$149, evileyefx.com
If I had a nickel for every time a somewhat obscure Japanese Big Muff variant was resurrected into a dark boutique pedal with a mythical beast on the case, I’d have two nickels. That’s not a lot, but it’s odd that it happened twice. Yes, today I’m looking at the Warg from Evil Eye FX, a modernized version of the Ace Tone FM-3. What’s hiding under that toothy growl?
Evil Eye FX is a relatively new brand based in Philadelphia. They only have one other pedal on the market – the Paladin Overdrive. That the second release is a Big Muff variant is a smart move, as the average pedal fan looking for something from a small manufacturer will know roughly what they’re getting – but there’s still enough variety within the circuit format to establish some identity.
At this point the pedal is D&DThe /Norse/Tolkien-derived name and design suggest a target market beyond people who just want a neutral, retro-styled fuzz – no vintage-accurate, beveled enclosure here. When a pedal’s design features a growling mythical wolf standing in a dark, spooky forest, it sends a message, and the message is C-standard. But the pedal world as a whole is already awash with Big Muff variants in grimdark garb – there’s every chance I’ll find the Warg to be a derivative drop in an ocean of fuzz. Can it break out of “just another boutique muff” status?
Circuit topology
The Ace Tone FM-3, on which the Warg is based, is not to be confused with the similarly named FM-2 – that’s more of an octave fuzz in the Univox Super Fuzz style (also the basis for the Earthquaker Fuzz Master General). It’s more of a V1 Big Muff variant from 1971 with a boost mode that isolates the first gain stage. That’s missing here, but according to Evil Eye FX, everything else is as accurate as possible in terms of component values.
As for the changes to the ‘standard’ Big Muff formula (if there is such a thing in vintage muffs) that the Warg inherits, there are a lot of tweaks, as you can see on Kit Rae’s brilliant Big Muff page, but perhaps the most impactful are the smaller feedback capacitors on the first three transistors in the chain, which allow less bass through the pedal’s initial gain stages.
The Warg itself also features a toggle switch for flattening the midrange – a very common modification on Big Muffs, as the drastic mid-range scoop of the stock tone stack can drown your sound in a band mix.
Processing quality
The Warg presents itself as a very well put together object – the chassis is sharp and professionally designed, and the jacks, knobs and switches are all solid-feeling premium components. If you take the back off, you can take a look at the circuit board and see how the soldering work with the leaded components is exceptionally clean – not a capacitor is out of place. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it’s good to see. Another confidence boost in the durability of the thing is the momentary relay circuit, which is less clanging when you turn the pedal on, and is also much easier to repair if you get too enthusiastic while stomping.
Does the warg sound good?
The Warg sounds more than good – it sounds excellent. There are a lot of little things that make a great Muff-based pedal in my opinion, and the Warg is an example of many of them. Whatever these altered feedback capacitors do, the result is that this pedal sounds very different to a traditional Big Muff – the character of the distortion is scratchier, more unpredictable, and has less of the smooth, violin-like sustain that the circuit is known for.
Fuzz in this case means fluff – pure sonic destruction. Power chords rumble forward, unstoppable and destructive, like a George Miller-esque semi-trailer. Pick attacks sound like God hitting a full bowl of cornflakes with a claw hammer. Warg may be the name of a mythical Nordic wolf, but it’s also an onomatopoeic translation for hitting the strings while this thing is on.
What helps, perhaps counter-intuitively, is that the Warg has a slightly less bassy voice than the standard BM circuit. It feels balanced – with less of a bump in the lower half of the frequency spectrum, the midrange scoop doesn’t have as drastic an effect and the tone control can be controlled more subtly by turning it counterclockwise. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a considerable amount of grunt, because it does – but it definitely doesn’t overload my signal with inaudible nonsense.
When you slide the midrange switch up, there is a noticeable jump in clarity and throatiness. It definitely changes to a flat profile rather than a mid-emphasized one like you hear from a Tube Screamer, but it still adds a vocal character to lead lines and a little more growl to chords.
So far, so blurry – but let’s not forget that the body design of this pedal clearly asks me to tune down a good handful of semitones. Again, the focus on the lower midrange rumble rather than the sub-bass thump is a real benefit. Deep tunings combined with a pedal that really hits the bottom end hard can kill the clarity – but the throatier timbre of the Warg makes my guitar sound like a guitar rather than someone playing the didgeridoo under a blanket.
Who is the warg for?
So, with the huge range of revived vintage fuzzes currently available, who should consider the Warg? I think it still has a lot to offer the average fuzz fanatic who has tried many Big Muff-based pedals – it’s different enough from the ‘standard’ version of the circuit to clearly have its own identity.
Of course, the Big Muff circuit as a format was always an exception to most vintage fuzz hallmarks – there’s no impedance sensitivity, no scratchy rectified octave, and no gated spittiness. While that makes the Warg a harder sell if you just need a little fuzzy flair in the odd solo, it’s absolutely up to the task of being the beating, bloody heart of a pedalboard built for heavy riffing – and thanks to that excellent midrange switch, it’s perhaps even better up to the task than most EHX reissues.
And $150 for a handmade, through-hole boutique fuzz is a very attractive proposition indeed – because of the convenience of the midrange mod, because of the coolness factor, and because this isn’t a Big Muff variant that EHX can reissue, the relatively low price might do the trick for you. Evil Eye FX has really proven itself to be a brand to keep an eye on with the Warg, and I’m excited to see what they do next.
Warg Alternatives
The most obvious parallel to the Warg is Earthquaker’s similarly priced and pitched Hizumitas ($149/£155), another dark, animal-fronted Japanese Big Muff-like model. It has its own, slightly sharper sound – but if you prefer Boris to Sleep, it’s a good alternative.
If you’re looking for a Big Muff with a little more mid-range control, Earthquaker also offers the Hoof ($179/£205), a unique germanium-silicon hybrid version of the circuit with a sweepable mid-range control. There’s also the Keeley Moon ($149/£159) and the JPTR FX Warlow (€179), both of which add alternative tonal options to the Big Muff op-amp.
If the sounds described above intrigue you but your budget is limited, EHX’s Green Russian reissue ($108/£85) is probably the right place to start – with a little less biting distortion and a little more midrange, it’s considered the best low-and-slow big muff for a reason.
