BAE moves into stompbox market

BAE Audio has launched its first guitar stompbox, Hot Fuzz, at the AES show currently taking place in Los Angeles.

The Hot Fuzz is a dual-stomp effects pedal that combines the power of a classic top boost with a premium 70s-style fuzz. While BAE Audio’s preamplifiers and DI boxes are already popular with guitar players, this marks the first product intended specifically for guitar players by the company.

BAE Audio CEO Mark Loughman, explained the genesis of the pedal:  “I’m a guitar player myself, and I didn’t feel like there was a stompbox on the market that captured the singing sound of a classic 70s fuzz, the kind that just cuts right through the mix.”

“My reference point was the lead guitar tone on the Isley Brothers version of Summer Breeze, and I would say we nailed it,” he added

With two independent true-bypass footswitches to control the boost and fuzz sections of the pedal, the Hot Fuzz enables users to dial in their own one, then kick in the boost at a key moment to push their saturation over the edge. The boost section features a single gain control, while the fuzz section features controls for bass, treble, juice (fuzz), and gain (output). Like all BAE Audio products, the Hot Fuzz contains all discrete components and is hand-wired in California.

“Guitarists, like recording engineers, are very discerning about the sounds they’re chasing,” said Loughman. “BAE Audio has delivered first class studio tools that meet engineers’ highest standards for many years, and we’re happy to offer something in that spirit for guitar players. It will also allow those guitar players who are not yet familiar with our studio gear a chance to experience BAE Audio quality for the first time. What they may not know is that there is no going back.”