Need some Fuzz guidance

JonPol · #1 09-01-2010, 09:08 PM

Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new fuzz pedal and I'm looking for some contenders to try out. I'm looking for something more on the warm/"vintage" side that is capable of chilling out when the gain is reduced and can cut through a mix in the $100-$150 (that's including used prices). Also, the less knobs the better! Now I've owned a bluebeard before and I liked the sound, but it was too much at even the lowest gain setting for me. Also wasn't a fan of any devi ever stuff. I've been trying to listen to different fuzz sounds and I like the russian big muff but am looking for a similar sound in a smaller enclosure that I can power, some of the fuzz I have on my list to check out are the catalinbread merkin and the swollen pickle. Any other helpful recommendations? Maybe some russian muff clones?

fitz420 · #2 09-01-2010, 09:23 PM

stomp under foot makes quality straight clones of various era's of muffs including the russian ones. the blackout effectors musket is based on a green russian with three more knobs to further tweak.....i've tried many muff based fuzz pedals and the musket is by far my favorite. the V1 musket with mids knob cranked has flat mid response and cuts nicely, the v2 goes beyond flat into mid boost territory, which really helps cut through a live mix. i purchased a used v1 for $100 on TGP. i also don't care much for devi's stuff either. another readily available one to try is the mojo hand huckleberry v2. its based off of a fuzz face and has an external bias knob which if turned down goes into almost OD territory. it plays nicely with bass, and i used one extensively in a live mix. i've owned all of the above. others have praised the earthbound effects supercollider, the earthquaker devices hoof and some around here lately people are really digging the smallsound/bigsound team awesome fuzz and the fuzzrocious grey stache (Big GAS for this one on my end). i have no experience with the last few.

vegas532 · #3 09-01-2010, 09:42 PM

Both the Fuzzrocious and Stomp Under Foot is quality stuff and, if you can find one, the Sonic VI Champion Fuzz is a great contender for great warm vintage fuzz tone. The Champion is more on the Tonebender side of things (I actually liked it more than a Tonebender myself) and is great on a bass.

gjbassist · #4 09-01-2010, 09:56 PM

Check out the Fender Sublime Fuzz.

Mudfuzz · #5 09-01-2010, 10:17 PM

I'm going to plug the Fuzzhugger Great wall.....

right about....

here!

You can turn it way down a get some nice tones, it isn't mid scooped like muffs, has a chewy feel to the way it clips, and can roar when cranked. It falls more in the "vintage/warm" category inless you crank the thing.

Laurent · #6 09-01-2010, 10:18 PM

I would start with an EH Bass Muff PI, it's easy to find, easy to resell and a good starting point. For more articulation and perhaps wilder fuzz the Swollen Pickle is really nice. I own both.

A left field suggestion rarely mentioned for fuzz is the EH Bass MicroSynth. Expensive but wild and mind expanding! Can be highly tweaked. NOT plug and play however.

xoloder · #7 09-01-2010, 10:41 PM

i don't know if anyone here has any experience with TH audio pedals. this thing looks interesting and i like the samples of the high AND low gain settings. i am considering ordering one soon. it seems a more usable fuzz pedal for my tastes. plus, i like the name.

http://www.thaudio.com/product_info....products_id=30

fitz420 · #8 09-02-2010, 07:24 AM

forgot to mention, if you are into the swollen pickle, to check out the wren and cuff pickle pie b. it has a built in clean blend and is a bass optimized version of the original swollen pickle.

busta_bird · #9 09-02-2010, 07:30 AM

I have some clips of the Fuzzrocious Grey 'Stache but my recorder was wigging out. A few posts down is a good comparison of the 'Stache and Supercollider.

Fuzzrocious Grey 'Stache

NKUSigEp · #10 09-02-2010, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonPol

...Now I've owned a bluebeard before and I liked the sound, but it was too much at even the lowest gain setting for me.

We are talking about fuzz pedals right? That's what they do, give you lots of gain, even at the lowest settings. There's just no getting around it. Maybe try an overdrive if you just want a little crunch?

fitz420 · #11 09-02-2010, 09:22 AM

some fuzz pedals do clean up nicely. the bluebeard is not one of them. the russian muffs tend to clean up better.

Swimming Bird · #12 09-02-2010, 01:03 PM

If you're serious about cleaning up and cutting through the mix, I'd avoid pretty much every muff variant or muff clone -- mid scoops = getting lost in the mix. (Aside from some of the mentioned boutique muff clones that can bring the mids back and clean up better

)

I suggest you try out a Dwarfcraft Devices Eau Claire Thunder. Cleans up, has plenty of mids and low end. If you wanna get crazy it can do that. No personal experience, but the builder's video demo covers all those points nicely.

fitz420 · #13 09-02-2010, 02:18 PM

i pointed out the musket v2 cause of the mid boost. i hate the mid scoop too. i actually had an old russian modded with a mid boost knob. definately a necessity in my opinion.

JonPol · #14 09-02-2010, 10:42 PM

A lot of great and helpful replies! I've looked into all of the options recommended and fitz420 you hit the nail on the head with the huck and musket my friend. I've watched some online clips and can't really make up my mind on which one to take the plunge with.

What are some of the things you like and don't like about each of them?

One Bad Monkey · #15 09-03-2010, 04:37 AM

I'll throw another in the ring: Take Flight Pedals Goose. I'm demo'ing it right now, and plan on making a vid of it this weekend.

The things I like are that it's one of the few fuzzes that has retained the low end clarity really well; I was playing low Cs with this thing at rehearsal last night with ease. It does tend to get a little muddy in that midrange area, but it's got a blend knob to let you dial in some clean tone to fix it. Personally, I run it at 50/50, but you can go full out with no sweat.

However, it does have a lot more knobs that you requested (I count 5 and a rotary switch).

JonPol · #16 09-03-2010, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by One Bad Monkey

I'll throw another in the ring: Take Flight Pedals Goose. I'm demo'ing it right now, and plan on making a vid of it this weekend.

The things I like are that it's one of the few fuzzes that has retained the low end clarity really well; I was playing low Cs with this thing at rehearsal last night with ease. It does tend to get a little muddy in that midrange area, but it's got a blend knob to let you dial in some clean tone to fix it. Personally, I run it at 50/50, but you can go full out with no sweat.

However, it does have a lot more knobs that you requested (I count 5 and a rotary switch).

I don't mind knobs, I just wanted to sheer people away from recommending fuzzes with 3band EQs or way to many features. After watching some vids The Goose is definitely a heavy contender for me now, thanks for passing the word along!

but I have to ask, how useful do you find the octave up and osc. features to be?

sillyfabe · #17 09-03-2010, 09:59 AM

a way huge swollen pickle will do the trick nicely! also check out bassfuzz.com and there happens to be plenty of reviews on LOTS of fuzz-boxes!

fitz420 · #18 09-03-2010, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonPol

A lot of great and helpful replies! I've looked into all of the options recommended and fitz420 you hit the nail on the head with the huck and musket my friend. I've watched some online clips and can't really make up my mind on which one to take the plunge with.

What are some of the things you like and don't like about each of them?

alright, i feel like the musket is more plug and play, despite the number of knobs. i don't like having too many knobs, but you probably wont be tempted to move the mids or focus once you find the positions you like. another thing is the knobs "stick" or hold their place fairly well. my pedalboard is in a flight case and travels all over the place with me, bouncing around in trailers and flying. it is the only pedal i've had where the knobs are tight enough to stick....(just another "don't be afraid of the 6 knobs thing"). lastly.....its a muff that can overcome the "eq smile" and shine in a mix.

the huck is awesome if you like fuzz faces. i have decided after trying many of them, and only having room for one fuzz, that my one fuzz must be a muff or muff derivative with mid control, hence my musket love. the huck is very organic and does the low gain fuzz thing very well. the external bias control offers some cool sounds, if i remember right...bias@9:00, fuzz@9:00, level high and eq to taste, was a nice tight OD sound. what i didnt like was that i always felt like i was tweaking the knobs too much. i was 90% happy, but that last 10% was the killer. lastly, if it had more mids, i might have kept it. it did suffer a bit in that department, and that is ALWAYS the deal breaker for me with fuzzes. maybe its just my band, but without having a mid heavy tone i'm gone in the mix.

both pedals are made by excellent builders who stand behind their products and answered my questions within hours after emailing them.

JonPol · #19 09-03-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillyfabe

a way huge swollen pickle will do the trick nicely! also check out bassfuzz.com and there happens to be plenty of reviews on LOTS of fuzz-boxes!

Bassfuzz is actually what got me thinking about getting a swollen pickle in the first place! Although his reviews helped me cut a lot of pedals out of the race, it hasn't really helped me narrow it down to the ONE I'm looking for. I really wish pedal companies would start doing bass demos as well as guitar.. I guess they don't want to take the little time to appeal to an even broader market, but at least we have bassfuzz

metalinthenight · #20 09-03-2010, 11:21 AM

+1 For the Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie B. May favorite fuzz right now. Great crunch and its really easy to dial in a sound quickly. I really like the clean blend too. It sounds mixed with the fuzz tone instead of "right next to it" or "on top of it." Just like he says in the demo video on his website.

I really liked the Musket too. Great vintage-y vibe to it if you want that sort of thing. With a twist of the mids knob it will be in your face in no time. I just happen to have a v.1 for sale in the classifieds....(shameless plug)