Jim Dunlop Effect Pedal Throwdown, Round 1: Fuzz Face Mini Silicon Vs. Fuzz Face Mini Germanium

It's time to compare the mettle of Jim Dunlop pedals!

In GuitarWorld.com's latest readers poll — the first annual Jim Dunlop Effect Pedal Throwdown — we're pitting Dunlop, MXR and Way Huge pedals against each other in a no-holds-barred shootout.

Yes, we're pulling out all the stomps! Thirty-two stompboxes will go head to head — or toe to toe, if you prefer — culminating with the crowning of the king of Dunlop pedals.

You can check out the beginning bracket — with all 32 competing pedals — in the Scribd.com (opens in new tab) window below (Be sure to click on the "full screen" button in the lower-right-hand corner to expand the bracket).

The bracket will be updated after every matchup, and matchups will take place pretty much every day. Each competing pedal will accompanied by a demo video created by the Jim Dunlop company, and you'll always find a photo gallery of the competing pedals at the bottom of each matchup.

Today's Matchup

In today's matchup, the Dunlop FFM1 Fuzz Face Mini Silicon goes foot to foot against the Dunlop FFM2 Fuzz Face Mini Germanium. Start voting below!

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS: Yesterday, the Way Huge Green Rhino Overdrive (63.43 percent) devoured the Way Huge Red Llama Overdrive (36.57 percent), just as it would in nature, advancing to the next round! To see all the matchups that have taken place so far, head HERE. Thanks for voting!

Meet the Combatants

Dunlop FFM1 Fuzz Face Mini Silicon

The Fuzz Face Mini Distortion line features legendary Fuzz Face tones in smaller, more pedalboard-friendly housings with several modern appointments: a bright status LED, an AC power jack and a convenient battery door. As with the original models, Fuzz Face Minis feature true bypass switching.

The FFM1 Silicon Fuzz Face Mini Distortion is spec’d from a 1970 Fuzz Face in our own collection prized for its bright and aggressive Fuzz Face sound delivered by its matched BC108 silicon transistors.

Dunlop FFM2 Fuzz Face Mini Germanium

The Fuzz Face Mini pedal line features legendary Fuzz Face tones in smaller, more pedalboard-friendly housings with several modern appointments: a bright status LED, an AC power jack and a convenient battery door. As with the original models, Fuzz Face Minis feature true bypass switching.

The FFM2 Germanium Fuzz Face Distortion Mini is based on ’66-’68 era pre-silicon Fuzz Faces famous for warm vintage fuzz tones provided by slightly mismatched germanium transistors.

NOTE: For today's matchup, both pedals are demoed in the same video, which you can watch below! We'll return to the two-video format for tomorrow's matchup!

Voting closed!

The Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini Silicon (51.18 percent) defeated the Fuzz Face Mini Germanium (48.82 percent) to advance to the next round! To see the current matchup and all the matchups that have taken place so far, head HERE. Thanks for voting!

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Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas (opens in new tab), was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron (opens in new tab), a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums (opens in new tab). He now plays in two NYC-area bands.