Guyatone TZ2 'The Fuzz'
- Micro Effect Series
- Made in Japan
- (Discofreq’s Effects Database page.)
Guyatone - rather cheekily - describe the TZ2 as a multi-effect pedal. They say it is a distortion, octavia and ring modulator.That's quite a claim for a pedal which on first inspection - with just two controls and one switch - appears to be a very simple effect; nothing more than a retro-but-aggressive-sounding fuzz - Guyatone make no secret of the fact that the TZ2 is based on the old Univox Superfuzz.
The octavia and kind-of-ring modulation effects are largely dependent on how, where and what you play on the guitar; the upper octave effect is most prominent when playing single notes above the 12th fret, the ring modulation effect comes to the fore when playing certain chords/intervals.
The TZ2 has a fairly wide gain range and can go from quite a low gain, dynamic distortion/fuzz to full throttle, pounding fuzz. It has a really beefy low-end; perhaps at times there is a little too much bass. There is a looseness and sloppiness but I don't mind too much - it suits the way I play guitar! There are no on-board tone controls, but the pedal responds very well to pickup changes and adjustments to your guitar's volume and tone.Despite the simplicity of the pedal, it is possible to coax a wide range of sounds from it... including old-school fuzz (perfect for power chord riffs), clangorous noise and very synth-like, searing leads and single-note runs. I really like it. The TZ2 may well be housed in a teeny-tiny, cute, orange casing that looks like a toy, but it has the heart of a raging monster inside!
* * * Notes about the video * * *
Gear used:- Guitar - Epiphone Casino
- Recording set-up - Award-Session JD10 as a preamp (DI'd) through a Palmer PDI-09. Recorded to Cubase on PC (via a MOTU audio interface) with no additional processing.
