Which fuzz for this specific purpose

Toastfuzz · #1 08-12-2011, 01:12 PM

So.. which fuzz is the best for bass?

Sorry, just kidding, I had to. No, I am looking for suggestions for a specific purpose, for a specific setup, and a specific gig. So hopefully you guys can have fun throwing suggestions that fit my criteria, at least more fun than just answering which is the "best fuzz"...

I'm playing in a 4 piece classic rock-thru-90's cover band. We have a female singer, one guitarist, drummer with very conservative set, and me playing bass. Right now I use a Black Russian Big Muff as my on-demand fuzz/od. I run a VT-bass always-on, whether I engage fuzz or not (the fuzz goes into the VT for compression.)

I kick on my Big Muff on songs that normally have a rhythm guitar, to fatten up the rhythm while my guitarist solos. The Big Muff is too tame for my tastes and isnt making enough of an impression, I want something to put between the Muff and the VT. I feel like cranking the sustain on the muff is getting in the right direction, but it loses ALL clarity and definition, to the point of notes being indecipherable from each other. I'm looking for a deep highly saturated fuzz to fill up the sound space that still "sounds good" and not like a big ball of mush.

Rig is currently an Ibanez Soundgear into Ampeg SVT3 Pro + Ampeg 4x10 (no tweets), but very soon will be evolving to a Rickenbacker 4003, and hopefully soon after that a bi-amped setup of bass pup to Ampeg SVT3 Pro + treble pup to Peavey solid state 15" combo, and run the dirt only through the treble amp.

The three that have stuck out to me (from reading around here and hitting YouTube) are the ZVex Mastotron, Catalinbread SFT, and Earthbound Supercollider. I haven't really seriously considered Fuzzrocious or Iron Ether, unfortunately because most feedback on TB is blind hype-fueled praise for the new hot trendy brands with no objectivity. Of course, the examples I named are last year's hot sh1t, so I'm kinda putting my foot in my mouth... what I'm trying to say is I'm open to anything, and want to hear from the fuzz masters.

And my old buddy Lazerus Bird just texted me BLUEBEARD as I typed this. So thats on the list of possibilities too.

rratajski · #2 08-12-2011, 01:34 PM

For deeply saturated fuzz, the SC is the only one of the three that you mentioned that would be capable.
You'll like it better than the muff you're using bc it has more tweakability.

Toastfuzz · #3 08-12-2011, 01:37 PM

Well rratajski, since you were the first to graciously offer your advice, which one of YOUR pedals would best fit in this role? Like I said, I'm open to just about any suggestion, so whichever you suggest will be the Fuzzrocious pick thats up for comparison.

Snakeman1066 · #4 08-12-2011, 01:41 PM

I tried for three years to achieve a specific sound....this was my final solution

i run two amps and two cabs on stage....one dirty....one clean

my dirty rig is basically a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive (OD) into a Devi Ever Dark Boost into an EHX BBM (IMHO the BBM is a little tame but i wanted something that didn't cost an arm and a leg and could be easily and quickly replaced if it went out) all these are run into a rackmounted Sansamp then amp and cab

the clean set-up is basically Bass - Sansamp - amp - cab

this allows me to get as nasty as i want and still retain note definition via the clean rig....then just blend the two based on the song requirements...

good luck

RickenBoogie · #5 08-12-2011, 01:53 PM

I am NOT a fuzz master by any stretch, however, I have dabbled with fuzz on and off for many many years. While I wholeheartedly agree that a "dual amp" rig will be most successful, as to the available boxes, the Mastotron just does something for me no other fuzz could. When dialed in to perfection, I do not get lost even in a very dense, (guitars/synths/drums/vocals) mix. My 2 pennies worth.

ItsMichaelYeah · #6 08-12-2011, 02:05 PM

This is one of the most descriptive questions for a fuzz pedal. I'm glad that you looked at other threads and made it easier for a better response.

What 90's covers are you doing if you don't mind me asking?

Ryan knows his stuff.

the SFT is a very tame compaired to a Muff.

the SC would be a better fit for some good fuzz tone.

I've never ran a fuzz pedal with my old ric so I can't really say how it would act with a ric (another reason ryan would have better input since he has)

eyeballkid · #7 08-12-2011, 02:13 PM

I would suggest the Fender Sublime.. It fits the bill and is VERY tweakable, even on the fly with your foot, and almost all the sounds are usable and good!.. does a good OD, a good saturation, a good murky fuzz, a good blazer, and everything in between.

Snakeman1066 · #8 08-12-2011, 02:17 PM

I had a Ric Mapleglo and the only way i could stand it was through my dirty rig...lol

Ric's do well with fuzz IMHO

Toastfuzz · #9 08-12-2011, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItsMichaelYeah

This is one of the most descriptive questions for a fuzz pedal. I'm glad that you looked at other threads and made it easier for a better response.

What 90's covers are you doing if you don't mind me asking?

Ryan knows his stuff.

the SFT is a very tame compaired to a Muff.

the SC would be a better fit for some good fuzz tone.

I've never ran a fuzz pedal with my old ric so I can't really say how it would act with a ric (another reason ryan would have better input since he has)

The only 90's tunes on the chopping block right now are Toadies - Possum Kingdom, RHCP - Give it away, Alice in Chains - Man in a box, Weezer - Beverly Hills, and Stone Temple Pilots - Big Empty (who NAILED this song when I saw them live 2 days ago in Pittsburgh.)

Don't really care too much about following tradition or having traditional tones, my goal is more to have MY tone, and make it clankier or dubbier with on-board EQ, or kicking on a fuzz.

The SFT sounds so good in those (Catalinbread provided) YouTube clips, but in practice I think its alittle too close to the Muff I already got, so probably skippin it. Curious to hear any Fuzzrocious suggestions, but from my limited knowledge they seem like Muff clones(?) but I may be totally wrong on that. The SuperCollider has always been impressive in my mind, but when I think of that pedal I think of super stoner-doomsludge, not a bad thing if its highly tweakable. I've always heard good things about the Mastotron as well, that it can be tweaked to sound very gated even though its not a distinctly gated fuzz (may be wrong on that also.)

The thing you guys may not realize is that I really don't know much about fuzzes, other than the sound. I lurk the Effects forums every now and then, but could not tell you what the diff is between gated/not gated, where the line is between fuzz and synth, etc. All I know is I used to have the Wounded Paw Battering Ram (OD on left side, Fuzz on the right) and I found the fuzz to be totally useless trebly buzz saw crap. I kicked it on once at practice and you'd think I just sh1t a dead squirrel judging by my band mates' faces.

Toastfuzz · #10 08-12-2011, 02:22 PM

I also prefer to run this new mystery fuzz into my always-on VT Bass. Love the way a VT lightly equalizes and compressed everything thrown at it, so any combination of effects has the same overall "theme." If you have experience running any specific fuzzes thru your VT, those experiences would be much appreciated as well.

Hutzbordello · #11 08-12-2011, 02:23 PM

Fuzz Factory is a thing of beauty

devi makes awesome stuff for under a hundred bucks ($99)

Toastfuzz · #12 08-12-2011, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hutzbordello

Fuzz Factory is a thing of beauty

devi makes awesome stuff for under a hundred bucks ($99)

Oh yeah, you reminded me mentioning price, I'm looking in the $100-$200 range, new or used, open to nice boutiquey fuzz boxes and factory runs alike.

Headin home from work, not gonna TOUCH a computer until at least tomorrow night, so I'll catch you cats later!

Snakeman1066 · #13 08-12-2011, 02:34 PM

try running an OD between your EHX BBM (on the dry setting) and your VT you might be suprised at the result...

5656130 · #14 08-12-2011, 03:08 PM

I use a fuzz war for things like that...The only other fuzz on my board is an insane bit fuzz that can get lost in the mix.

rratajski · #15 08-12-2011, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toastfuzz

Curious to hear any Fuzzrocious suggestions, but from my limited knowledge they seem like Muff clones(?) but I may be totally wrong on that. The SuperCollider has always been impressive in my mind, but when I think of that pedal I think of super stoner-doomsludge, not a bad thing if its highly tweakable.

We only make one muff clone, that is highly modified to slay on bass and rip on g****r: Grey Stache +. The rest of our pedals are variants of other designs, etc. (od, distortion, tremolo). All of the info about each pedal, including links to sound and video clips is at FUZZROCIOUS PEDALS.
The SC is a cool pedal in that the depth knob makes in tweakable at the input. It is voiced differently than our GS+, as the former is based on the USA muff and ours is a hybrid Civil War/GGG-tuned muff w/ many other modifications, bells, and whistles.

You mentioned earlier that the SFT sounded similar in the video clips to your current muff. They are similar in the mid scoop and wooliness in their tone, but for the sound you're describing on getting, neither would be what you're looking for.

Our pedals have been active over 3 years, which I would hope puts us past the blind hype phase. Iron Ether's work not only is impressive internally, but sounds spectacular. Any hype that comes up on here regarding IE, ss/bs, Sanford and Sonny, etc is valid and sound. TB'ers just happen to be very happy and excitable when it comes to fun pedals!

chessrocks · #16 08-13-2011, 02:40 PM

I think of the big muffs as one-trick fuzz ponies, moreless. You might just want to try something with more versatility and teakability.

I'm seriously thinking MXR Blowtorch, here.

sunbeast · #17 08-13-2011, 03:34 PM

I can say from experience that the Iron Ether Oxide is more than just hype! It is not like a Muff, but that's a good thing to me- Muffs tend to sound great by themselves but their grittiness gets lost in a band mix (I had a Supercollider that was my favorite all around Muff, but it still had a tendency to get lost under the guitars). The Oxide is an octave-up fuzz that adds alot of midrange and harmonics to cut through the mix, and has a clean blend that can give you as much solid foundation as you could want underneath. It has a voicing switch that allows you to either get a mid boosted or mid scooped tone (the mid-scooped tone can sound very Muff-like), as well as a switch that allows the fuzz to affect only the high frequencies, retaining clean bottom end in conjunction with the clean blend. Clean blends never worked that well for me with Muffs, but with the Oxide it sounds pretty seamless. Also, the Oxide can be used for gated fuzz as well, which can add a whole new dimension of more synthy tones to your arsenal...

You should try to find another TB'er in your area with some of these pedals to try out!

rratajski · #18 08-13-2011, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chessrocks

I think of the big muffs as one-trick fuzz ponies, moreless. You might just want to try something with more versatility and teakability.

There are many tweakable muffs out there, but you have to go with something non-ehx to achieve this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunbeast

I can say from experience that the Iron Ether Oxide is more than just hype! It is not like a Muff, but that's a good thing to me- Muffs tend to sound great by themselves but their grittiness gets lost in a band mix (I had a Supercollider that was my favorite all around Muff, but it still had a tendency to get lost under the guitars). The Oxide is an octave-up fuzz that adds alot of midrange and harmonics to cut through the mix, and has a clean blend that can give you as much solid foundation as you could want underneath. It has a voicing switch that allows you to either get a mid boosted or mid scooped tone (the mid-scooped tone can sound very Muff-like), as well as a switch that allows the fuzz to affect only the high frequencies, retaining clean bottom end in conjunction with the clean blend. Clean blends never worked that well for me with Muffs, but with the Oxide it sounds pretty seamless. Also, the Oxide can be used for gated fuzz as well, which can add a whole new dimension of more synthy tones to your arsenal...

You should try to find another TB'er in your area with some of these pedals to try out!

As long as you bump the mids and tone on a muff, you shouldn't be lost in the mix!

sunbeast · #19 08-14-2011, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rratajski

As long as you bump the mids and tone on a muff, you shouldn't be lost in the mix!

I did boost the mids and tone on my Supercollider, but the highly compressed nature of the tone tended to hide it under the guitars- if it is too smooth, then you lose the punch of the notes, regardless of how much midrange is dialed in. The Oxide doesn't do this if you dial up the clean blend. I also have had some good luck with a J Everman FuzzDrive for this purpose, as it has much less gain and a more overdrive-like character than any other fuzz I've tried and so retains dynamics well.

P-oddz · #20 08-16-2011, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

I would suggest the Fender Sublime.. It fits the bill and is VERY tweakable, even on the fly with your foot, and almost all the sounds are usable and good!.. does a good OD, a good saturation, a good murky fuzz, a good blazer, and everything in between.

Agreed. Very tweakable, great sound, and LOW COST. It's kind of ridiculously huge, but if you've got the room I would suggest giving it a trial.

Bassfuzz.com Presents: Fender Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz - YouTube

Or of course, eyballkid's review:
theiballkid's Channel - YouTube