Another classic Polish pedal has been recreated by Drunk Beaver, this time the Big Muff-inspired PUE Fuzz.
Grab your own from Drunk Beaver for $90 USD or use my affiliate link to find one online.
More Vintage Fuzz With A Polish Twist
Next up from Drunk Beaver Pedals we have their XR Series SF-1 Sustain Filter. Just like the OD-1 we reviewed recently, this is their take on a legendary Polish clone of a Big Muff, called the Pue Sustain Filter. The SF-1 features a few tweaks from Drunk Beaver, including a new gain stage after the tone control and a filter knob that allows you to scoop mids at will. So if you want a heavy Big Muff that has more EQ control and a bit of a fuzzier gain structure, this is the $90 fuzz pedal for you!
Demo Time
Here I’m plugging in my trusty Mexican HSS Strat right into the SF-1 which is then hitting my Boss GX-10 (NOT my UAFX Dream, weird I know!) and then the Volt276 from UA.
My Thoughts
I have had a blast with this fuzz pedal and it really doesn’t feel that much like a Big Muff, in a good way. It has a lot more grit and fuzz to it, not like the distortion and wooliness of a Big Muff. It can be wooly, especially when you tweak the tone and filter knobs, but it isn’t inherently limited to that narrow Big Muff tone. It really opens up and expands this pedal and has made it a really exciting fuzz option. Much like the XR Series OD-1, this is also incredibly affordable option for vintage fuzz enthusiasts.
Overall this is really a fun pedal that provides a ton of versatility and gain for not a lot of money. That’s hard to beat, especially in today’s market. The real selling point here is the extra gain stage and the expanded EQ control. Both the tone and filter knobs have very sensitive sweep, giving you wildly different sounding profiles based on how you let the two interact. It’s a lot wider spectrum than your average Big Muff, so it is hard for me to think of this as a clone. Instead it’s a much more nuanced and capable take. The only possible critique I have is that when you go low, i.e. plug in a bass or tune your guitar to drop D, sometimes the signal just gets too muddy. You can easily fix this by adjusting the tone knob, so it’s not a deal breaker, but you can sort of hear where the pedal hits it limit for low end.
But I give the XR Series SF-1 an enthusiastic thumbs up. It’s hard to find a fuzz pedal that is this fun, well built, and versatile for under $100. This SF-1 shouldn’t be confused other budget-friendly pedals, as it really is built and designed up to Drunk Beaver Pedals’ boutique standards. I love the way that they are capturing this cult classic Polish circuits and preserving them in a new form factor. It’s something many pedal nerds should be excited about.
TLDR: Fun take on Polish Big Muff but with more fuzz and expanded EQ controls in an affordable package.
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