Summer School Electronics Fuzz 101 Does Exactly What You Want A Fuzz Pedal To Do

Summer School sends you back to the basics of fuzz with their latest high gain pedal release.

Earlier in the spring, our good friends at Summer School Electronics dropped the Fuzz 101, the latest in a long line of satisfying fuzz pedals from teacher/pedal guru Mark. While I was quick in getting my demo of the pedal out in April, I never quite got around to writing up my thoughts in a more formal presentation. Well, better late than never, as the madness around moving from Washington DC back home to RI has finally began to subside just in time for a summer full of demos, articles, and reviews!

Kicking things off is this long overdue review of the Fuzz 101. This pedal is a little bit less sophisticated than some of Summer School’s previous builds, but that is by design. While the Pep Rally was a dialed in fuzz machine, the Fuzz 101 is a little rougher around the edges, in a good way. In addition to traditional volume and fuzz knobs there is also a bias control for shaping the voltage. The tone knob is similar to a RAT-style filter knob, for dialing out harsher high end unless you really need to cut through.

Plugging The Fuzz 101 In

As if moving was hectic enough, my camera got smashed resulting in a slightly blurry demo video. Luckily the sound quality is unaffected so you can enjoy the Fuzz 101 in all its fuzzy glory. If you are thinking of doing any shopping, you can use my affiliate links to help speed up camera replacement! But back to the fuzz basics….Upon plugging the Fuzz 101 in I was happy to see the vintage-style fuzz delivered as promised. It cleaned up as I rolled down the guitar’s volume knob, and the bias ranged from sputtery noise to smoother distortion-like tones. Having the extra controls for bias and tone shaping really add a lot of capability to the circuit without complicating the pedal or requiring much in the way of tone tweaking time. It’s still a highly user-friendly vintage fuzz, but when you need that extra oomph it’s right there for you.

This is not a pedal that is reinventing fuzz or how we view the effect. It is a fun and user-friendly twist on a classic circuit that won’t break the bank. It is hard for me to say that this is specifically better than every other fuzz face-influenced circuit I’ve tested, but it is definitely a very good one. This is a pedal to add to your collection if you specifically want to jump into vintage-style fuzz for the first time, or have a 2-knob take on this style of fuzz that just isn’t cutting it for you. Currently available for just about $165 USD from Summer School, it’s not the cheapest fuzz, but the build quality, tone quality, and opportunity to support a great indie builder all provide surplus value in my estimation.

Mark also made a helpful video user manual for folks who want to hear it right from the builder’s mouth!