Retro Mechanical Labs was first brought to my attention by a friend who asked me “Hey, have you seen that company making pedals that look like they’re off a Russian submarine from WWII?” You can say my interest was peaked from that moment on. I began watching their website closely, scouring used sites for good deals, and searching for demos almost immediately. Admittedly it took some time to get my hands on one because I was nervous. These pedals look nice, like way nicer than any of my other gear, and I play my gear hard. After much hand wringing I pulled the trigger on a Electron Fuzz. My first foray into boutique gear.
The Electron Fuzz needs no babying. Rather than protect it from me I need protecting from it. It is beastly, it is loud, and it comes with several warnings. But most of all it comes with great satisfaction. A foot switch, OUTPUT, PAIN and HURT knobs, and a toggle labeled X1000. The info on those knobs is out there on the web, so if you’re curious you can find that info, but here’s the scoop on the experience. This pedal will never leave my possession. It is hands down my favorite fuzz to date, from slightly overdriven to sonic mayhem this thing covers it all. I pitted it against an ever popular over drive that people use compulsively and found I can achieve alot of the same sounds. And then it goes beyond the drive and gets creamy and compressed. It even can achieve sputtery fuzz tones. I’m not sure how the wizards over at RML do it but geez louise I’m in love.
