The Figure Filter Fuzz
Toronto builder Stonegate FX belongs to the new wave of small-batch pedal makers who treat each release as both circuit and canvas, and The Figure is its most striking statement yet — a twin-filter fuzz wrapped in a haunting teal-and-black etched illustration of a robed figure beneath a black sun, with purple knobs glowing against the darkness. The circuit concept is genuinely clever. Most fuzzes give you a single Tone control and call it a day, which is why so many get lost in a band mix. The Figure instead pairs its fuzz engine with two parametric active filters: a midrange band sweepable from roughly 1 to 4 kHz and a high band from 9 to 14 kHz, each with cut or boost via dedicated CUT/BOOST controls. That transforms fuzz EQ from an afterthought into a precision instrument — boost 2 kHz to slice through a dense mix, notch the highs for doomy warmth, or carve a mid-scoop with the highs lifted for a huge, hi-fi wall of sound. It is the kind of frequency control usually found on studio channel strips, applied to a fuzz pedal. FUZZ VOL and MASTER controls separate the fuzz intensity from the output level, keeping the filters fed consistently. The result covers classic thick fuzz through cutting, almost synth-like filtered textures. Hand-built in Canada in small runs — the first batch promptly sold out — The Figure is proof that the most interesting fuzz innovation now happens at the boutique fringe.