The Mojo Hand FX El Guapo is a voltage-starved fuzz with a wider range than most single-transistor fuzz circuits. The Starve control is the key — it cuts the current to the second transistor stage, starving the circuit of voltage in a way that creates gated, sputtery, dying-battery fuzz sounds at one extreme, or opens it up to smooth, sustaining fuzz at the other. Used in conjunction with the Gain control, the combination gives a very wide palette of fuzz tones from a relatively simple circuit.
One of our customers puts it perfectly: “Firstly it’s incredibly versatile from rock overdrive to gnarly stoner stuff. But the best part for me is you don’t need to stack it with any other pedals — it sounds best into a clean and/or cleanish amp.” Another customer found it worked particularly well with a mid-forward amp that other fuzz and overdrive pedals struggled with. That’s a useful signal of how well it plays with different amp voicings.
Controls
- Volume: Output level.
- Gain: Controls the input signal level to the fuzz circuit.
- Cut: Cuts high frequencies as turned up — tames harshness at high Gain settings.
- Starve: Cuts the current to the second transistor stage. Higher Starve settings give nastier, more sputtery, gated fuzz. Lower settings give smoother, fuller fuzz.
Key Features
- Voltage-starved fuzz — Starve control cuts current to transistor stage
- Wide range from smooth classic fuzz to gated, sputtery dying-battery sounds
- Four controls — Volume, Gain, Cut, Starve
- Works well into a clean amp without stacking
- True bypass
- 9V DC centre-negative or battery
- Made in Holland, Michigan, USA
Power
9V DC centre-negative or battery. Any outlet on the CIOKS DC7 v2 handles it comfortably.
Watch It In Action
It cuts the current to the second transistor stage of the fuzz circuit — starving it of voltage. At low Starve settings the circuit runs normally, giving smooth, full fuzz. As you turn it up the circuit becomes increasingly starved, producing gated, sputtery, dying-battery fuzz sounds. Used with the Gain control, it gives a very wide range of fuzz characters.
No — customers specifically highlight that it works well into a clean amp on its own without needing to stack with other drives. This is less common for fuzz pedals than you might think, and makes it more practical for players who want a fuzz as their main drive.
It cuts high frequencies as it’s turned up. Useful for taming harshness at high Gain settings or when the Starve is cranked. Fully counterclockwise lets all the highs through; clockwise progressively removes them.
Yes — true bypass throughout.
9V DC centre-negative or a 9V battery. Any outlet on the CIOKS DC7 v2 or CIOKS SOL handles it comfortably.
Customers mention rock overdrive at lower settings through to gnarly stoner and doom at higher Starve settings. The Starve control makes it versatile across styles that need different fuzz characters.
James H –
This fuzz is absolutely immense. This is the sound I’ve been imagining in my head for years. I have 5 fuzz pedals – most are great, but some a bit meh. I know I’ve only just got it, so in honeymoon phase, but the El Guapo is my absolute favourite. Firstly it’s incredibly versatile from rock overdrive to gnarly stoner stuff. But the best part for me is you don’t need to stack it with any other pedals… it sounds best into a clean and/or cleanish amp. A number of my other fuzz pedals sound absolutely rubbish into a clean amp.
I recently got a new amp – a Suhr Hombe based on the old Fender 61 Brownface deluxe. I’ve had terrible trouble trying to find an overdrive pedal which works well with the mids-forward tone stack of this circuit. I’ve now tried 5 different overdrive pedals & had to send them all back for refund. I was HUGELY relieved to discover the El Guapo works extremely well with this amp. In fact it’s so good, it’s like the only pedal you need.
I tend to live on the neck pickup of a Strat, but I’ve been getting killer sounds out of the El Guapo on the bridge pickup, so that’s an unexpected bonus.
I was slightly apprehensive about ordering this pedal, because in some of the reviews there’s a lot of background hiss. But I haven’t noticed it to be overly noisy at all – so that’s a huge relief.
Also, the artwork is awesome – they should make it into a t-shirt!
So, it’s a killer pedal, which has gone straight on my board. I knew within the 1st minute of trying it that it’s a keeper. As I previously mentioned, I’ve wanted an El Guapo for a long time, so I was delighted to see them available on your website.
James H