Let's talk Fuzz

[Darkglass]

Hey! Would be cool to know which Fuzzes around are your favorites?

Regards!

Doug

[Mark Latimour]

Originally Posted by Darkglass

Hey! Would be cool to know which Fuzzes around are your favorites?

Regards!

Doug

My favourites:

Iron Ether Oxide - Super flexible, a swiss army knife of tone.

[sfx] Micro Fuzz - Does that super creamy fuzz so well and retains the low end beautifully. Its a sound the IE can't do and its my favourite "solo" fuzz tone.

FEA Labs Photon - Super flexible, but in a different way than the IE, its 3 band EQ, clean blend and octave up distortion give you an endless array of fuzz tones and its built wonderfully!

[alexa.]

A fuzz that's only in my head. A gnarly chunky dense sound, not so much fizzy.
More like füzzy.
Wouldn't know how to explain it any better.
Also, switchable diodes are the bomb! Everyone can find their tonal color that way.

Also, things I DON'T like about fuzzes. Might be even more helpful.

-the volume control changes the overall sound so you can't get a good sound at lower levels, unless you have an output volume
-mid scoop (but too much mids isn't a good thing either, for some people)
-too much high end content (my theoretical solution is a pre-effect LPF knob)
-too clean low end
-too mushy low end
-lost punch
-not enough "density"
-lack of note definition
-closed up sound
-doesn't work with actives (a bias trimpot?)

These are just a few things that I didn't like with fuzzez I tried before, and is my personal opinion and taste.
Hope it helps!

[Low Sound Love]

you've got to try as many as you can to find your own flavour, there's sooo much fuzz out there ...
my favorite is the Blackout Effectors Musket Fuzz, it's based on the classic Big Muff fuzz sound, but much more tweakable which makes it perfect for bass (it's the only fuzz pedal that I've ever played that doesn't get lost in a band mix with distortion guitars, it even adds to the presence)

[Darkglass]

Originally Posted by alexa.

A fuzz that's only in my head. A gnarly chunky dense sound, not so much fizzy.
More like füzzy.
Wouldn't know how to explain it any better.
Also, switchable diodes are the bomb! Everyone can find their tonal color that way.

Also, things I DON'T like about fuzzes. Might be even more helpful.

-the volume control changes the overall sound so you can't get a good sound at lower levels, unless you have an output volume
-mid scoop (but too much mids isn't a good thing either, for some people)
-too much high end content (my theoretical solution is a pre-effect LPF knob)
-too clean low end
-too mushy low end
-lost punch
-not enough "density"
-lack of note definition
-closed up sound
-doesn't work with actives (a bias trimpot?)

These are just a few things that I didn't like with fuzzez I tried before, and is my personal opinion and taste.
Hope it helps!

Hahaha thanks! i think I got what you meant... sounds like something similar to my view on how a Fuzz should be!

[Duke21]

What about Grombass? It is a great fuzz/ distortion pedal from Norway. It have 3 types of diodes, a 3 way filter, drive, tone and volume. One can nail most type of fuzz/ distortions with this pedal.

http://www.onkartgromt.no/index.php/products/grombass

[Deluge Of Sound]

Earthbound Audio Supercollider. Hands down my favorite fuzz of all time. It does the supersaturated wall of doom better than any other pedal I've ever tried, while still retaining a unique flavor. And it drives my OR120 very, very nicely.

Fuzzrocious Grey 'Stache. My most used fuzz. I bought it to replace the SC for everyday use (I'm paranoid about the SC getting lifted/broken). It'll do 98% of the SC tone [which is why I took the plunge], but I actually find the tone I usually coax from it to be quite different. Also drives my Orange in ways that make me wet.


So really, I'll just say the Big Muff circuit. For me, that family is like sex--even when it's not the best, it's still pretty good.

[eyeballkid]

Sanford and Sonny Bluebeard
Fender Sublime
Team Awesome Fuzz Machine
OxFuzz Bass Fuzz
Aguilar Agro.. but ONLY the rackmount version!
and our ideas of good fuzz sound very similar.

[NoiseNinja]

Woolly Mammoth and Ibanez FZ7 with damage on 100%.

[sillyfabe]

I love fuzz and here is what I have.

Wooly mammoth clone: sounds just like I've a/b'd it with one and had a few people listen as well and they said it was dead on. It has synth written all over it. Also isn't bothered by a Boss OC-2 running into it.

EHX Russian Big Muff ( modded by Guttermouth with a voltage control and a gate). This beast can do the classic Russian tone, voltage starved madness and gated wall of doom stuff. Also has bigger caps for a better bass response.

Way Huge Swollen Pickle: This muff derivative is my go to for just either angry fuzz or a rumbly "shake the world" fuzz sound. Has a miss control for flat to scooped and a crunch control for compression.

Fender Sub-Lime Bass Fuzz: this big beast is good for either fattening up anything or for a nice vintage feel of a fuzz. Can do mean mr mustard pretty damn well.

Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz: this is based on the univox super fuzz and can also do a grunge fuzz well. Run. The wooly mammoth into this and things get intense. Has 2 fuzz modes (a grunge/garage sound) and ( a trebly fizzy sound). Also has a 25db clean boost.

[Eric!]

Hands down, the smallsound/bigsound year4545 is my absolute favorite fuzz and any other kind of effect pedal out there. It's got a huge array of tones that really cut through and have balls behind it. Sometimes I like to pair it with an overdrive to give it a bit more presence, but with the new clean volume knob, it can be fine on its own. The textures make sense, but always surprise me. I've been meaning to do a comprehensive demo on it, maybe in a week or two once school's out for the semester. It's a filtered fuzz without being like a cocked wah, stuck on a frequency. It turns heads, but I find so many uses in it.

As far as other fuzzes, it's really essential for bassists to actually not get lost in a mix. I play in a trio (guitar, bass, drums, no vocals or anything), and even there, I've had quite a few just fall victim to the washy wall of sound. Clean blend is an easy way out of retaining low end, but then all your high-end fizzles disappear sometimes too!

The best luck I've had is fuzzes that sound overdrivey too (case in point, Muff derivatives). They retain your character and attack (if done right, like the Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie B). Multi-band EQs are also nice, but I prefer fuzzes that don't need knobs for tone, but rather are just open and full-frequency. Tone knobs are nice, but I tend to find one notch and leave it. Interesting potentials to be had in revamping the traditional tone knob (simple low-pass filters just don't 'cut' it anymore, if you want to be revolutionary).

A strong pronounced fizz/character is essential, and really IS the personality of the fuzz. I don't know where I was going with that thought.

I like fuzzes that are active-friendly. And it has to stack well with other pedals (before and after), or I usually don't keep it.

Fuzzes that clean up (dynamic response based on volume) have always treated me better. Well, they don't HAVE to clean up, but if it affects the character, more power to that! (Example: year4545 has a texture knob, which basically is input gain, but it's an interesting sweep from open and like punk-rock ish to full and sometimes a bit compressed).

If I had to design a new fuzz? Well, it wouldn't have tone knobs nor a clean blend, as it wouldn't need them. It's be dynamic, and original. Though, even full-frequency pedals can get buried, so it has to stand out, somehow. We've heard Muffs, we've heard Tonebenders and Fuzz Faces and Octavias and Assmasters. I don't know where there IS to go for development, but I'm all for innovation.

Or, play with oscillators. They're loads of fun.

All statements are based on personal experience and speak to my specific wants and needs.

[Jared Lash]

Hey Douglas,

Sounds like you're looking to develop a Darkglass bass fuzz. Given the great sound and construction of the B3K I think that's a great idea.

One thing that is clear is that no fuzz is the end all, be all for anyone. I think the two routes to go are to do a fuzz that is incredibly versatile with a bunch of knobs or one that does one or two things really well. Both routes have their advantages and drawbacks.

The only pieces of advice I'd give are these:

• Make it compatible with active basses. It's an easy addition to the circuit and opens the appeal up to a wider group of bassists. Os from Music Electronix/Ziebek did this with all his fuzzes using a transformer based on Jack Orman's ideas.
  
• Don't base it on the Muff circuit. I really dig Big Muff Pi variants but there are already a ton of very good ones that can be used on bass.

And while versatility is always a good thing, I think you'd benefit from an idea of what kind of tone/music the fuzz would be best suited for. Do you want it to sound synthy? Big and doomy? Vintage? And so on. While I think Iron Ether did a fantastic job of combining functionality and range of tone with the Oxide I'm always wary of fuzz pedals that claim to do everything. Personally I'd rather have one that does one or two things really well.

Just my two cents.

[alexa.]

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

Personally I'd rather have one that does one or two things really well.

Agreed!!

[mpdd]

been using my head for fuzz, mesa d180, used to use blue tube 903 and or wmd bass mod geiger counter

[Swimming Bird]

Copilot FX Orbit -- great straight-up gated fuzz, punchy as heck, can get octave divider and laser sounds. Best of all can sound like a TB 303.

DOD FX92 Bass Grunge -- very versatile with clean blend, low end distortion and high end distortion controls. Can mimic a muff in the right settings, but can do grind and as well as subtle tones.

[Mark Olson]

Simplicity is what I like. Volume/Fuzz/Tone or just Volume/Fuzz.

A problem with a lot of fuzzes is they get very dark towards the lower range of the fuzz knob. This would be good to remedy!

One thing I don't like about a lot of fuzzes is they have just too much saturation on tap. Less saturation when combined with a heavy voicing does the trick of a much more saturated fuzz, to me anyways. This allows you to keep more clarity. Too much harmonic content muddies things up, in my opinion.

Another thing is, especially with fuzzes with a big muff tone stack or similar, is you can't always get the desired brightness without the tone becoming fizzy. Personally, and I think I can say some would agree with me, I'd much rather have a creamy tone than anything that gets fizzy/splatty.

I'm currently using (and loving) just an MXR El Grande Bass Fuzz. I use it for this sound:

SoundClick artist: Psychedelic Bass Jams - page with MP3 music downloads

The problems I have with this pedal are that I have to keep the fuzz knob dialed very low to avoid having too much saturation, which darkens the tone, making it hard to get the desired brightness. The tone knob also gets fizzy, as I mentioned, when turned up, also making it difficult to get brightness that sounds good.

However a darker voicing is not a bad thing. Too much brightness just sounds cheesy, and robs some of the qualities that make the tone distinctly a bass. As fun as it is to get a big, bright saturated sound, at least in my experience fuzz is more useful in a band setting when you can still fill the bass role, while adding more power and guts to the sound of the band.

[Mark Olson]

I should also note, it's important to find the right balance between compression and openness with a fuzz. On bass, a lot of times players will be kicking on a fuzz to fill out the mix more when the band needs to get heavy, like on choruses and such. A good deal of fuzz compression is desireable as it makes your signal overall feel louder, bigger, and more consistent, which really fills out the sound of a band. Too much compression however and you lose some of the rawness and dynamics; a good fuzz can be played very much like an amp with picking dynamics and volume knob rolloff.

[behndy]

pretty much everything Erukus said is true for me too.

i love my SS/BS Year4545, the Iron Ether Oxide is just a crazy versatile box that is great for more synthy restrained fuzz, and the Pickle Pie B is just a Still Sounds Like My Bass, Cuts Through Anything beast.

with those three i can get pretty much anything i want fuzz tone wise.

and yeah...... sometimes something that focuses on doing one or two sounds really, REALLY well is a better idea. i love how many tones come out of the Oxide, but i also love the three knobs and a blend on the Pickle Pie B and knowing that i can adjust to a room in 5 seconds.

[My name is Mudd]

Another vote for active-friendly fuzz! PLEASE!!!

Right now, my fave has to be my '79 NYC Muff, which has been bass-modded, but I'm waiting on a Grey 'Stache to arrive and my opinion may change once it's here; behndy was kind enough to loan me his TAFM awhile back, and I still think I may get one of those; and finally, Devi's Hyperion is a lot of fun to mess around with. I'd also really like to see what an IE Oxide is like.

[fatherjohncough]

Smallsound/Bigsound Team Awesome Fuzz Machine.