Product Review: Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz - The Unfuzz

I’m on the waiting list for a KR Products Gypsy Fuzz. Based on my research it sounds absolutely killer and exactly what I want for $170. But I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting.

So to give me some fuzz tones in the interim I went looking for a good and cheap fuzz pedal and decided to give this unit a try. Some of you may know about the heated discussions online that allege Danelectro has copied the interior workings of some popular boutique pedals for its Cool Cat line. Supposedly the Transparent Overdrive is a copy of Paul Cochrane’s Timmy and the Cool Cat Fuzz is a copy of the $325 Frantone Electronics Peach Fuzz. Interesting that they picked a peachy/orange color. Is Danelectro trying to tell us something?

For $35 including delivery from Musician’s Friend I decided to check it out.

The unit seems well constructed and build quality is far superior to previous Danelectro pedals. It has a die cast metal housing and is true bypass for starters. The controls are on the back face of the pedal which doesn’t bother me, but I could see how this could be a problem, especially if you were playing live as they are hard to see and adjust. So how does it sound?

In a nutshell this is a very nice distortion pedal, but a poor fuzz. It is very quiet when not engaged, but it has a huge boost even at 12 o’clock so you will have to ratchet the volume control down considerably. What’s really important though is that it delivers a rich, luscious and deep distorted tone somewhat reminiscent of the Mesa Boogie Rectifier amps. I really liked the tones I could get from this box, but unfortunately I could already get them from my amp, my MIJ Boss DS-1 and my Timmy. What I wanted was that classic, wet and splattery Fuzz Face tone that completely overwhelms your speakers. Unfortunately in this critical area, the Cool Cat fell short.

For $35, this is no brainer if you are looking for rich, heavy distortion. However, if you are looking for classic ‘60s fuzz tones, look elsewhere. I am very impressed though with what you get for your money so that has got me interested in checking out the Cool Cat Vibe.