What it is
The Big Ancho Fuzz takes its inspiration from the silicon fuzz circuits that showed up in the ’70s. Two classic op-amps do the work, and six 1N4148 silicon diodes in symmetrical clipping make the fuzzy magic.
It’s a big, old-school fuzz that still behaves itself around the rest of your board, especially with overdrives and boosts.
Controls
Three knobs and one toggle switch. These are the names printed on the enclosure, left to right.
| On the pedal | What it does |
|---|---|
| loud | See note below. |
| ripe | See note below. |
| rage | See note below. |
| [pure] / [ripe] toggle | See note below. |
| Footswitch | Engages or bypasses the fuzz effect. True bypass: with the effect off, your signal passes straight through the pedal untouched. |
Hooking it up
- Guitar into the input jack, output jack to your amp or to the next pedal.
- Power: 9V DC, 2.1 mm barrel plug, center negative. It’s the same adapter that runs every other Spicy Pedals pedal.
- Do not use a supply with a higher voltage rating. That can damage the pedal.
Getting the most out of it
- Try it before and after your overdrive and boost pedals. The order changes the character quite a bit, and neither one is wrong.
- My own preference: a Texas Scorpion after a Big Ancho Fuzz and before a Jalapeño Screamer.
- Adjust the pedal together with your guitar’s own volume and tone controls. That’s where the fine tuning happens.
- Flip the toggle with the guitar ringing so you can hear exactly what it changes on your rig.
Specifications
| Circuit | Silicon fuzz, inspired by the ’70s silicon fuzz circuits |
| Op-amps | Two classic op-amps, one of them the JRC4558D also used in the Jalapeño Screamer and the Texas Scorpion |
| Clipping | Six 1N4148 silicon diodes in symmetrical clipping |
| Switching | True bypass |
| Power | 9V DC, 2.1 mm barrel, center negative |
| Controls | loud, ripe, rage, one [pure] / [ripe] toggle, one footswitch |
| Build | Assembled by hand in Dallas, Texas |
Current draw: not yet measured on this unit, so no figure is published for it here. As a practical guide, analogue fuzz circuits of this kind draw very little — they are among the most frugal things you can put on a pedalboard — so any standard 9 V DC supply rated 100 mA or more has ample headroom for it, on its own or shared with the rest of your board. Treat that as guidance rather than a measurement of your pedal: what this one actually pulls depends on its LED, on the components fitted and on how the unit is built. What does have to be exact is the voltage — 9 V DC, center negative, and never higher.
Care
- Clean it now and then and keep it away from dust and moisture.
- Check the jacks and knobs periodically and tighten anything that’s worked loose.
- Store it somewhere stable, away from extreme temperatures.
- Unplug the power supply when the pedal isn’t in use.
Warranty and support
5-year warranty to the original buyer, covering manufacturing defects. If something isn’t right with your pedal, get in touch. Spicy Pedals is a one-man shop, so the person who answers is the person who built your pedal.
Individually assembled by hand in Dallas, Texas, personally by Rolf.