Amptweaker Tight Fuzz Pro Pedal

Amptweaker have been making some of our favorite drive pedals in recent years. They think of all the little problems that guitarists face from day to day with their rig and look to solve them all while also making killer fuzz, overdrive and distortion effects. The Tight Fuzz Pro is all this and more with a myriad of different options at your feet you will wonder how you got by without this before.

The Sound

While all the amazing switching options are great it still has to have killer sound behind it. I am happy to say that this pedal 100% delivers on the sound no matter if you want softer old school fuzz to full on in your face fuzz that produces enough gain to feedback through your rig. focusing mainly on vintage 60's and 70's tones this pedal has a smooth sound that can suit almost any kind of blues or rock player. When we say any player we really do mean it as you have multiple tone switches including the option of silicon or germanium transistors and the ability to go between 60's or 70's style response at the flick of a switch. That is not all you can do though...

So Many Controls

Amptweaker are known for wanting to give you the most control possible over your sound. This pedal is exactly the same and actually offers more control than you could ever need with 3 effects loops that trigger at different times, normal and boost modes as well as an inbuilt octave up feature you really do have everything you need in one box. Here is a list of all the controls needed to give you control over this rig.

Knobs

External

• Volume
• Low EQ
• Mid EQ
• High EQ
• Fuzz
• Tight
• Boost Volume
• Boost Fuzz

Internal

• Octave Blend
• Noise Gate

Switches

External

• Bypass
• Boost On/Off
• Octave Footswitch Control
• Noise Gate
• Tone Switch
• Transistor Switch (Germanium or Silicon)
• Smooth Edge

Internal

• More Fuzz
• Effects Loop Pre/Post switches
• 9-18v Battery Switch

3 Effects Loops

One of the more interesting design options with this pedal is that it has 3 effects loops built in. One that triggers when you turn on the pedal, another that turns on when you engage the boost mode and a third which turns on when the pedal is completely bypassed. The most interesting one is the SideTrak or bypassed loop as it means you can either run off to a second amp for your clean sound or set up an effects set up that only effects your clean sound and turns off when you engage the fuzz.

Compensated Buffer

The biggest pain with fuzz pedals is that because they work on a bias they don't really play nicely if other pedals are placed before them. The Tight Fuzz Pro on the other hand has a unique compensated buffer that works just as well as the 10th pedal in your chain as it does going straight from your guitar. No longer do you have to redesign your pedal board just because you want to introduce some sweet fuzz tones.

Here's what Amptweaker say about the Tight Fuzz Pro

Another Amptweaker Pro pedal, the TightFuzz Pro is built from the popular TightFuzz distortion pedal.  As with the standard sized version, there are many tonal options available thanks to the Germanium/Silicon switch, Smooth Edge switch, and 60's/70's tone switch.  The 3 band EQ helps make this one of the most flexible fuzztones available, and Amptweaker's Tight control really makes a difference in controlling the attack of the fuzz.  There's even an auto-bias feature built into the Fuzz control, which allows the knob to control from the cleanest to the nastiest distortions with one control.

One of the important differences between the TightFuzz Pro and most 'reissue' fuzz boxes is that with the addition of the Tight control in front of the fuzz circuit, the input of the fuzz circuit is effectively buffered from the guitar....but in a compensated way.  A common problem with the original fuzz designs is that circuits with low output impedances like those in overdrive pedals and wah pedals, or the output of active pickups, can completely change the bias and gain structure.  The result is often an odd sound or squeals, unusual feedback etc.  The buffering in the TightFuzz Pro actually simulates the impedance of a guitar, so that the fuzz circuit works in the normal way it's intended, and any low impedance circuit CAN be used in the loop or in front of the pedal.

Unlike most 2-button fuzz pedals with boost, the TightFuzz Pro includes 2 Boost knobs, one before and one after the distortion.....so it's easy to boost the fuzz AND volume, for the perfect solo tone.  And per customer requests, the 'Boost' Volume control has also been tweaked to allow cutting of the volume when the Gain is boosted, so it's easier to balance the volume.  There's also a cool Octave-Up effect that works with the footswitchable Boost, to help solos cut through the mix and to really dive into psychedelia.  There's even an internal blend control to bring in the Octave, so you can just add a little seasoning to the tone.
 
The TightFuzz Pro has a Smooth Edge switch which cuts the high end sizzle for a warmer edge, and when combined with the High control, it's possible to get really warm fuzztones.  There's also an internal More Fuzz switch which is great for lower output pickups or if you just want MORE! A new 'cleaner' noise gate was developed for the TightFuzz Pro, which is designed to reduce noise without adding distortion.  
 
Amptweaker pedals are known for effects loops, and this one has 3: a universal loop, another active with the boost, and our popular SideTrak loop which activates when the pedal is OFF, to automatically shut off clean effects. 

It can be used to add a compressor, chorus or chain of effects that only works when you play clean, or to switch to another distortion pedal to use for an alternate rhythm sound...all without having to hit more than one switch....it's like having a built-in A/B box.  A green LED alternates with the normal red one to indicate that the loop is active when the pedal is bypassed. 

Another cool SideTrak trick is that if you only plug in the SideTrak Send, and don't plug in the Return, then that Sent dry signal can be sent to another amp.....meaning you could have the TightFuzz Pro driving your 412 halfstack while sending the clean tone to a Twin or some other clean amp.  All this ability comes from two simple jacks on the side of the pedal!
 
Standard Amptweaker features: LED illumination of controls, 14 gauge steel housing and true bypass switching.