Are these Tetris-like effects the future of stompbox design?

Puzzle Effects unveils new pedals
(Image credit: Puzzle Effects)

French design firm Puzzle Effects has introduced a series of effect pedals with jigsaw-style connectors, allowing the units to slot together and power one another and doing away with messy power cables and patch cords in the process.

The new pedals feature contacts to transmit power and audio between the pedals.

So far, Puzzle Effects has three circuits in the prototyping phase: the Silly Fuzz, a Fuzz Face clone; the Gold Digger, a clone of EarthQuaker Devices’ Acapulco Gold with an added gain control potentiometer; and the Cloudy Tremolo.

These are all 3D printed prototypes, but Puzzle says they hope to have their own custom aluminum enclosures soon.

Until then, you can head over to Puzzle Effects’ Instagram page to get a closer look at the rather ingenious Tetris-style designs.

Richard Bienstock

Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.