“A harmonious blend of vintage tones, contemporary technology and sonic possibilities”: Stone Deaf FX redefines octave fuzz pedals for a new generation with the Rise & Shine

UK pedal builder Stone Deaf FX has announced its return to digitally controlled analog pedals with the Rise & Shine octave-up fuzz pedal, which it's touting as “a harmonious blend of vintage tones and contemporary technology, opening up a world of new sonic possibilities”.

Chief among these is the Octapulse, a unique rhythmic feature that blends tremolo and vibrato effects with tap tempo and an array of in-built subdivisions, alongside the ability to use your own custom-tapped patterns. 

That extra customization means the pedal can respond to even the wonkiest of time signature-skewed riffs. Players can also plug in an expression pedal as an extra way of personalizing how the effect oscillates.

Elsewhere, there are standard fuzz and selective momentary octave up and bypass capabilities – Stone Deaf says the Rise & Shine's custom soft-touch optical footswitch system is able to withstand 10,000,000 stomps.

Its gain sweeps between low-gain distortion and full-blown fuzz, with a tone control for high or low pass filters. There’s also a clean blend to mix the dry signal back in for increased note definition, which will be especially useful when the stompbox is cranked, as well as the option to engage two of its five sound modes at once.

Those sound modes are color-coded through two LED lights. Those modes are standard fuzz and selectable analog octave-up fuzz (orange), momentary octave fuzz (green) and momentary bypass (cyan). 

Perhaps most exciting are the final two modes, featuring a standard division Octapulse tremolo with momentary control (magenta) and custom division octapulse tremolo where users can tap in their own subdivisions. It’s this latter feature that really helps set the pedal apart and one which will be sure to intrigue players from shoegazers to prog-metal aficionados.

The Rise & Shine has been in the works for over three years, with Stone Deaf FX taking its time to perfect its fuzz-lathered recipe. 

That attention to detail extends to the enclosure, too: the aluminium chassis is sandblasted for a sleek matt finish, and features detailed laser engraving, while the machined aluminium knobs are also designed to protect players from accidental adjustments thanks to their bolstered potentiometer torque.

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Pricing-wise, the Rise & Shine is available for £265 for UK customers, where the manufacturer is situated, with shipping included in its $285 (US) and £315 (EU) price tags.

Stone Deaf was founded in 2010, and its designs quickly found fame with the likes of Josh Homme, who was one of the company's first customers. Now based in Hebden Bridge, UK, Stone Deaf says it has distanced itself from “imitative and rehashed designs”, with its hiatus from international product releases allowing it to focus on “pushing the boundaries of analog and digital circuitry”, with the Rise & Shine the jewel in its crown.

For more info, head to Stone Deaf FX.