Bedroom Fuzz Pedals vs Rock Band Fuzz Pedals

[Tendollarcat]

Ok, I've done some searches through threads and there seems to be an extraordinary amount of clips with fuzz pedals played in isolation. Don't get me wrong, these are extremely valuable but it often seems I get all excited about the review, buy the pedal, go to rehearsal.....and then it's usefulness starts to slide. It normally happens after 75 people and I have bought this "amazing new pedal" and then we all start talking about things like "blend" and "mids".

The main issue being, many fuzz pedals slip on a cloak of invisibility in the mix when played alongside a distorted/overdriven guitar. And I'm not talking about a guitarist shredding - just in simple places in the mix where you would like the bass to kick up a notch and not step down one And as the honeymoon fades before your eyes, you frantically think of all the intros without guitar and solo parts it may be useful for.....and then you realise you already have two of those pedals....and then you go back to the classifieds

So heres my question. You are a gigging musician, playing with a guitarist/drummer and you hit a point in a song where you want your bass dynamic to step up. What fuzz do you hit?

[eyeballkid]

My fender sublime stays in there nice since it has the crossover freq and tone trim pots.
The BBM keeps alot of low mids if you dont use heaps of sustain.
The OXFUZZ cuts thru nice, but it has a sweet spot that I LOVE, but the rest of the tones i dont find useful...
and the Musket Ive found to be pretty useful in the way youre wanting.

[Rumblefisher]

Spaceman Mercury III + Tube or Hybrid amp. @.@
Not a buzzsaw fuzz but definitely hairy when pushed and maintains its punch.

[behndy]

that's a very good question. well played sir.

that's exactly what went through with my Musket V2. awesome pedal alone, but i was just squishy pudding oatmeal live.

my favorite main fuzz for awhile has been the Wren & Cuff Pickle Pie B. it can get a bit buzz-sawey in the highs and the blend knob gives you a lot of your clean tone and presence coming through.

we don't use a guitar player in my band, but there is a LOT of synth and sequenced stuff going on.

[bassbrad]

The thing many people miss is when you use a fuzz live you have to have the right speakers, enough headroom, a tone that will stand up and be heard and the balls to go for it. Trust me no guitar weenie or drummer is gonna make room, you must have the horsepower to compete. I use a combination of 2x15" & 2x12" speakers and a GK MB500. You will also want to have more highs than you normally would for most rock tones. For bigger shows even run 2 rigs: a clean bass another for effects.

When I want a touch of teeth, to sustain a note or get a touch of feedback a Boss SD1 does the trick, drains off just a bit of lows, enough that saves my speaker stack but still sounds full. It's also the pedal to push the others over the edge.
For that grunty low end drive nothing beats a Cross Drive, bass prominent punchy defined and articulate fuzz. The love child of a couple of classics Bigg Muff and a Fuzz Face. Tone described as a "Dark Chocolate Brown Sound" or "Volcano Brownie".
Hjart Muller Lo|Fat is my go to when I want to dominate & be heard. A lot like the Cross drive but with more high end.
For the total madness hair on fire bass fuzz my search is still on but I hope nothing beats a GGG BrassMaster cuz that's what I have & need to try next sounds great so far just needs a bullet test. Gotta get rid of the Boss ODB3 cuz it's really getting on my nerves.
There has been a lot of dead meat along the way: Rat 1, Rat 2, Big Muff, Devi Ever Vintage Fuzz Master, Ross Distortion, MXR Distortion+, Dan Electro Daddy-O, French Toast, Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer, Boss ODB-3 (but it hung on for a long time), Marshall Guv'nor. Some were kept for the effects trunk and others traded or sold along the way.

[blastjv]

Not a fuzz, technically, but the Agro full blast gets close to fuzz territory. I have found that the tone I love from it when playing alone is MUCH different from the tone I need from it when I want to play with the band, be heard, AND remain a Bass Guitarist and lay down the lows...fortunately the Agro does both very well...


-JV

[scotch]

In my opinion & experience - the big component is the mids dropping out. Most "traditional" sounding fuzzes scoop out a lot of mids. Sounds great solo'ed, but not so great with the distorted guitars!

There are a lot of fuzzes with good low end & mids out there (as mentioned above, the Sub-Lime comes instantly to mind) & blending also helps.

In-context testing (with the band, whatever...) is really important. Often, what sounds kinda crappy at home may kill in context! This is why I largely find solo'ed pedal interweb clips so useless. Well, maybe they're good for hearing the range of what a pedal can do (with a good review/clip)- but not so much for getting a feel of a pedal in context & with my own touch.

Always take 'day of the purchase' raving reviews with a grain of salt.

[Matt Dean]

Nice review Bassbrad.

I just started using a Supercollider, which ha a lot of control over mids and tone. So far, in rehearsal, I do seem to be able to create a fuzz tone that sits nicely in the mix. One thing I do is boost the volume just a little to push the fuzz through the mix.

I've got a Oxide fuzz in transit (it's in Mesquite, TX), that I think will also work well in the band mix.

[kevteop]

I don't tend to use fuzz when my guitarist is using distortion because, as you have observed, the bass just becomes part of the guitar sound. Of course some people like to play that role as a bassist, I don't, usually. Fortunately in my main band our guitarist doesn't use distortion much at all.

My two favourite fuzzes are the Pickle Pie 'B' and the Brown Dog circuit in my O.S., and they definitely both work well in a full band. I also have a real soft spot for the bog-standard EHX NYC Big Muff Pi which to be fair doesn't work especially well in a band but with just bass and drums for a full-on rock-out grunge nutcase tone it's a wonderful pedal.

[Robertron]

My fuzz tone has been a Mastotron parallel to an octaved down Musket V2. I've been really happy with these two fuzz pedals but I'm starting to get curious about others.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Grey 'Stache (diode[?] mode, mids at noon) does the trick for me.

Supercollider with bumped volume also sits nicely, but that's my baby, so it doesn't see much use.

[Eric!]

Supercollider and TAFM

[steve_rolfeca]

Nothing. I've never found a fuzz bass sound that appeals to me, or heard anyone else with one (except maybe the Ox's solo on My Generation).

When I want to step out front, I do it with EQ and a clean volume boost. I'm generally looking for more clarity when I play bass, not less.

[paganjack]

The Way Huge Swollen Pickle is an excellent variant of the muff circuit. I've had that pedal longer than any other on my board. It's got a nice amount of variability so you can get good bedroom tones AND great live tones. variable Mid Scoop/Boost and a saturation circuit in addition to the 3 traditional muff knobs.

[Eric!]

Or an alternative to the pickle is the Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie B. It slays

[crustychef]

+1 on the agro

[paganjack]

Originally Posted by Eric!

Or an alternative to the pickle is the Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie B. It slays

I have played with one (at a GTG) and I must say I agree!

[phatbass30]

i'm not a fuzz expert but i've used and tried some. i'm a working musician and i know that live sound is totally different from testing the fuzz in the room or in the shop. i made a lot of mistakes so to say...

lately i got the SFX Bass Micro Fuzz. well this small thing is a beast! on live it sounds huge and it cuts through with the thick distortions of my guitarist. FYI, he has 4 distortions on his board!

well this thing as we all know is very subjective, YMWV. but for now this is my "go to" fuzz. its small and it delivers!

[slurpy]

black big muff

[rratajski]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Grey 'Stache (diode[?] mode, mids at noon) does the trick for me.

Tell me where the toggle is (L, middle, R) and I'll tell what diode setting you are at .