The Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord is a Black Arts Toneworks distortion pedal. Close alternatives include the Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen Octave/Fuzz and the Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion. It pairs well with the Milkman Sound Pint 10W and the Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve Combo.
Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord
Black Arts Toneworks · pedal
The Black Arts Toneworks FNORD is an octaver-fuzz hybrid pedal blending a scrambler or octave-up fuzz circuit with a conventional fuzz and distortion voice. A blend control mixes between the two characters, spanning from zipper, velcro-style octave fuzz tones to full-throated conventional distortion, or any combination of both voices simultaneously. Suited for psychedelic, noise, and experimental rock where unconventional octave-fuzz textures are wanted alongside conventional high-gain distortion. Made by Black Arts Toneworks.
What stands out
“A blend control mixes between the two characters, spanning from zipper, velcro-style octave fuzz tones to full-throated conventional distortion, or any combination of both voices simultaneously”
— from the listing
“Below the 12th fret, the octave tracking becomes unreliable and blends into noise”
— from the reviews
“Octave-fuzz hybrid blending a scrambler-style octave-up voice with a conventional fuzz and distortion, producing a wide range from velcro octave textures to full distortion depending on blend position”
— from the community notes
“Used in psych, noise-rock, and experimental contexts where unconventional octave fuzz textures are part of the sonic vocabulary”
— from the community notes
“Suited for psychedelic, noise, and experimental rock where unconventional octave-fuzz textures are wanted alongside conventional high-gain distortion”
— from the listing
- distortion
- octave
- octave fuzz
- full
- experimental
- noise
- hybrid
- high gain
Genres the Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord is commonly used in
- Experimental
- Noise Rock
- Rock
- Electronic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Psychedelic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord
Milkman Sound Pint 10W
Milkman Sound
34% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Milkman Sound Pint 10W leans toward high headroom, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Comes later in the signal chain
Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve Combo
Traynor
34% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Feed a high gain signal into Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve Combo and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited
Aguilar
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Feed a high gain signal into Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited and it comes out closer to tight
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo
Ebs
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EBS Magni 502 2x10 bass combo takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 410 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210 Bass Combo pushes a high gain tone toward tight
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210 pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo
Phil Jones
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Stack Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
11% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Boss
11% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Stack Boss BD-2 Blues Driver on top and a high gain tone tightens toward clean boost
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
Electro-Harmonix
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Run Electro-Harmonix Small Stone after Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord in the signal chain, clear of Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Meris LVX Delay
Meris
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → ambient)
Keep Meris LVX Delay after Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord in the signal chain, clear of Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V2
EarthQuaker Devices
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Keep EarthQuaker Devices Dispatch Master V2 after Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord in the signal chain, clear of Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Wampler Ego Compressor
pedal
8% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord brings here leans toward octave — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
MXR CAE Wah goes in front of Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord — a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4
Jam Pedals
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
JAM Pedals RetroVibe Mk.4 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen Octave/Fuzz
Electro-Harmonix
63% similarityShared character: blend, tight tracking, one octave
Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion
pedal
62% similarityShared character: one octave, noise, distortion
Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil
Gamechanger Audio
57% similarityShared character: one octave, distortion
EarthQuaker Devices Life Pedal V3
EarthQuaker Devices
56% similarityShared character: one octave, circuit, mix
Malekko Helium MKI
Malekko
55% similarityShared character: one octave
Suhr Rufus
Suhr
53% similarityShared character: one octave, full
Dunlop JHW2
Dunlop
51% similarityShared character: one octave, lead
Catalinbread Giygas
Catalinbread
50% similarityShared character: one octave, circuit, full
Dean Markley Overlord
Dean Markley
50% similarityShared character: noise, high gain settings, full
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
Friedman
48% similarityShared character: wide range, noise, mix
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
47% similarityShared character: wide range, noise, distortion
MXR Fullbore Metal
MXR
46% similarityShared character: noise, distortion, high gain settings
See all alternatives to the Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord?+
The closest matches in character are the Electro-Harmonix Lizard Queen Octave/Fuzz, the Source Audio Soundblox Multiwave Distortion, the Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil.
What pairs well with the Black Arts Toneworks -Fnord?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Milkman Sound Pint 10W, Traynor YCV40 Custom Valve Combo, Aguilar SL110 Fawn Limited — Milkman Sound Pint 10W leans toward high headroom, and that's a real, usable character to pair with.