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Interstellar Audio Machines Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive

Jan 28, 2023
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The Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive by Interstellar Audio Machines is a great version of an op-amp Big Muff, built around what IAM calls an aggressive op-amp architecture for massive, commanding fuzz tones.

I think op-amp Big Muffs are actually my favorite kind of Big Muff. They have this very pleasing, zippy texture to them. Because of their mid-scooped tone and their huge amount of bottom end, they sound massive.

In theory, they should be hard to sit in a mix. But I actually found the Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive to record very easily. It’s very present in the mix and if paired with the right bass sound, makes for nice creamy riffage.

Controls

The panel is straightforward: Volume and Sustain sit up top, with Tone below them, plus the tone bypass toggle tucked next to the Tone knob and the footswitch down front. In the demo above I’ve set up sweeps for both the Sustain and Tone knobs, so you can hear the full range of each on its own.

Sustain works as the gain control here. At zero it’s already a usable lo-fi drive, and cranked to ten it turns into a thick, saturated fuzz with a lot of sustain on tap, as heard in the Thick Fuzz preset. Tone shapes the top end from dark and rounded to bright and cutting, and I’ve also set up a sweep on the tone bypass toggle itself so you can A/B the stock voicing against the bypassed one directly.

The tonestack bypass toggle opens up the circuit to be less mid-scooped. This can be useful for recording overdubs or double tracked guitars to create a wall of sound.

How It Sounds

The Sweet Spot preset is a good all-around setting: Volume and Sustain both around the middle, Tone centered, tonestack engaged. Lo-fi Drive backs the Sustain knob almost all the way off for a grittier, lower-gain texture with the Tone knob pushed brighter. Thick Fuzz maxes out Sustain for the massive, saturated end of what this circuit can do. Across all of them the low end stays huge and the mids stay scooped when the tonestack is in circuit, which is the classic op-amp Muff signature.

I also found that the IAM Octonaut Hyperdrive stacks really well with the Fuzzsquatch. Since this is a take on the Klon, I thought it worked really well as kind of a treble booster into the Fuzzsquatch. Or put it after the Fuzzsquatch to tighten the low-end and tame some of the highs. The latter has a similar feel to it than just bypassing the tonestack, but it’s a bit more flexible because you can use the Hyperdrive’s tone knob to tailor it to your needs.

Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive vs Big Muff PI

The classic EHX Big Muff PI is the reference point for this whole family of fuzz, and it’s a good cross-shop since it runs the more traditional transistor-based Muff circuit rather than an op-amp design. The Big Muff PI gives you one well-known scooped voice that you dial in and leave alone. The Fuzzsquatch’s op-amp architecture brings that same mid-scooped, huge low end but with a zippier, more aggressive texture, and the tonestack bypass toggle gives it a second, less-scooped voice that the standard Big Muff PI doesn’t offer. If you want the original recipe, go with the Big Muff PI. If you want that op-amp variant with more low end and an extra tonal option built in, the Fuzzsquatch is the one.

Who It’s For

If you’re after that Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) sound or just want a great, massive sounding fuzz, the Fuzzsquatch is a great option. It’s a strong fit for anyone doing thick, wall-of-sound rhythm guitar or riffage that needs to sit against a bass without getting buried, and the tonestack bypass makes it flexible enough for double-tracked overdubs too. If you’re after a more surgical, low-gain drive rather than a wall of fuzz, this isn’t it: the Sustain knob is built for saturation, not subtlety.

Specs

  • Circuit: aggressive op-amp architecture, all-analog
  • Controls: Volume, Tone, Sustain, tone bypass toggle
  • Top-mounted jacks for pedalboard-friendly routing
  • Made in the USA

Signal Chain

  • Fidelity Guitars Stellarosa Lite II with Lollar Firebird pickups (bridge pickup)
  • Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive
  • Catalinbread Topanga Reverb (I discovered that a little reverb after Big Muffs really helps them to come forward in a mix)
  • Strymon Iridium (chime)

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Where to Buy

Interstellar Audio Machines Fuzzsquatch Fuzzdrive
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