Stromer Mutroniks Brings Vintage Fuzz To The Masses

This is a premier example of lo-fi vintage fuzz based on the old Shin Ei Super Fuzz

Want one of these Superfuzzes? Of course you do, so go grab one at Reverb

I have admittedly reviewed a lot of fuzz pedals since I started this job, but sometimes you just know when you struck gold. I first came across Stromer Mutroniks at the Makers and Merchants show I attended in Fall of 2023. Plugging into this fuzz through their demo rig, it felt like I finally had found Dan Auerbach’s guitar tone after years of searching.

Suddenly the fuzz gods had aligned and opened my eyes. A bit dramatic, but seriously, I had been looking for this kind of fuzz for awhile. Enter the Super Fuzz from Stromer Mutroniks, which is based off of the classic Shin Ei Super-Fuzz of yesteryear. It’s a raw, grating fuzz that’s not nearly as smooth as the British vintage fuzzes (Tone Bender anyone?).

This Superfuzz has almost all the same controls as the original, including the dual tone modes that are switchable. What it also has though is an added octave on/off mode that makes this Superfuzz a bit more versatile than the original inspiration. Of course, traditional volume and fuzz (expander) knobs are also featured on this large but light pedal.

Plugging It In

While the image that adorns the top of this article is gorgeous, it is misleading. I actually recorded the demo with my Maybach Little Wing guitar (P90 pickups), not my beloved Cabronita. Both the Little Wing and Superfuzz ran into my stereo Universal Audio digital amps (Ruby & Dream).

And honestly how can you come to any other conclusion other than that this thing RIPS.

It’s vintage velcro fuzz in a great looking box, and the sound quality is just pristine to my ears. The Stromer Superfuzz has sustain, even some glitchiness, and plenty of growl that would make Jack White or Dan Auerbach pay attention. And I don’t use those names to be funny or box this pedal into one genre, it’s just that I’ve wanted a pedal to nail those tones for so long. The Rare Buzz Fuzz Bob-Omb got me close, but this is closer still.

Stromer totally nails the lo-fi fuzz approach here, it’s not overly complicated either. While it’s hard for me to justify spending almost $200 on a fuzz, this is a pedal that checks a lot of boxes and rarely produced a bad sound. I think for people like me, who often struggled to find fuzz pedals that perfectly fit my music, this is a pretty serious option.

It’s not going to give that smooth, distortion sound that you want for ’90s music like a Big Muff would, but it nails guttural guitars sounds from the heyday of rock guitar. This Superfuzz definitely has me playing more towards surfy, punk rock sounds, and I’m on board with it. Stromer’s got a strong contender here for a seriously high placement on next December’s pedal ranking.

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