30 Pedals in 30 Days: VOX Trike Fuzz

Don’t forget to check out the video at the bottom of the page.

How does VOX the sounds of the 60’s so well?

Because they were there, man.

Far out!

VOX came on the scene in 1959, right on the cusp of a music revolution. The following decade would see the advent of rock and of the rock star. So, when you’re looking for an Octave Fuzz, a sound that came out of that period, who better to look to than somebody who was there. That’s why TheToneKing.com wanted to check out VOX’s Trike Fuzz pedal for 30 Pedals in 30 Days. We wanted to see if the Trike Fuzz could capture the signature tone from the biggest era of rock.

The Trike Fuzz is part of VOX’s Tone Garage Series. A series of five analog stopboxes. The Trike Fuzz is boutique inspired, but not boutique. Boutique can mean inconsistent, fickle, and expensive. At the same time, boutique gives you unique tone that you’re not going to find out of mass produced pieces. With the Trike Fuzz, VOX is walking that fine line between boutique and affordable. It also helps that your kids will still be able to afford to go to college if you buy one.

The Trike Fuzz is a versatile octave-fuzz capable of three different octaves all at the same time. You can jump up one (+1) octave, down one (-1), down two (-2), or all choose to do all three at once. The -1 octave is fixed. The +1 octave has a tone control that can muddy it up a bit or make it sing clearly. The -2 octave has a volume control that goes from subtle rumble to “Holy shit!” with the crank of a knob. Players will have the preponderance of the -1 octave, be able to adjust the clarity of the +1 octave, and dial in the right amount of grumble from the -2 octave. Of course, the amount of overall gain can also be adjusted.

All of these options make for a very versatile pedal. The ability to change the volume in the -2 octave makes it easier to gradually add a low-end gnarl without completely annihilating your tone. Of course, if you want to annihilate your tone, you can do that too. Cranking the -2 octave will make your tone do frightening things. And, if you have enough guts, you can reach levels of gnarl that most people are afraid to reach for.

Black Sabbath. Jimi Hendrix. Two sounds that changed music forever from an era that changed music forever. Nothing says those sounds better than an octave fuzz. It’s hard to get these right, but if anyone can do it, it’s VOX. They were there when it was all going down, and they’re brining us back to where it started with the Trike Fuzz. Whether you’re trying to emulate those classic tones, or trying to get more modern stuff like NIN or Imagine Dragons, an octave fuzz needs to be part of your arsenal. TheToneKing.com is always looking for the newest and coolest, especially when the newest can bring us back some of those classic sounds.

For prices on the Trike Fuzz as well as all VOX gear, check out: Sweetwater.com

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