Catalinbread unleashes the ferocious Giygas fuzz

Portland-based device maker Catalinbread has unleashed its latest fuzz creation, the Giygas. Evidently inspired by the antagonist of the Super Nintendo classic, Earthbound (Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back) – this pedal aims to deliver ferocious fuzz tones that call out to the ‘Universal Cosmic Destroyer’ itself.

The Giygas is said to embody a “brawny and fierce” core sonic characteristic; but with the Fuzz knob set at lower levels, it presents an output signal highly reminiscent of low-gain garage rock tones.

After passing the fuzz stage, the guitar signal gets sent into a gyrator-based mid-boost section, followed by an EQ circuit. Both Mid and EQ knobs feature detented controls, which means that they’re flat when set at 12 o’clock. When dialled in clockwise, frequencies above 900Hz get boosted, while one below that center point get turned down.

Having an independent Mid control could be especially handy too, for dialling in tones to specifically cut through a mix.

At the end of the signal chain is the Loud control knob, which functions as the Giygas’ master volume. It’s said to interact heavily with the blend control knob, and according to Catalinbread, sports the unique feature that “when the Blend and Loud are all the way up, everyone within a one-mile radius will call the cops.”

Under the hood, the Giygas packs some features specific to bass players, including a Toggle switch to adjust the EQ’s centre point from 900 to 250Hz; as well as a 40Hz trimpot, which fattens up bass tones considerably – ideal for studio-type applications.

Preorders for the Giygas have begun, with units shipping out on 1 June. It lists for $199.99. Learn more at catalinbread.com 

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