Analog Music Company Notorious Rabbit Octave Fuzz Driver (NTRS Mk.1)

The crew at Analog Music Company, based out of Kyiv, Ukraine, have always pushed the sonic and aesthetic boundaries of what is capable in an effects pedal, and I’m happy once again to bring you another of their creations today. While it make look a little more toned-down than some of their other units, the Notorious Rabbit Octave Fuzz is a pedal that’s anything but basic. The range of sounds pouring out of this black beauty is impressive, especially for a pedal with just 2 knobs, but it delivers the sonic goods on all sorts of crazy levels…

The Notorious Rabbit is a compact analog octave fuzz based on a nonlinear gain architecture and passive filtering. It is designed to operate with high sensitivity to source conditions, exploiting instability and saturation behavior as primary elements of its response. The input signal passes through a selectable filter network that defines the frequency content presented to the gain stage. This stage is based on a Darlington configuration using both silicon and germanium transistors, resulting in a non-linear and dynamically reactive amplification characteristic.

Before entering the main amplifier, the signal is subjected to diode-based clamping that limits the differential voltage and shapes the waveform. This contributes to early saturation and introduces asymmetry in the signal response. The conditioned signal is then amplified, with the final stage providing additional gain and low output impedance. The circuit as a whole exhibits strong sensitivity to the input signal level and source impedance. Under higher input levels, the interaction between the clamping, transistor behavior, and amplifier gain can result in complex, unstable, collapsing, or gated waveforms, giving the Notorious Rabbit its distinctly synthetic waveform quality and characteristic sonic and dynamic behavior.

The Notorious Rabbit Octave Fuzz is designed to interact directly with passive pickups or unbuffered signal sources. Placing it after a buffer, preamp, or active pedal may alter its intended response or reduce dynamic behavior. For best results, it is recommended to use it as the first device in the signal chain. I’ve done just that in the demo video you’ll see below, where we squeeze every ounce of crazy fuzz out of this simple but monstrous pedal. Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment while you’re on YouTube, and don’t forget to grab some Analog Music Company gear from their website HERE as well!!