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Quirky in a very good way, the Six Zero puts two effects in one box that, while both excellent for individual use, are greater than the sum of the parts when combined.
Pros
+
Fuzz and tremolo in one pedal.
+
Great interaction of the two effects.
+
Solid build quality.
+
Relatively compact size.
Cons
-
You can’t put a buffered pedal in front of it – placement at the front of your chain is best.
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Combining fuzz and tremolo in one pedal might seem like a wacky idea, but not so much if you consider it a homage to the early to mid-’60s when – besides echo and reverb – the only effects in town were fuzz and tremolo.
This new Six Zero was originally designed in collaboration with music retailer Andertons to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2024, the basic premise being to design a modern pedal with a fundamentally vintage sound at its core.
That run of 200 limited-edition pedals has long sold out, but ThorpyFX has brought the pedal back in a new colour scheme to make it available for all.
The fuzz circuit here is based on an original MKI Tone Bender, albeit equipped with silicon transistors, rather than germanium, while the tremolo is an early design by Dan Coggins.
The pedal places fuzz before tremolo, with no option to reverse the effect order as a particular design aim was the interaction of fuzz feeding tremolo, and, in true vintage fashion, the fuzz will not operate correctly unless it ‘sees’ the correct signal, so therefore can’t have a buffer in front of it.
The pedal’s Level knob has plenty of travel beyond its unity gain point for boosting the signal, while the Attack knob, rather than going from minimal fuzz to more fuzz, seems to be messing with the bias, delivering a range of variation starting from gated sputtery at the fully anti-clockwise position.
The tremolo is not your typical smooth sine wave; it verges more towards an on/off square wave sound and has plenty of range
Advance the knob and you’ll find a favoured sweet spot for throaty saturated fuzz with smooth sustain, although this is not fuzz that cleans up – keep your guitar volume knob wide open or roll it back a touch for more broken-up sputter.
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The tremolo is not your typical smooth sine wave; it verges more towards an on/off square wave sound and has plenty of range from a subtle shimmery pulse to really chopping things up.
(Image credit: Future/Phil Barker)
Combine both fuzz and trem and things really take off. A low Depth setting can imbue the sound with an almost Uni-Vibe phase-y throb, while ramping it up can get you straight into The Smiths’ How Soon Is Now territory. No shrinking violet, this pedal will stamp its authority on your tone.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
Guitar World verdict: Quirky in a very good way, the Six Zero puts two effects in one box that, while both excellent for individual use, are greater than the sum of the parts when combined.
Hands-on videos
Andertons
Celebrating Andertons 60th Anniversary with a Limited Edition ThorpyFX Pedal! - YouTube
Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.
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