The story behind the FreezeZone fuzz pedal.
After many years working in electronics, I started focusing on effects pedals, when I came across Michael Westbrook's video on how temperature affects germanium transistors. In his video, he shows an Analog-Man Sunface pedal that he put in the freezer for 20 minutes and then demonstrates its sound through three temperature ranges. I was amazed how much better the pedal sounded after being in the freezer for 20 minutes—a warmer, fuller sound with longer sustain.
After seeing Michael's video, I just had to find a way to cool down germanium transistors internally. After a year of R&D, I came up with the FreezeZone Pedal, using a germanium transistor, a heat pump, and a temperature controller, which I was able to fit into a 1590BBS enclosure. What began as a quest to cool down the germanium fuzz pedal for stability also ended up being a method of increasing the overall tonal range.
Michael Westbrook demonstrates the sound of Germanium transistors through three different temperatures ranges.
The video
His channel
Owner, CoolPedal LLC
Building the perfect germanium fuzz pedal:
Assembling and tuning a germanium fuzz pedal is more difficult than other pedal projects. The primary challenges stem from the inherent characteristics of germanium transistors, which are inconsistent at best, requiring careful selection and precise biasing.
"Germanium fuzz pedals cannot be built on an assembly line. During biasing, finding the sweet spot for a germanium fuzz pedal is a balancing-act between all the parts in the circuit. Adjusting the bias on the first transistor changes the bias on the second transistor, and so on.…..
You can't just put the parts on the board, ship it out, and hope it sounds great.
At the FreezeZone, we balance, tune, and sound-check each pedal before it goes out.
The FreezeZone Pedal is a Germanium fuzz pedal engineered to do what no other fuzz pedal has ever done: eliminate the sensitivity of the Germanium transistor to heat.
The Germanium transistor is affected by temperature change so much, that just touching the transistor can change its gain and current leakage. You may have seen Youtubers put their fuzz pedals in the refrigerator or freezer, producing better tonal qualities and with more sustain. We did tests with Germanium transistors and found that by cooling down the transistor, the current leakage came down to near zero, putting it in competition with silicon transistors, but having the great warm sound of germanium. Check out Seeing is Believing.
Maintaining a low noise floor is imperative for delivering high-quality recordings and mixes. The FreezeZone Fuzz pedal has a low noise floor, which is helpful for studio recordings. Read more.
The FreezeZone Fuzz pedal has an external bias control that allows you to explore different fuzz textures. Instantly switch between smooth, vintage fuzz and harsh, gated velcro effects without needing to open up the pedal.
Each FreezeZone pedal is hand-built, with hand-picked Germanium transistors, bias tested for gain and leakage at a colder temperature, and meticulously crafted to perform consistently, musically, and joyfully.
We only use germanium transistors in our pedals.