Catalinbread StarCrash

Catalinbread StarCrash is a great fuzz pedal based on a 70s Fuzz Face pedal with a handy Bias knob for those nice and spitty fuzz sounds.

The Fuzz Face debuted in 1966 as a germanium-equipped model, and by the ‘70s, all Fuzz Faces being made featured silicon componentry for circuit stability reasons. However, the powers that be barely adapted the circuit to its new semiconductors, only a single part was changed to reflect this.

In light of this, the Starcrash is the ‘70s fuzz you wish they would have made from the beginning. For starters, we got rid of that goofy Fuzz knob. We know that 95 percent of all players run it dimed, and the remaining five percent use their guitar’s volume knob to rein it in. Secondly, we installed a handy Bias control, also known as a “dying battery simulator.” This starves the second transistor of voltage and lets you dial in the right amount of texture, from raw and brawny to lean and harmonically rich.

The Low-Cut control enacts a tastefully executed filter circuit that cuts the bass frequencies from 40Hz to 500Hz with the turn of a knob. While bias and filter controls cut volume, we’ve compensated by giving the Starcrash a little more volume than the typical “Face” circuit, so you can still push your amp regardless of knob settings.

Catalinbread StarCrash demo video