Dreadbox Disorder Guitar Effect

Dreadbox Disorder — Analog Fuzz with Self-Oscillating Filter

The Dreadbox Disorder is a wildly aggressive analog fuzz pedal with a self-oscillating filter, engineered for guitar, bass, and synthesizers. Unlike a standard dirt box, it layers a vintage transistor-based gated fuzz on top of a continuously variable analog filter, so every note carries both saturation and motion. This model is the right choice for players who want a fuzz that shapes timbre, sweeps frequencies, and reacts to playing dynamics.

What Sets the Disorder Apart

The combination of a BBD-based analog signal path with a fully sweepable filter and envelope follower is rare in this category. Two CV patch points — a Filter ENV input and an ENV OUT — let the pedal interact with Eurorack modules or other CV-equipped pedals without leaving the analog domain.

Filter and Envelope Behavior

The filter section drives the pedal's voice-shaping power. A single Filter knob sweeps the cutoff from low-pass (counter-clockwise) through a flat, unfiltered center position to high-pass (clockwise), while Reson adds feedback that can push the filter into ringing, self-oscillating tones.

• Filter: low-pass / high-pass sweep with center bypass — one knob covers the entire filter range
• Reson: variable feedback amount — pushes the cutoff into self-oscillation for synth-like peaks
• The Envelope section features an up/down selector with a sensitivity knob that triggers filter movement based on pick attack for an expressive auto-wah response.

Fuzz Character and Gating

The fuzz circuit is fully analog and transistor-based, moving from woolly vintage breakup to a choppy, gated velcro-like texture as the Fuzz knob is pushed past roughly 50%. A dedicated Level control provides a massive volume boost that retains rich low end for bass and screaming highs for guitar.

• Fuzz: variable gain with gated behavior above ~50% — moves from vintage warmth to sputtery breakup
• Master output volume is controlled by the Level knob, allowing you to boost your amplifier or drive subsequent stages in your pedal chain.

Connectivity, Power, and Form Factor

The Disorder ships with buffered CMOS bypass (not true bypass), mono 6.3 mm TS jacks for audio, plus two patch points for CV integration. Power comes from a standard 9 V DC center-negative supply at 50 mA — no battery option.

• Inputs: 6.3 mm TS jack, Filter ENV CV input — instrument plus modular cutoff control
• The output section includes a 6.3 mm TS jack and an ENV OUT CV output for routing the envelope to external hardware or modular rigs.
• Bypass: Buffered CMOS — preserves signal integrity through long cable runs
• Power: 9 V DC center-negative, 50 mA — standard BOSS-style adapter (not included)
• Dimensions: 14 × 10 × 5.6 cm — compact pedalboard-friendly footprint