Gots my Fuzzrocious Dark Driving!!!

tigerbass · #1 11-15-2010, 03:06 PM

Just wanted to drop you all a line to give you a few quick thoughts on the new Fuzzrocious Dark Driving!

Ryan is just on such a roll it's insane! My Rat Tail is definately one of my top 2 favorite dist./fuzzes of all time! And now this...
I have never really had much luck with overdrives. I have tried SO MANY and never keep them. I was a tad leery I guess about this, but Ry assured me it kicks butt and lets just say he has certainly earned my trust.

This is supposedly the way a BlueBerry should sound in a perfect world, for lack of a better description. That is the one OD I have NOT tried, so this wound up being a no-brain decision for me.

Thank goodness for Rys' genius and my GAS!! haha! What a killer pedal this is! It is really hard to properly explain. So much darkness, but with such a beautifully gnarly break-up. You can control the amount high end break up with your tone control. Not muddy at all, and still holds a wonderful articulation.

Every od I try it's always the same old it needs this, not enough that, too much this, you gotta clean blend it, try it at 35.73216 volts blah blah blah. What a refreshingly wonderful kick in the pants this was!
I can't recall a pedal ever sounding this awesome the second I plugged it in. 1 volume knob. 2 internal trims that are set to maximum dark and grit. Thats it. Literally the perfect set and forget pedal. And don't let the darkness fool you...this sounds absolutely PHENOMENAL in a band mix. I was not for certain until last saturdays gig. Kicked her on and instantly was grinning ear to ear!

I have never had a pedal that sounds like this, and I'm not sure if I ever had one that could be tweaked so it did.

My hat is off to you Ry my friend...you outdid yourself again!!

Ooh, and running this with other fuzz/dist.

that is another whole new thread!!

dokazaado · #2 11-15-2010, 03:19 PM

I gotta get on the list for this. Pics?

tigerbass · #3 11-15-2010, 04:15 PM

Fuzzrocious Dark Driving

dokazaado · #4 11-15-2010, 04:16 PM

Cooooool. I have a tattoo of Saturn on the back of my neck. Raddest planet by far!

Bus_Mute · #5 11-15-2010, 04:57 PM

Glad to hear that you're digging the Dark Driving, Tigerbass. I got an email from Ry regarding #2 yesterday. Mine is built and awaiting paint when Shannon recovers fully, so I'm expecting it in early December.

All the exclamation points, capital letters, and emoticons in your post make me pretty stoked for the pedal, but could you provide a bit more info about what you're running and how you're using it?

Where is the DD in your signal chain? What sort of bass/amp are you running?

I know you said that running it with other fuzzes deserves its own thread, but why not post it here? Does it play well with other high gain pedals?

Do you feel that it's lacking due to the single knob? Wish there was more tweakability?

I'll be posting my own review when mine gets here, but I'd definitely like to hear more about what you think, bro!

-Joe

rratajski · #6 11-15-2010, 05:40 PM

Tigerbass/Alan is a killer dude! Thanks man!!! Great review!

Just a clarification...we're calling the pedal Dark Driving after the Cave In song. Stoners and psych rockers rejoice!

tigerbass · #7 11-15-2010, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bus_Mute

Glad to hear that you're digging the Dark Driving, Tigerbass. I got an email from Ry regarding #2 yesterday. Mine is built and awaiting paint when Shannon recovers fully, so I'm expecting it in early December.

All the exclamation points, capital letters, and emoticons in your post make me pretty stoked for the pedal, but could you provide a bit more info about what you're running and how you're using it?

Where is the DD in your signal chain? What sort of bass/amp are you running?

I know you said that running it with other fuzzes deserves its own thread, but why not post it here? Does it play well with other high gain pedals?

Do you feel that it's lacking due to the single knob? Wish there was more tweakability?

I'll be posting my own review when mine gets here, but I'd definitely like to hear more about what you think, bro!

-Joe

I am running passive basses with high-end passive pickups through a Sansamp RPM/GK 1001 RBII head with RBH 4x10 RBH 1x15 cabs. Live I tend to use a 4x12 cab.

I have the DD towards the front of my chain. Actually I run into my Xblender first and have an octave which changes between OC-3 or uPog, then my Fuzzrocious Rat Tail and then the DD in the loop. When I run the Rat Tail into the DD and mess with the RTs' knobs I can create some of most heavy butt kicking distortion I have ever heard! I can attenuate the frequencies however I want and it is absolutely monstrous! Honestly, it has to be heard to be believed. The DD sounds killer blended, but I honestly like it better full strength. Same with the Rat Tail actually!

So the answer so far is yes, it does play well with other hi-gain pedals. It sounds completely different in front than behind them though. So that is up to your own personal taste.

I don't feel it is lacking with just the single knob. There are 2 internal trims, but it sounds best with them basically just cranked. I feel on its own, it is good where it is. When mixed with other fuzz, it fattens, darkens and adds a crazy bite to them. Using the colour shaping knobs on them is all you need to tweak in the exact sound your looking for. So the single knob thing I feel is, while pretty darn bold, is pretty darn cool. You always know what your getting with that pedal, and it IS dark driving!

Sure it COULD be more tweakable, but Ry is obviously going for a whole vibe thing here, and I feel he's nailing it.
Everytime I turn it on I like it more. I love old stoner heavy type bass tones and this is the best I have ever used. Completely nails that old school vibe!! It makes you feel like your playing bass on some crazy old LP.

tigerbass · #8 11-15-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rratajski

Tigerbass/Alan is a killer dude! Thanks man!!! Great review!

Just a clarification...we're calling the pedal Dark Driving after the Cave In song. Stoners and psych rockers rejoice!

Oh yeah,

I changed the name!

hahaha!

Bus_Mute · #9 11-15-2010, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerbass

I am running passive basses with high-end passive pickups through a Sansamp RPM/GK 1001 RBII head with RBH 4x10 RBH 1x15 cabs. Live I tend to use a 4x12 cab.

I have the DD towards the front of my chain. Actually I run into my Xblender first and have an octave which changes between OC-3 or uPog, then my Fuzzrocious Rat Tail and then the DD in the loop. When I run the Rat Tail into the DD and mess with the RTs' knobs I can create some of most heavy butt kicking distortion I have ever heard! I can attenuate the frequencies however I want and it is absolutely monstrous! Honestly, it has to be heard to be believed. The DD sounds killer blended, but I honestly like it better full strength. Same with the Rat Tail actually!

So the answer so far is yes, it does play well with other hi-gain pedals. It sounds completely different in front than behind them though. So that is up to your own personal taste.

I don't feel it is lacking with just the single knob. There are 2 internal trims, but it sounds best with them basically just cranked. I feel on its own, it is good where it is. When mixed with other fuzz, it fattens, darkens and adds a crazy bite to them. Using the colour shaping knobs on them is all you need to tweak in the exact sound your looking for. So the single knob thing I feel is, while pretty darn bold, is pretty darn cool. You always know what your getting with that pedal, and it IS dark driving!

Sure it COULD be more tweakable, but Ry is obviously going for a whole vibe thing here, and I feel he's nailing it.
Everytime I turn it on I like it more. I love old stoner heavy type bass tones and this is the best I have ever used. Completely nails that old school vibe!! It makes you feel like your playing bass on some crazy old LP.

This is pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear.

It sounds ballsy. My GAS is getting worse.

Thanks, Alan!

Mark Olson · #10 11-15-2010, 09:59 PM

This interests me. I haven't used an OD pedal in quite some time, but a single external knob? That's what I like to see! Love to get my hands on one and record a few things with it.

reddi · #11 11-15-2010, 10:08 PM

I'm definitely interested in this pedal, i don't like the idea of the internal trimpots. It will be interesting to hear how this compares to the Mad Professor Blueberry.

Bus_Mute · #12 11-15-2010, 10:14 PM

Is the Mad Professor take on the Blueberry out yet? I read somewhere that the Mad Professor was a higher gain version of BJFE's BBBOD, so I'd think it'd be more comparable to the Dark Driving. I'm speaking prematurely, though, as I've tried neither. That'll change in a few weeks.

Deluge Of Sound · #13 11-15-2010, 10:21 PM

Ooooh, named after a Cave In song...

rratajski · #14 11-15-2010, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bus_Mute

Is the Mad Professor take on the Blueberry out yet? I read somewhere that the Mad Professor was a higher gain version of BJFE's BBBOD, so I'd think it'd be more comparable to the Dark Driving. I'm speaking prematurely, though, as I've tried neither. That'll change in a few weeks.

It's about the same gain as the BBBOD. Super low gain. A different internal opamp might yield different results though. We are using the same opamp as the BBBOD (LM301).

Yes, I did hear that the MP version will have more gain on tap!

Deluge Of Sound · #15 11-15-2010, 10:45 PM

How does it compare to that DOD 250 that you modded?

rratajski · #16 11-15-2010, 10:51 PM

I actually had a guy on the DIYStompboxes forum mod it for me, but the DD has less gain and a steeper treble roll off. The DD also sits in the mix WAY better than the DOD. I leave mine on 100% of the time.

Valerus · #17 11-15-2010, 10:57 PM

Oh it's a volume knob? Intriguing. I'd like to A/B it with my Phat Phuk B. The PPB's knob is more of an intensity knob, with volume just about at unity the entire way (well...as close as possible.)

Mark Olson · #18 11-15-2010, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerus

Oh it's a volume knob? Intriguing. I'd like to A/B it with my Phat Phuk B. The PPB's knob is more of an intensity knob, with volume just about at unity the entire way (well...as close as possible.)

Is that with an Orange Bass Terror? The Phat Phuk B does add a lot of volume boost with an uncompressed amp but if the preamp on the Bass Terror compresses anywhere near as much as on the Tiny Terror you're not going to notice much volume boost, just an increase in distortion from the tubes. That can be good or bad depending on what you want, but that level of preamp compression does help you get the cranked tube tone at more gig friendly volumes with a booster.

reddi · #19 11-16-2010, 12:16 AM

What's the price on the DD? Any chance the DDmkII will have all controls external? Ha ha

rratajski · #20 11-16-2010, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reddi

What's the price on the DD? Any chance the DDmkII will have all controls external? Ha ha

All of the info is on our myspace page (prices, video, etc.).
It's $150 shipped USPS Priority insured in the CONUS.

No, no externals on future models if we do another run. Sorry!