Spiral Electric FX Black Spiral (2021)

Rude, raunchy fuzz

Cadillac Black finish for 2021

The origin of the Black Spiral Fuzz can be traced back to Chicago at the always amazing Chicago Music Exchange. I was perusing their excellent collection of pedals and I saw a mint condition Maestro FZ1-S. I took it back to their demo rooms and fell in love. It wasn’t all puppies and rainbows however, anyone who has tried an original FZ1-S knows that they are not without their quirks. But the base fuzz tone was rude, raunchy, and very ’70’s Biker Metal, just how I like my fuzz.

A very simple version went on to become the DOD Carcosa Fuzz, but I haven’t stopped experimenting with the circuit. In July 2018 I tried a modified version of the circuit with the Nanolog N2 and I loved how it turned out. It had a Germanium-esque sonic quality without the volume loss normally associated with Germanium diodes. I also must admit there is something tantalizingly perverse about mixing a vintage circuit with an ultra-modern quantum tunneling device. This version of the circuit became the heart of the Black Spiral Fuzz. The latest Black Spiral's (April 2019) use the new form-factor wafer N2's, same sound different package.

I also tried several different clipping options, and settled on additional Germanium and Silicon diodes added to the Nanolog N2 - User selectable of course. These clipping diodes in series with the N2 add very subtle textural changes that I like. I’m planning on offering other clipping options on future Limited Edition versions of the Black Spiral.

The Black Spiral is an unapologetically bright fuzz, and is meant to pair with an already crunchy amp/channel but it also works quite well into a clean amp/channel too.

Special thanks go to Parker Coons and Robert Bird (www.pedalpcb.com) for helping me with the Black Spiral schematic and PCB layout.

FEATURES
- Separate Gain and Bias control yield a wide array of fuzz tones from overdrive to splatty, horn-like sounds
- Incredible clean-up with guitar volume
- Circuit Based on ’70’s era Maestro Fuzz
- Nanolog N2 Molecular Junction
- Three-Way toggle Voicing: 1. N2 + Silicon, 2. N2, 3. N2 + Germanium

https://www.spiralelectricfx.com/collections/black-spiral-fuzz