Fuzz titans go head-to-head!

Today we’re taking a look at a head-to-head battle between two of the most popular fuzz pedals ever to appear on the channel: the TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz and the Behringer Fuzz Bender.

Between them, these two budget-friendly fuzz boxes have racked up around 80,000 views here alone — they’ve been absolute monsters for the channel. And honestly, it makes sense. Unlike overdrives or boosts, cheap fuzz is notoriously unpredictable. Sometimes you strike gold… sometimes you get a fizzy cardboard box pretending to be a pedal. Both of these, thankfully, fall firmly into the “gold” category. They’re both vintage-leaning, silicon-style fuzzes trying to capture that classic 60s/70s fuzz attitude — but they take very different routes to get there.

TC Electronic Rusty Fuzz

The Rusty Fuzz is built around a classic three-knob layout: Fuzz, Volume, and Tone. That Tone control is a huge plus — lots of old-school fuzzes don’t bother with any EQ shaping, which makes the Rusty a bit more flexible right out of the gate.

The fuzz sweep is genuinely usable from bottom to top. You don’t run into that classic “nothing… nothing… OH NO TOO MUCH” problem. And one of its biggest strengths is how well it works into a clean amp. If you’re running a pristine platform and want to add some vintage rasp on top, the Rusty does that beautifully.

Behringer Fuzz Bender

The Fuzz Bender takes a much more stripped-back approach. Just two knobs and a mode switch — the infamous “goose mode,” as we jokingly called it in the original demo. For fairness, we kept things in standard mode today. No geese were harmed in the making of this video.

Now, the Fuzz Bender is a bit temperamental at low settings. Until you really push the fuzz knob, it gives you a starved, underpowered splutter — like the transistors are begging for electricity. Very authentic to vintage behaviour… but not exactly versatile. Once you crank it, though, it hits that snarling Tone Bender-style voice it’s going for, and that’s where it really shines.

This is a pedal that rewards playing dynamics, guitar volume roll-offs, and intentional tone control use. It doesn’t do everything — but the one thing it does do, it does very well. And just like the originals, it absolutely comes alive when you push it into an already breaking-up amp.

So which one wins?

Both pedals are fantastic in their own lanes. The Rusty Fuzz gives you flexibility, usability, and a more controlled take on vintage fuzz. The Fuzz Bender is pure attitude, raw edge, and classic Tone Bender chaos — but with the quirks that come with it.

As always, the point of these Versus videos isn’t for me to crown a winner — it’s for you to decide.

So head over to the Community tab on YouTube and cast your vote. Let everyone know which fuzz takes the crown for you.

Another impressive effort from Affordaboard?

 The Affordaboard 800 is the latest in a long line of pedals aiming to capture the magic of one of the most iconic amps ever made. If there’s a single circuit that has inspired the most “amp-in-a-box” efforts over the years, the JCM800 has to be right up there. I’m not going to pretend I’ve done the hard maths, but it certainly feels like every second drive pedal released in the last two decades has tried to bottle that unmistakable roar. And for good reason — the JCM800 defined an era. It became the sound of hard rock and cemented Marshall’s reputation as the go-to brand for big, authoritative tone.

Now, let’s not talk about some of Marshall’s more questionable modern decisions… that’s a discussion for another day.

The issue with many older “Marshall-in-a-box” pedals is how one-dimensional they can be. They often fixate on the high-gain side of the amp, giving you that saturated, mid-pushed crunch but not much else. The less refined ones also tend to rely heavily on compression and sheer saturation, which can sound fun in isolation but leaves you buried in a live mix.

The Affordaboard 800 takes a different, far more refined approach. Rather than jumping straight to the high-gain party, the focus here is on the pushed clean tones and low-gain growl that made early Marshall tones so expressive.

Across the gain sweep, the dynamics stay impressively intact. At lower settings you get that classic jangly, slightly gritty Marshall push that responds beautifully to pick attack. Increase the gain and it transitions into a muscular crunch — proper classic rock territory. Max it out and you’re right into hot-rodded NWOBHM tones, with shades of Maiden and Priest baked right in. It’s the sort of gain that feels big but never messy.

The tone control is dialled in exceptionally well. Lower settings give you a satisfyingly thick low-end that supports the gain without becoming flabby, while higher settings introduce a crisp top-end that cuts without ever getting shrill. That balance is harder to nail than people think, and Affordaboard have absolutely found the sweet spot.

At around £80, the 800 is extremely easy on the wallet — especially considering it’s handmade in the UK. The enclosures are printed in the UK too, meaning the pedal supports two small British businesses in one go. For a boutique-leaning, hand-built pedal, that’s a seriously impressive price point.

Affordaboard launched with the Supersonic and the Filthy Rat, and both of those came out swinging. The 800 keeps that momentum going, and based on the trajectory so far, it doesn’t look like the brand plans on slowing down any time soon. They’re very much one to watch.

Walrus surprised me with this one...

 The Walrus Fundamental series is something I’ve been aware of for a while, but I’ve not really paid much attention to Walrus pedals as a whole. Not because they lack impact or quality — far from it — but simply because they tend to sit outside my usual budget-pedal playground. They’ve built a devoted fanbase and consistently release excellent gear. I just let them go about their boutique business while I rummage around in the bargain bins.

That changed when Walrus announced the Fundamental Series, their take on the stripped-back, affordable format (as was the style at the time, in glorious Abe Simpson voice). This was, of course, made popular when JHS dropped the 3 Series . Wampler soon followed with the Collective Series. Suddenly, “budget-friendly but properly designed” became a trend — and Walrus jumped in with their own signature twist.

The most immediately noticeable difference?

Sliders instead of knobs.

It seems minor, but it’s actually the first clue that Walrus weren’t content to just make a cheaper line of pedals. The sliders give it a studio rack-style vibe and hint at the thoughtful engineering lurking inside. It’s a tiny detail, but it foreshadows the surprising level of care they’ve put into the Fundamentals despite their more than reasonable price point.

And that brings us to today’s pedal: the Walrus Fundamental Ambient Reverb.

With a name like “Ambient,” you’d expect big, atmospheric trails and modulated texture — not usually my realm. I’m a subtle reverb kind of person. A little space, a little sparkle, and I’m good. Big ambient washes don’t tend to get me all that excited.

So my excitement levels were running low when I first went to plug this one in.

And I was completely wrong.

This thing is fantastic.

Deep Mode

The first mode I tried was Deep, going in completely blind with no manual reading, no prep. As I mentioned before, I wasn't really vastly excited so I had a bit of apathy going on, but also I do like to respond to the pedal naturally instead of having a preconceived idea of how I should be playing it.

Deep mode is huge. Thick. Cavernous. There’s an ominous low-end presence that immediately transforms your guitar into something vast and cinematic. It feels like you’re playing in some ancient underground cathedral.

Only after checking the manual did I realise why: there’s a low octave subtly blended into the reverb trail, adding that subterranean rumble without overwhelming your actual tone.

It’s clever. It’s tasteful. And it sounds gorgeous straight out of the gate.

Lush Mode

Where Deep is dark and brooding, Lush is the complete opposite — airy, breathy, bright.

There’s a synth-like, pad-like quality to this mode that feels weightless. Subtle use gives you a really smooth, expanded everyday reverb, but push the mix and it becomes a full-on feature of your tone. This is proper cinematic ambience, with the top end shimmering beautifully instead of getting icy or artificial.

It’s incredibly musical and very easy to lose yourself in. In fact, this mode was the one we opted for recently over on Pedalboards of Doom when doing a live stream. Absolutely blooming glorious tone it was, worth checking out at least.

Haze Mode

At first, Haze seems like the more neutral of the three — not as cavernous as Deep, not as ethereal as Lush. But the longer you play with it, the more the subtle grit and texture reveal themselves.

A quick glance at the manual confirms it: Haze is a lo-fi reverb with reduced sample rate and added crispy grit.

It’s a character verb through and through — slightly degraded, slightly warped, beautifully imperfect. Pair it with a vibrato pedal and you can get a deliciously warped-vinyl sheen to your playing.

Final Thoughts

I genuinely wasn’t expecting to enjoy this pedal as much as I did. I walked into this review thinking it would be just another day at the office, but the tones are so well-crafted that they forced me to take notice.

What impressed me most was the subtlety. Plenty of budget brands throw in modulation or pitch effects, but they’re usually blunt tools — incredibly noticeable. Here, the low octave in Deep mode was so well-integrated that I only realised what was happening after reading the manual. It enhances the reverb without taking over, and that level of finesse is what sets Walrus apart.

The Fundamental series could easily have been generic circuits with minor tweaks and a Walrus badge slapped on. They’d still have sold well. But Walrus clearly aren’t about that life. They’ve put real thought, engineering, and musicality into these pedals, giving the Fundamentals the same care and attention as their flagship line.

It’s a smart move — because if the budget pedals sound this good, what’s the main line going to be like?

Walrus, you have my attention now.

I suspect I’ll be picking up a few more Fundamentals before long.

If you'd like one of your own and also to support the channel whilst doing so, consider my affiliate link below:
https://thmn.to/thoprod/588240?offid=1&affid=2735