Hello there, and welcome back to yet another guitar pedal review! While I have been publishing guitar pedal review articles and videos recently, I realised I was only featuring overdrive/distortion pedals (naturally!) and just thought why not throw a couple of fuzz pedals in there!
Table of Contents
In this article, we will look at one of the most affordable, yet fun-to-play fuzz pedals on the market, TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz! As we always do, I will start with an introduction of the TC Electronic company for those who have never heard of it and also provide original photos of the Rusty Fuzz pedal as well as a no-talking demo video in which I just play with pedal with my rig!
TL;DR
I believe most guitar players are not even interested in those screaming, filthy, ugly and edgy fuzz sounds. I was one of them and couldn’t stand the sound of a fuzz pedal for a long time. However, after having listened to classic rock of the good old times, I started to like them!
As I had no clue about fuzz pedals, I wanted to start with an affordable one and TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz got my attention as it’s probably one of the most affordable fuzz pedals out there!
Rusty Fuzz is a very easy to use, but a massive fuzz pedal not just in sounds but also the actual size. It’s built like a tank and features a huge chassis with huge knobs. Beware that it will take a lot of real estate on your pedalaboard (if applicable).
Sound wise, Rusty Fuzz generates that filthy and ugly fuzz sounds without any effort at all. Even with the minimum fuzz settings, it sounds very dominatng and filthy. You may or may not like this depending on your preferences. In my opinion, it’s a fun pedal to play on a clean channel of an amp rather than on an overdriven or distorted channel. It sounds thick, creamy while being very filthy! And all that sounds it offers will cost barely anything.
cigilovic.com totally approves the TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz for those who would like to get started with the fuzz business! I really appreciate how much affordable this pedal has remained throughout the years. Beware that it’s going to take a lot of space on your pedalboard but for the price it’s worth it! On the other hand, if you are looking for a fuzz pedal to boost your overdriven or distorted channels on your amp, I’d look for something else.
Let’s start with a quick introduction to this legendary brand, TC Electronic, for those who have never heard of it!
About TC Electronic
TC Electronic is a Danish manufacturer specialising in high-quality audio equipment, including guitar and bass effects pedals, studio processors, amplifiers, and audio interfaces. Known for its innovation, pristine sound quality, and cutting-edge technology, TC Electronic has become a go-to brand for musicians, sound engineers, and producers worldwide. Their products are particularly revered for offering professional-grade audio tools that balance creativity with technical precision.
TC Electronic was founded in 1976 by two brothers, Kim and John Rishøj, in Aarhus, Denmark. Their initial aim was to create high-quality audio gear that could stand out in the growing professional music industry.
One of their earliest innovations was the SCF (Stereo Chorus + Flanger) pedal, which quickly gained a reputation for its exceptional sound clarity and became a favourite among guitarists.
Expansion into Studio Effects (1980s-1990s): As TC Electronic grew, the company expanded its product range beyond guitar pedals to include studio effects and signal processors. Best Tools For Guitars at Stewmac.com
In the 1980s, they launched the TC2290 Dynamic Digital Delay, a groundbreaking piece of studio equipment that became a classic in the industry. This delay unit was renowned for its versatility and high fidelity, becoming a standard in professional studios and used by artists like U2’s The Edge.
In the early 2000s, TC Electronic introduced the G-System, an advanced multi-effects processor for guitarists, which allowed them to seamlessly integrate effects into their live setups. This product set a new benchmark for multi-effects processors with its combination of flexibility and high sound quality.
In 2010, TC Electronic made another breakthrough with the release of PolyTune, the first polyphonic tuner that allowed guitarists to tune all their strings at once. This innovation simplified the tuning process and became a best-seller, further cementing TC Electronic‘s reputation for creating musician-friendly solutions.
In 2015, TC Electronic was acquired by Music Tribe, the parent company of brands like Behringer and Bugera, owned by entrepreneur Uli Behringer. Despite the acquisition, TC Electronic retained its commitment to quality and innovation, continuing to develop new products under its brand name.
Today, TC Electronic remains at the forefront of the audio equipment industry, consistently releasing cutting-edge gear for musicians and sound engineers. Their popular products include the Flashback Delay, Hall of Fame Reverb, and Ditto Looper pedals, all of which have gained a loyal following for their sound quality and ease of use.
They’ve also expanded into digital platforms with plug-ins for studios, maintaining their relevance in both the hardware and software worlds. Their combination of innovative features, ease of use, and superior sound continues to resonate with modern musicians and producers across the globe.
TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz
TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz is one of the most affordable, yet excellent sounding fuzz pedal out there on the market. It offers to deliver the much-loved vintage silicon-based fuzz tones of the past! It can generate all the traditional fuzz sounds from silky-smooth sustain to ripping velcro-fuzz type of guitar tones.
According to TC Electronic, the design was inspired by the legendary 1960s silicon Fuzz Face, which shaped the sound of rock’n roll. As it features a huge amount of sensitivity to the pick attack and the guitar’s volume pot, you can actually obtain tones of different fuzz texture by adjusting your playing and your guitar volume.
Rusty Fuzz is the first fuzz pedal I have ever owned! It’s hard to say but I had zero interest in fuzz tones when I first started playing the guitar. Maybe I needed to get my ears mature by listening to a lot of classic rock of early days!
Now I really love the sound of a fuzz pedal, whether it’s a choked, heavy fuzz or a thin, edgy sounding fuzz! As I wanted to experience fuzz pedals first-hand, I decided to get myself an affordable one. Check out the best guitar pickup company, Seymour Duncan here!
As most players agree, Rusty Fuzz is possibly the easiest to acquire, as it costs almost nothing! 🙂 Before we jump to the review section, let’s first have a look at the tech specs briefly.
TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz Tech Specs
| TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Type | Silicone Fuzz |
| Headroom (Max. Input Level) | -31dB |
| In | >800KΩ |
| Out | 1KΩ |
| Noise Floor | -61dB |
| Power Input | 100mA (centre negative) |
| Power Consumption | 15mA |
| Frequency Range | 100-20KHz |
| Frequencies and Min/Max Gain | 100Hz: +3dB/-2dB 2KHz: +5/-5dB |
| Max Output Gain | +55dB |
| Dimensions | 58*74*132mm (H*W*D) |
| Weight | 0.5kg |
| Made in | China |
As you can see, it’s a pretty standard TC Electronic pedal. The company used this chassis template on many of the pedals they have manufactured. The first thing you will notice is the size of this pedal. I don’t know why, but if anyone ever measures the ratio between the size of a guitar pedal: the price tag, I think the Rusty Fuzz would beat anyone in the competition!
It features a huge chassis with huge knobs. So I would say it’s a pretty bulky pedal. But it doesn’t weigh that badly!
It comes in a pretty solid packaging with almost no box content! 🙂 You have your fuzz pedal, a small manual and a silica gel pack. Not sure if that’s why it’s a silicone-based fuzz! 😀
This pedal is made in China. However, you won’t notice any quality issues with the build. I think it’s built like a tank, and as I mentioned, I still can not comprehend how they managed to keep the costs so low and can market this pedal at this price range! Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
I mean you could even get this pedal just for the chassis and knobs for some other projects and still be happy with your purchase!
The controls are pretty basic and easy to understand and use. You won’t be able to see the labels at first sight, but believe me: the top left is the Fuzz control which you can use for adjusting the amouınt of fuzz, the top right is the Volume control which you set the overall output of the pedal and the bottom one is the Tone control to adjust the high frequencies.
On the image above, normally you should be able to read the labels, but the slight tilt of the pedal to capture more light during the photoshoot made that impossible! Did I say it has huge knobs? 🙂
On the bottom of the pedal, you have 4 supporting pads already installed. As you can notice, there’s no battery compartment visible so that means you need a screwdriver to open up the chassis and install a 9V battery.
On the left side of the chassis, there’s a pair of screws that you can loosen and access the battery compartment.
The standard input and output can be found on the top part of the chassis as shown in the image. It also features the 9V DC power in which is clearly labelled.
So that’s pretty much it about the Rusty Fuzz! Before we jump to my review, let’s first have a listen to the brief demo I prepared for you. Music Plugin Deals at Pluginboutique.com
For the demo, I used my FGN Boundary Odyssey and my usual setup featuring my Marshall JVM410HJS, Two Notes Torpedo Captor X SE, RME Babyface PRO FS and Genelec DP8020 DPM. For the effects, I also applied the PSP SpringBox spring reverb plugin in the post.
As far as I remember, I only used the clean channel on my amp and added the fuzz to that channel with various settings. I think Rusty Fuzz is a pretty dense, strong and impactful fuzz generator that it’s not so wise to add to a high-gain channel (or even to an overdriven channel).
TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz Sound Demo (no talking)
TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz Review
As I mentioned, Rusty Fuzz is my first ever fuzz pedal. I was pretty pumped up about finally trying and experiencing a fuzz pedal without busting the bank! I think the price tag is too good not to get one and try.
And again, I still can not understand how much this cost TC Electronic to build in China. Unbelievable! It also got me questioning a lot of things about the guitar pedal business. I think as a guitar pedal builder, if you can position your brand in a nice place on the market, there’s a huge amount of potential to get rich!
As mentioned in the article, TC Electronic was acquired by Music Tribe, and I believe they are not utilising the already settled manufacturing and logistics network of the parent company, which also includes Behringer. It may be the reason that they can be extremely competitive in this business line and offer us unbeatable prices. Ads - Check out these ads to support this web page
Verdict
As the name suggests and also explained by the company, Rusty Fuzz is a silicone-based transistor fuzz. As I never had any experience with fuzz pedals before, I was expecting a milder sounding fuzz at least at the minimum fuzz settings.
Even when you have the lowest amount of fuzz on the pedal, it generates a thick and filthy fuzz texture without any problem. However, I think this is a feature that limits its use. I can’t really imagine adding this pedal as a “clean boost“, meaning you minimise the amount of fuzz, boost the output and adjust the tone to taste on an overdriven or distorted amp.
It sounds very dominant and present in all settings, which you can also confirm in the demo video. However, it’s so much fun to play this pedal. I made the video just by improvising and found myself playing for hours and hours non-stop!
I think every guitar player should experience fuzz pedals at least once. Rusty Fuzz absolutely helped me overcome the sensation of “I will never like fuzz pedals!“. I think they are great! After experiencing the fuzz texture with Rusty Fuzz, I also got myself a used Seymour Duncan Tweak Fuzz, which turned out to be one of my favourite pedals ever! So now I’m in trouble, I want to try more fuzz pedals! IK Multimedia Tonex - Cutting Edge Guitar Tones!
The only drawback of the pedal is its massive size! I mean, it’s really big and bulky. It takes a lot of space on my pedalboard, and just like its dominating nature, it also wants the most real estate! 🙂
Overall, I can recommend TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz to those who seek an affordable fuzz pedal to get started with the fuzz business! At the end of the day, it costs barely anything, and you will never feel like you invested so much money into a pedal.
Where to Buy TC Electronic Ruzty Fuzz?
As with most TC Electronic pedal line, Rusty Fuzz is also widely available across many music stores online. You can easily get this brand new at very affordable price tags (depending on the shop) on Thomann, Reverb and Amazon.
Check out TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz on Thomann here
You can also check out your local marketplace on Facebook, eBay or any other local websites specific to your location for the used ones, as well as Reverb.com. There are sometimes used ones listed as well, and you can even save more money by going used.
Check out TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz on Reverb here
Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
Osman Cenan Çiğil – cigilovic.com
Post your comments and feedback here
By submitting a comment, you accept that you will be automatically included in the newsletter. You can always opt out in case you are not interested in the content updates.Check out the best used gear website!
