A while back we did a demo of the VFE Pedals Pale Horse Overdrive and I was psyched that Peter from VFE Pedals sent over another pedal for a demo. This time he sent over the VFE Pedals Fiery Red Horse Fuzz pedal. VFE Pedals is a boutique pedal outfit out of Puyallup, WA and doing some great stuff. Definitely check them out!
So let’s talk about the VFE Pedals Fiery Red Horse Saturated Fuzz. Here is the breakdown of control functions on the box.
Level – Controls the output of the fuzz
Sustain – Controls the gain/sustain of the fuzz
Tone – controls the highs/lows. Dialing to the right clockwise you increase highs and decrease lows. Turning it counterclockwise you will get more lows and less highs.
There are two small pots on the pedal. They control power and mid. Adjusting the power to the circuit will alter the fuzz effect. Some guys like to ‘starve’ their fuzzes, while others like full juice. This gives that option. Mid control alters the mid frequency response of the Tone control described above.
There is a toggle switch to manage clipping. There are three clipping methods available – Symmetrical, single-sided germanium and 3mm LED. Each has their own “flavor” of clip. They also alter the level and gain so adjustment to level will most likely be needed when changing clipping options.
There is an internal control (managed via trim pot within the pedal). This adjusts the brightness of the pedal’s LED.
The pedal can be powered from 9 to 18VDC.
The true bypass switch is using an optical relay, which is something that VFE likes to use. This prevents the common ‘popping’ when switching true bypass switches.
For this demo, I enlisted the help of Jimmy Rolle. He is using a Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop Elegant into a Rivera Knucklehead 100w head through a Marshall 4×12 cabinet. The audio was recorded with a Fathead Ribbon Mic and a Shure SM57. He is using Channel 2 of the amp which is the “clean” side of the amp. The only thing in line was the VFE Pedals Fiery Red Horse.
Jimmy maintains a consistent riff as he goes through the various options of the fuzz.
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You can listen to the high quality MP3 clip via SoundCloud
The VFE Pedals Fiery Red Horse Fuzz will give you various fuzz tones – from standard over drive to very nasally/throaty tones. Using the voltage starve can also provide additional tonal options. The mid control allows you to shape the appropriate mid bump or mid scoop within the tone control, which is nice for additional characteristics.
The VFE Pedals Fiery Red Horse is available for $145 through their website!
For more information about VFE Pedals => Website, eBay, Facebook, YouTube
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