Electronix MessDrive Bass Fuzz Review

kirkm24 · #1 10-07-2007, 04:30 PM

Well I had heard alot of talk on here about this Electronix bass fuzz available on eBay and since it wasn't too expensive, I decided to try it out. My overall impression is that this is a very good fuzz. To reference my setup, I use a Stingray 4 through an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 Combo or my gig rig which is a GK 1001 w/ GK Neo 212 cabinet. The only other effects I use is a Radial Bassbone with a Pigtronix EP-1 and DOD 250 in the FX loop. I honestly don't use FX too much since most of my gigs don't really require it.

Ok, the fuzz is definitely a high gain fuzz. This cannot be used for slightly overdriven tones. The pedal has a switch to go from mild to heavy. Mild sounds more like a vintage fuzz where heavy sounds like a raging mega fuzz (almost synth like).

One unique feature of this pedal is its responsivness to your picking dynamics.

The build quality is pretty solid. The pedal is made in a steel chassis with your typical plastic knobs. The pedal comes with a negative center pin AC adaptor socket and is also battery powerd. The pedal has a true bypass switch with a bright red led.

Aesthetically, the pedal is kind of ugly. The pedal is red with some black markings on it, nothing real special but who cares it sounds great.

The pedal can produce sounds similar to a Big Muff Pi (but with massive bottom end). I also think it has a gated effect to it which allows you to get sounds like the Brown Dog or the Woolly Mammoth. Overall this is a really great pedal and at $79, this is 1/3 the price of many of the popular, high-end boutique pedals. I also want to give kudos to the seller who shipped very quickly and provides a good, quality product. On principal I like to support small upstart companies. I believe in the free enterprise system and the right for anyone to start their own business and I like to support good small businesses.

bass-shy · #2 10-07-2007, 04:35 PM

I've been curious about this one. Thanks for the info. Any chance for clips or pics?

kirkm24 · #3 10-07-2007, 05:33 PM

I can post pics but I don't really have a way to record it. I guess that would be my next toy.

musicelectronix · #4 10-08-2007, 12:00 AM

The reason that I keep doing what I do is this...

Thanks a lot!

Ps. The figure on the device is the classic representation of the fuzz face circuit. Eventhough the messdrive design has nothing to do with it, I would like to display it in respect to people who came up with that simple, yet enormously influential idea.

LaBaleine · #5 10-08-2007, 08:55 AM

I've also bought one of those, and I agree with kirkm24's review. Although I am not too much into effects yet (I started playing seriously about 6 months ago), but I can appreciate a good sound when I hear one. I rehearse with a Johnson LongHorn and a Laney HCM60B.

Anyway I was looking for a good but inexpensive fuzz pedal to play Muse, and decided to try this one (these days for us Europeans it's kind of extra cheap to import... ;-) ) Yesterday in rehearsal we went into Time is Running Out, I switched the pedal to "Heavy" mode, max gain, with a bit of compression from the amp, that's all... and the other guys went *WOW*... it pretty much nailed the sound straight away. And icing on the cake I had the feeling it made me improve my playing -you cannot afford a mistake with that thing full on :-)

I also tried the "Mild" mode (on Megalomaniac from Incubus) and it sounded great as well... although I must say that when I went too heavy on the fingers (the choruses are not subtle) I had a few strange "pop" sounds -maybe due to the dynamic responsiveness of the pedal? Or maybe something else? But anyway that's a detail.

So yeah overall great pedal that really makes your bass noticed and appreciated -if you're looking for that kind of sound. Cheers to the seller!

HRC Matt · #6 10-09-2007, 06:39 PM

if i can't hear, you don't have it =).....clips please.

musicelectronix · #7 10-09-2007, 10:13 PM

I don't have good enough recording gear for bass guitars, but I am in process of purchasing / building some. When I do, I will post some clips (who knows when though)

maddrakkett · #8 11-28-2007, 11:58 PM

A picture was requested and I have one, but mine was custom ordered in gray with Submarine-style knobs. O put a cool neon green "beacon" LED in as well. Totally hiss-free, extended bottom, dynamically controlled version of a Big Muff or Fuzz Face!

Found sound clips here, but haven't tried playing them yet: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...?bandID=769175

emjazz · #9 04-05-2008, 11:51 AM

Hey guys...these pedals look great. Can anyone tell me if the Messdrive Hybrid+ can also do that gated sound?

maddrakkett · #10 04-05-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjazz

Hey guys...these pedals look great. Can anyone tell me if the Messdrive Hybrid+ can also do that gated sound?

Checking out the demo at http://www.musicelectronix.com/clips...ybridplus.html
it sounds like it is nicely gated, and the Mess/Gain knob, turned low and on Vintage mode, sounds incredible! I like the sound of the fat, heavy low-gain/tone mode on this even more than my original MessDrive!

Dang, I may have to place another order down the road...

thejohnkim · #11 04-05-2008, 01:55 PM

the messdrive hybrid+ in modern mode sounds pretty nice. the rest of the sounds remind me of that t-rex pedal

Valerus · #12 04-05-2008, 02:05 PM

I've been gassing for one for a while.

But I'm getting the MXR El Grande fuzz when it comes out.
SO...it'll have to wait.

JanusZarate · #13 04-05-2008, 03:03 PM

Based on soundclips alone, I think the MessDrive Hybrid+ is pwning the MXR El Grande.

PunkRocker33133 · #14 04-06-2008, 02:52 PM

After this review, and the sound clips I think I'm gonna have to get one of these. It's exactly the sound I want

Mark Olson · #15 04-06-2008, 02:55 PM

I like the way that Hybrid + sounds on vintage mode.

emjazz · #16 04-06-2008, 09:46 PM

Yeah, I'm really interested in the messdrive plus. Great sound clips.

bonzo4880 · #17 05-01-2008, 09:03 AM

i listened to clips for both and im SOLD. not i just need to get enough money together. fortunately these pedals are priced very affordably, i was impressed. I think im leaning towards the hybrid+ , the modern more synthy fuzz was killer but i also liked the subtleties of the vintage setting as well. and of course there is plenty more to be found with knob tweaking. kudos to electronix, ill be sending you an order soon!

Mr. Pickles · #18 05-01-2008, 09:21 AM

You can't go wrong with the MessDrive and the + version in regards to cost and build quality. Very solid build and inexpensive. Plus, the company is small enough to get personal support from the owner.

Do it!

Swift713 · #19 05-01-2008, 10:19 AM

I'm not generally fond of fuzz but the clips of the lower gain settings of the Hybrid+ sound great to me. If I hadn't just gotten a screamin' good deal on a Blueberry I'd probably be trying one of these soon. Some day.

maddrakkett · #20 07-10-2008, 11:06 AM

Just thought I'd share a new mod I made to my MESSDrive. For a while, I had a 1 Meg ohm internal trimmer Blend control I had added to mix some of the clean dry bass in with the fuzz. I set the control where I thought it sounded best and left it alone, but last night, I decided to make the control external. Here's how it looks and a schematic for the mod:

It works best in the Mild mode and it's a bit interactive with the Volume control, but it really makes the MESSDrive a lot more useful to me! With this mod, I can kinda get the slightly overdriven sound (only in Mild mode) that I could not get before. It is still fuzz, but way in the background, almost inaudible if I want, and the clean bass up front.