It takes nothing short of a perfect fuzz pedal to really perk the eyes and ears of the staff here at the GuitarGeek FX Compound. Not that we're jaded about plugging in these transistorized goodies on a daily basis, but in the saturated world of fuzzboxes it's hard not to feel like you've seen and heard it all.

Well, unpacking The Sweet proved that we really haven't seen it all. From the shiny black housing to the subtle retro-esque silkscreened typefaces, Frantone's thoughtful attention to graphics grabbed us from the very first glance. I don't think we've ever seen the standard-sized aluminum Hammond box look quite so stunning. All the control functions, along with the sassy Frantone logo, are rendered in a soft grassy green while the model/description are offset with a simple white. While many pedals date or embarrass themselves with trendy or homespun graphics, The Sweet has that classic appearance that will age as gracefully as an old Fender guitar or a vintage Marshall Plexi.

These timeless looks are supported well by a smart and practical layout. A top-notch stompswitch is positioned close to the front edge of the pedal for effortless engagement. Three well-spaced black bakelite knobs handle the time honored volume, sustain and tone duties while a highly visible green LED keeps you posted of your on/off status. The side-mounted input/output jacks and rear mounted AC adapter make for tidy cable and power hookups. As a final little touch, the bottom of The Sweet has four cute round rubber feet that grab hold of slick surfaces to avoid the dreaded wandering pedal syndrome. All these small, yet thoughtful, details add up to an overall look and feel that warranted a smile every time we glanced at this pedal onstage.

As impeccable as the outside is, you are only four small screws away from an interior that is just as stunning. All the teflon coated wires are clipped and routed neatly, the connections are all masterfully soldered and the hard-mounted circuit board looks like a mini work of art, complete with the tiny signature Frantone logo. One gripe we can usually find with boutique pedals is the battery compartment, or lack thereof. The Sweet avoids this by way of a L-shape piece of aluminum that leaves very little wiggle room for your 9-volt. Another nice touch is a plastic clip and tie that holds the battery lead wires in place. It's a simple solution to avoid all those severed battery wires we've all had. As to be expected, all the components and switches found within are high quality. Which finally brings us to the sound of The Sweet!

Fuzz, or the capturing thereof, can be a very mysterious and elusive thing. It's a magical combination of guitar, pickups, cables, amplifier, volume, picking dexterity, note selection, and we haven't even mentioned the fuzz pedal yet! The variables become even more complex when you factor in the actual pedal. Add to our lengthy equation the settings on the fuzzbox, the exact transistors used, the age of those transistors, the solder, the brand of batteries, the exact voltage of those batteries, and even the temperature of the room!

Even with all these tonal odds seemingly stacked against you, a great fuzztone isn't altogether impossible to find. Most boxes have one, maybe two, sonic sweet spots trapped deep within them so it's just a matter of endlessly twiddling knobs to lure those timid sounds out. Once you've found "the" sound, it's then time to scramble to find your Sharpie pen and permanently scribble your exact settings into the face of the pedal. That one setting might sound like pure gold but most of us long for a little more than a single sound from our pedals. Let's just say we like to twiddle our knobs a little more.

That said, the first two things we do after un-boxing and plugging in any pedal is to completely peg the dials in either direction to see what kind of sonic journey we can expect to take. The Frantone's remarkable range immediately took us by surprise. Not that it is more bassy or more trebly than other pedals, it's just that all of our notes remained defined in these far flung settings. The Sweet is flawlessly focused on the bass side and completely crisp on the treble end and while we fell in love with these opposite sides of the Frantone, the mid-ranges sizzle is where most of our fuzz-tone fantasies were fulfilled.

The interaction between the player and the pedal at these moderate settings was nothing short of stunning. The smallest changes in picking pressure, guitar volume and pickup combinations yielded wonderful and diverse results. I don't think too many fuzzboxes can lay claim to having tons of variety but you'll find sounds galore within The Sweet. Regardless of the knob placement, the Frantone remained defined, musical, and very believable. From the drop dead gorgeous exterior to the chameleon-like character of the fuzz itself, we cannot recommend this pedal enough. In the quest for the perfect fuzz sound, it's a profound relief to know that you can just plug in The Sweet, stop worrying about your gear, and just play. - GuitarGeek