Fairfield Circuitry ~900 Fuzz Pedal

The ~900 is a ferocious four-knob fuzz built around two cascading JFET gain stages. Tracing its lineage back to Fairfield Circuitry’s discontinued Four Eyes Fuzz, it offers an unusually wide range of gain, rich harmonic content, and enough interaction between its controls to move from clean, high-headroom sounds all the way into thick walls of distortion and fuzz.

INPUT controls the level feeding the first gain stage, which uses a mu-amp design. At lower settings, this stage can remain clean with plenty of headroom. Turn it up and the first stage becomes increasingly slammed and distorted, dramatically changing how the rest of the circuit responds.

FUZZ controls the signal level feeding the second JFET gain stage and is highly dependent on the INPUT setting. With INPUT kept lower, FUZZ covers a broad range and interacts strongly with the BIAS control. As INPUT is increased, the second stage becomes increasingly saturated and the pedal moves toward dense, full-bodied distortion and fuzz.

BIAS adjusts both the bias and behavior of the second gain stage. This changes the symmetry of the saturation and can introduce gated textures when turned far enough. Because BIAS and FUZZ interact closely, small changes to either control can produce noticeably different response, compression, and breakup characteristics.

VOLUME controls the final output level. The ~900 has a substantial amount of gain and output available, making it useful not only as a standalone fuzz but also for pushing other pedals and amplifiers.

Features:

• Four-knob JFET fuzz
• Two cascading JFET gain stages
• Circuit lineage traced to Fairfield Circuitry’s discontinued Four Eyes Fuzz
• Wide range from clean and high-headroom to heavily saturated fuzz
• Mu-amp first gain stage
• Highly interactive Input, Fuzz, Bias, and Volume controls
• Bias control adjusts second-stage bias and saturation symmetry
• Gated fuzz textures available at higher Bias settings
• High available output level
• True bypass
• Reverse-polarity protection
• Compact raw-aluminum enclosure
• Made in Hull, Québec, Canada

Controls:

• INPUT: Controls input gain into the first JFET stage
• FUZZ: Controls the level feeding the second JFET gain stage
• BIAS: Adjusts second-stage bias, gain, saturation symmetry, and gating behavior
• VOLUME: Master output level

Specifications:

• Effect Type: Four Knob Fuzz
• Gain Stages: Two Cascading JFET Stages
• Controls: Input, Fuzz, Bias, Volume
• Input Impedance: 1MΩ
• Output Impedance: Less Than 5kΩ
• Input: 1/4" Instrument
• Output: 1/4"
• Bypass: True Bypass
• Power Requirements: Regulated 9–9.6V DC, center-negative
• Power Connector: 2.1mm
• Current Draw: 10mA at 9.6V DC
• Battery Operation: No
• Dimensions: 2.7" × 4.4"
• Manufacturer Warranty: 2 Years
• Country of Manufacture: Canada