Fuzz/OD's with blend/mix feature?

[McThumpin]

All these Fuzz/Overdrive threads are a little overwhelming. I wish I had the patience/time to read them all... I hope this question is specific enough to warrant it's own thread...

I'm specifically looking for a fuzz or overdrive pedal that has a "blend" feature so I can balance the distortion with my clean direct signal. I know the mxr blowtorch can do this, but all the negative reviews have turned me off (not to mention how fugly that box is). Are there other pedals that do this, and do it well?

Beyond the blending part, the sound I'm going for would be ideal for indie/modern rock - from an organic tube-like growl to synthy buzzsaw fuzz with a vintage vibe...

[JanusZarate]

Wait... you want overdrive, too? Dude... you won't get that out of one pedal. It's been brought up a lot before... no single pedal I've seen can do both well. The MXR Blowtorch is NOT an overdrive pedal, despite the marketing. If it's somehow supposed to be, then it honestly sucks at it. It's all FUZZ!

Now, for overdrive pedals with blend... there's the SansAmp Bass Driver DI (not my ideal choice because of the speaker emulation), Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive (lower gain overdrive), Boss ODB-3 (bright distortion)... and some others.

In general, most of the really popular bass overdrive pedals (like the Fulltone Bassdrive, for example) don't have a blend knob. It's not usually needed. And there are blend loop pedals ("blenders") in case you do want to do such mixing with a pedal that doesn't have a blend knob.

There are several boutique fuzz pedals with blend knobs: Malekko B:Assmaster, Prescription Electronics Depth Charge, Wounded Paw Attack Goat, Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie "B"... and some others I can't recall at the moment. Search for any of them here, and you'll find lots of threads on them.

Sorry to hear how much you didn't like the Blowtorch based on reviews... but have you actually heard one in action? Here's the best review I've seen - a video review by TB's own Bryan R. Tyler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1jNIAapaE0

(Note: The "MysticBoo" setting he demonstrates isn't accurate, due to my own error in describing my settings... I crank the gain much higher than that )

Also, "synthy buzzsaw" is anything BUT vintage. Just a thought.

[RickenBoogie]

A couple more would be the Trex Bass Juice, and the MXR M80, though the M80 is marketed as distortion, and it kinda sounds like grindy fuzz to me. The Bass Juice is an awesome pedal, and if I were in the market for another o/d pedal, that would be the one.

[Elemeninki]

The Ashdown Drive Plus (for overdrive) and Lomenzo HyperDrive (fuzz) both have a blend knob. How they sound, I don't know.

[CrownandAnchor]

I use the boss odb3...it does the job, can dial in a lot of sounds, and has a blend feature...

[dannybuoy]

Add Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive and Danelectro Wasabi to the blended overdrive list.

Also, it might be worth mentioning that with some fuzzes like the Tonebender and Supercollider you can hear the clean bass underneath even though they don't have a blend.

[kevteop]

Originally Posted by McThumpin

Beyond the blending part, the sound I'm going for would be ideal for indie/modern rock - from an organic tube-like growl to synthy buzzsaw fuzz with a vintage vibe...

You won't get all those out of one pedal. And I doubt you'll find a fuzz that does both "synthy buzzsaw" and also "vintage vibe".

I'm currently using a Muff for the "vintage"-type fuzz, and blending it with a Boss LS-2, but I've ordered a Pickle Pie 'B' which I hope will supercede the Muff.

For "synthy" fuzz I keep a Blowtorch on my board. When I first got the Blowtorch I really didn't like it, but it gets switched on more often than my Muff, and I've realised it's actually a very clever pedal that sounds much better once you hear it in a band setting.

Actually I used it on Sunday at a jam with some friends to cover the line from Peaches, and it did a pretty decent job of that. Surprised all of us!

[McThumpin]

No, not looking for just one pedal (I said fuzz OR overdrive), and I just tried to give an idea of the spectrum I'm looking within. Sorry to confuse... But cheers! for the great suggestions, (the T-Rex looks promising, and a blender/looper's a good way to go). I'll be doing some serious knob twiddling, checking out as many as I can. Gotta dig into some of those other fuzz n overdrive threads now...

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

Sorry to hear how much you didn't like the Blowtorch based on reviews... but have you actually heard one in action? Here's the best review I've seen - a video review by TB's own Bryan R. Tyler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1jNIAapaE0

Well I had heard the clips from the dunlop site... and now checked out the video. got to say, even less impressed now. The dunlop clips were more intriguing. gotta hear it in person to appreciate, I suppose?

Originally Posted by MysticBoo

Also, "synthy buzzsaw" is anything BUT vintage. Just a thought.

Oh, in my crazy head it very much is! I might be a little ahead of my time, though.

[dubsymmetry]

allright, this might be the time to say it finally - I don´t like clean blends with dirt pedals (od, distortion, fuzz)!
with light OD it makes the most sense for me but with fuzzzz it´s just plain silly - I always hear 2 signals that don´t fit together... for me it´s allways dynamics - the louder I play, the more overtones...
that´s also why I don´t like the blowtorch - but to be fair I only tried it for 10 minutes or so.

that´s my comment to the clean blend hype lately and purely subjective and maybe not 100% on topic...

to the OP - try before you buy!

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by CrownandAnchor

I use the boss odb3...it does the job, can dial in a lot of sounds, and has a blend feature...

Me too. I've tried just a few, and so far that has been the best distortion pedal to my ear. And it sounds 'vintage" to me, which means it sounds like the 60's. (Hey, the 80's was just yesterday - it's not vintage...)

[JanusZarate]

Originally Posted by McThumpin

Well I had heard the clips from the dunlop site... and now checked out the video. got to say, even less impressed now. The dunlop clips were more intriguing. gotta hear it in person to appreciate, I suppose?

Well, if the video doesn't "sell" you on it... I'm not sure if an in-person experience would make you feel any better about it. But then again, we all use it differently.

The true appreciation, IMO, comes in a full band mix. It's a bit difficult to appreciate by itself. It's an odd pedal, in that sense - arguably the polar opposite of the EHX Big Muff when it comes to presence in the mix.

Lots of people love the Big Muff by itself, and then constantly complain about how it's drowned out in recordings and gigs.

Originally Posted by McThumpin

Oh, in my crazy head it very much is! I might be a little ahead of my time, though.

The industrial genre does not yet fall under the vintage category.

[squish_man24]

T-Rex Bass Juice!