There have been a lot of fuzz pedals floating around the office as of late, and one of the ones I was most excited about playing is today’s featured pedal, the White Atom Fuzz from Magnetic Effects. I’d seen this pedal around on different sites online, and was extremely delighted when we both decided to collaborate on a review for the newest model, the MkII. Anticipation was high as I waited for the pedal to arrive from England, and once it did, I was in for a real treat.

Volume starts off the control section of the White Atom, and let me tell you, this thing has all the power you need. Whatever kind of venue you’re playing, you’re not going to ever have to worry about this pedal being heard, whether it’s by 50 people or 50,000. The Tone and Gain knobs are fairly standard, with both having a variety of sounds to add into the mix, and the Gain utilizes both Silicon and Germanium transistors, making it a bit of an anomaly in the fuzz world. The Texture control is very unique to the White Atom as well, and it works to change the feel of the fuzz, creating a multitude of buzzy, driving tones that will make your amp come alive!

With the controls somewhat dialed back, you get this fuzz tone that sounds almost tremolo-like in nature, with a sort-of echo quality that accentuates the low-end buzz of the White Atom. As the different dials are cranked up to various stages, the tones change just like that, leaving the possibility of a wide array of sounds to be flushed out. The Gain, Tone and Texture controls really do work all together to form the fuzz sounds produced here, and having so many options is one of the fun things about this particular fuzz. This is truly one of those pedals that you sit down, plug in and go “WOW” when you first hear it, no matter what setting it happens to be on, and then you spend way too much time figuring out what else it can do.

Another fun thing about this pedal is that the input is high impedance, and the output is low impedance, which really lets it play nice with modulation pedals, wireless systems and more, something most fuzzes cannot claim to do. A true powerhouse trapped in a clean and slick-looking enclosure, this is one fuzz that you will not be able to put down once you’ve turned it on. Special thanks go out to Christian and everyone at Magnetic Effects, keep your eyes and ears out for more reviews of their pedal lineup coming soon, and while you wait, don’t forget to check out their website and see what else they have for you!

Specs:
Top mounted jacks and DC socket
Volume, Tone, Gain and Texture controls
Tested and selected Silicon and Germanium transistors
High input impedance and low output impedance
True bypass switching
9V DC adapter or battery powered
Reverse polarity protection
100% Handmade

Submitted by Mike B, Website

Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard