Sample 01 — rhythm
0:00
Holms Factory · Germanium fuzz
BlackBird Fuzz
A light-to-mid germanium fuzz that makes your guitar sound just a little rougher — rich, responsive, and alive under your fingers. Built by hand in a solid wooden box.
€199
+ €25 shipping, worldwide
Buy BlackBird Fuzz
* Handcrafted in Small Batches
BlackBird Fuzz · 360°
Drag to rotate
Hear it played
View it
The germanium sound
BlackBird sits somewhere between a booster and a classic fuzz. It adds bite and grit without swallowing your note definition — chords stay readable, single notes cut through, and rolling back your guitar volume cleans it up instead of turning to mud.
-
Touch
Reacts to your pick attack and volume knob like an old amp: dig in for grit, ease off for near-clean.
-
Range
Edge-of-breakup crunch at low gain, open and harmonically rich light to mid fuzz at full tilt. Stacks well in front of drives and boosts.
-
Clarity
Engaging the fuzz shifts the amp toward a slightly sharper, clearer voice, bringing extra definition and presence to the overall tone.
Listen
A few short clips of how it reacts under the fingers. Guitar → BlackBird Fuzz → amp, no post-processing.
Sample 02 — lead
0:00
Sample 03 — full tilt
Coming soon
Vintage parts, honest materials
Vintage germanium transistors
Hand-picked and measured
Each unit uses genuine NOS germanium transistors, individually measured for gain and leakage and matched to the circuit by hand. It's the slow part of the build, and it's the part that makes two germanium pedals sound slightly different.
Wooden enclosure
Solid ash, hand-oiled
The body is machined from a solid block of ash, stained and finished with oil so the grain stays visible and gets better with handling. As with any solid wood, grain and colour vary piece to piece, so the wood structure of your unit may look slightly different.
Built one at a time
Assembled, tested, signed off
Buffered-bypass switching, quality jacks and pots, and a tidy PCB layout with short signal paths help keep noise to a minimum. A brushed aluminium top plate carries the controls and shields the electronics, while additional aluminium shielding inside the enclosure helps reduce interference. Every pedal is powered up, played, and checked before it ships.
Spec sheet
| Circuit | Two-stage germanium fuzz, light-to-mid gain |
|---|---|
| Transistors | NOS germanium, hand-measured and matched |
| Controls | Gain · Vol · Tone |
| Switching | Buffered bypass |
| Connections | Side-mounted 1/4" Input/Output Jack |
| Power | 12V DC center-negative (no battery) |
| Build | Hand-assembled and tested in small batches |
| Enclosure | Solid ash, oil finish · brushed aluminium top plate |
Ready to plug in?
BlackBird Fuzz is built in small batches. Because each one is assembled and tested by hand, please allow a few days before it ships — we'll keep you posted by email.
FAQ
Is it true bypass?
No — it uses buffered bypass, similar to Boss pedals. Your tone stays unaffected when the pedal is off.
What power supply does it need?
A regulated 12V DC center-negative supply with a little current headroom. There is no battery compartment.
Why germanium?
Germanium transistors give a warmer, softer, more touch-sensitive fuzz than silicon — at the cost of needing to be matched by hand, which is exactly what we do.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes, worldwide, for a flat €25 shipping fee.
How long until it ships?
These are hand-built, so allow a few days for assembly and testing. You'll get an email with tracking once it's on its way.
Is each one really different?
A little, yes — the wood grain and the exact germanium match vary from unit to unit. They're all voiced to the same target.