzz; more dynamic and raw than a typical Big Muff™ design

In fact, as it turns out, it is also an INCREDIBLE BASS FUZZ. Bass players, try this one! The low frequencies are full and punchy, and the tone knob acts kind of like a blend control for the fuzz.
Skreddy Pedals™ Supa Tone: based on a 1974 edition of a fuzz released by Colorsound™, this circuit is not based on a germanium Tone Bender design but is a variant of the Big Muff™ circuit.

The first pair clipping diodes is removed, so there is more clean boost in front of the remaining pair of clipping diodes.

Like the originals, I’ve used all polyester film coupling capacitors to retain every bit of high end rasp. I’ve used low-gain transistors (also like the originals) to retain dynamics and avoid going into syrupy-sustain territory.
The tone stack is the original mid scoop, with my customary flat-mids switch added in case you have need of it.

Note: we have no affiliation with Colorsound or Electro-Harmonix, who of course own their own trademarked names.

Comments:

I’ve got a bit of a crush on Skreddy pedals and I’ve had the chance to try several of their pieces over the years, but despite how much I’ve liked their modulation and guitar focused pedals there really hasn’t been a fuzz from them that was particular usable on bass guitar, until now! The pedal itself is described as tweaked version of the Supa Tone Bender, which was itself a tweaked version of the big muff. The tone control on these pedals acts rolls off the high end sizzle and acts more like a blend knob than a traditional tone control. The pedal lends itself to rich booming lows that in some settings can be overwhelming. Taking the time to find the right spot for your bass and amp is key here, but once you find it there isn’t too many other tweaks to make as the sweet spot for bass seems a bit small. The circuit wasn’t specifically designed for bass, so there is a lot of knob travel here that you probably won’t be using except for bedroom solos. Typical of Skreddy pedals the pedal is well constructed and has a solid feel to it. There is one thing that always nags me about these layout is the side set power tap that is below the instrument jack, which interferes with the way that I like to set up my pedal boards.

Bottom Line: If you want to try a Skreddy for bass… start here!