Why Spiral Electric FX Deserve a Look

Today I want to take a few minutes to brag on my good friend Tom Cram, who single-handedly resurrected DOD and Digitech in the early 2010s and went on to found one of my favorite pedal companies of all time: Spiral FX.

If you’re getting Tony Stark/Iron Man vibes here, you’re not wrong.

Spiral FX originally launched under the name Rose Pedals around 2010/2011, just a week before Harman resurrected DOD/Digitech. Tom was put in charge of the brand reboot, so he put Rose Pedals on hold and focused fully on DOD and Digitech for the next seven years. Samsung purchased DOD and Digitech in 2018 to use the patents/tech/designs for car stereos and other tech. They effectively shelved DOD and Digitech as pedal brands. Tom himself was fired. His last day at the company was June 28, 2018, the first day of Summer NAMM 2018.

He interviewed with a bunch of pedal companies at Summer NAMM 2018, but as he was driving home he couldn’t shake this thought: "I already did this. I don't want to do this anymore." Around 3 A.M., he called his wife and broke the news to her: "I think I need to start my own company." As Tom so eloquently describes it, “As soon as…she asked me, ‘What do you want to do?’ it was like Athena popping from the head of Zeus. You know what I mean? It came fully formed. I knew every single pedal of the first pedals I want[ed] to do. I knew what I want[ed] them to look like. I knew how I want[ed] them to sound. I knew how I'd approach the market. It all just kind of made sense.”

Because of course he references Greek mythology when he’s explaining how he got the idea for Spiral FX. He’s a classy guy. Thus, Spiral FX (which got its start as Rose Pedals) was born.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the cleverest distortion fuzzes on the market!

Black Rose Fuzz & Spiral Fuzz

In July 2018, Tom combined a modified version of the FZ1-S circuit with the Nanolog N2 and loved how it turned out. He subsequently released it as the Black Rose Fuzz. The circuit was based on the Maestro FZ1-S, but only about 100 of the Black Rose Fuzzes were made (10 went to artists, and 90 went to customers). Its unique sound comes from mixing a vintage circuit and an ultra-modern quantum tunneling device. The original pedals had oxidized tops, and their tone was (in Tom’s own words) “rude, raunchy, and very ’70’s Biker Metal.” 

Interestingly, you could say that the Black Rose Fuzzes were prototype Black Spirals– or even that the Black Spirals are Black Rose Fuzz V2s. In either case, when Tom transitioned the Black Rose Fuzz to the Black Spiral Fuzz in early 2019 due to a copyright issue, it was surprisingly easy, though it probably helps that the original Rose Pedals logo looks kind of like a spiral. The Black Spiral Fuzzes used the new form-factor wafer N2's, which effectively produced the same sound in a different package, but the aesthetic is still weird and clunky, which I love. Tom released the Black Spiral II in April 2019. 

Brute Vintage Voiced Fuzz

Released in Summer 2019, the Brute Vintage Voiced Fuzz is another variation of the Black Rose/Spiral circuit. This time it uses BC108C transistors (which gives it more of a vintage feel with more mid range) mixed with Russian 1N34A germanium diodes. This ultimately results in a slightly darker tone that makes me think of a really cranked Tweed amp. 

Yellow Spiral Overdrive

Now, if you’ve watched the episode we dropped earlier this year called “The Legend of the DOD 250,” you’re already aware of this next pedal: the Spiral Yellow Overdrive. Although it was released in 2019, it’s based on the nineties DOD 250. Personally, I consider this pedal to be the ninth version of DOD 250, especially taking into account that it uses the classic LM741 op amp, A.K.A. a vintage tin can op amp, just like the original DOD 250.

The Yellow Spiral updates the technology a bit, using N2 Nanalog and silicon components mixed with the LED clipper, which allows you to get super loud, distorted, classic DOD 250 sounds. It also adds the 80n Asymmetrical Diode Network and selectable clipping sections. 

White Spiral Boost & Secret Chord Boost

The White Spiral Boost, released in Summer 2019, is a fantastic clean preamp/dirty overdrive boost pedal. It was loosely based on the Barcus-Berry Preamp, but ended up evolving way beyond that. Just look at the circuit, which is a hybrid with bits of the BB 1330S, National Semiconductor Mu-Amp, and the Yellow Spiral. It also features a second JFET stage, girth control, order switch and increased headroom.

This pedal evolved into the Secret Chord Boost, which was released in 2020 (and coincidentally made the list of Best of 2020 by Demos In The Dark). Although it was originally created as a modded/expanded White Spiral Boost, the Secret Chord Boost eventually became its own unique pedal, adding in a 3-way Focus Toggle (basically giving the user three ways to control the input frequencies).

Also, please don’t spend thousands of dollars on a Klon when you can buy an awesome pedal like the Secret Chord Boost new for $250. 

Red Spiral Drive Channel

In 2016, Tom Cram and Christopher Venter from SHOE Pedals collaborated on the DOD Looking Glass Drive. Even after Samsung purchased DOD and Digitech, Tom and Christopher kept messing around with the circuit, which eventually evolved into the Red Spiral Drive Channel in 2020. The Red Spiral was designed for players with clean amps, and is meant to give you a low, mid, and high gain version of what your amp sounds like.

The Red Spiral also utilizes a tone pyramid, which is something that Christopher Venter invented (basically, the peak of the tone pyramid controls the impedance between your pickup and the pedal). 

The Demhe Fuzz

Last up, we have the Demhe Fuzz, released in 2020. This pedal features a smaller enclosure than other Spiral FX pedals, so if you’ve got limited space on your pedalboard, this is a great option. The original fuzz features a Blower toggle that lets you select between BAT46 silicon diodes or silicon transistors. The new Demhe Red mod selects between Germanium 1N34A diodes and pure silicon transistors.

I will say that this pedal produces unique sounds that I have never heard in any other fuzz. Considering how many fuzz pedals have hit the market since 1962, that’s a big statement, but I stand by it.  

Moreso, I have to commend Tom Cram as a builder. He is a textbook example of making lemonade out of lemons. When he was describing how it felt when Samsung took over DOD and Digitech in 2018 and pushed him out the door, he said, “[It] felt that they were pissing on my life's work…But in retrospect in thinking about it, now that I've had some time, it's probably the best thing that could have ever happened. Not to the pedal market and DOD in the end, but we left on a high note.” Honestly, we should all follow Tom's example. The next time you receive a major disappointment or a setback, just jump in and make something out of it. 

And if you have the wherewithal, buy a Spiral FX pedal. Support Tom Cram, a builder who is knowledgeable, who cares about his customers, and who has a brilliant mind for design and sonic space.