Im not normally an effects guy. Ive always loved distorted/fuzzed/overdriven bass and thanks to an early affinity for Metallica, I love a good wah thrown in there, too. I dont play out and I havent been in a band in recent memory that welcomed either, so keep that in mind.
I purchased the 3XFX V1 Buzz Bomb several months back after wanting something loud and obnoxious and bouncing between the Fatman and this. I did look at other pedals, but the photo-sensor on the 3XFX pretty much sold me as a possible alternative to the wah pedal I saw myself buying in the near future.
The ordering process was directly with the builder and painless. Although it appears his site has since changed, I had the opportunity to choose from about 5 different fabric coverings. I went with the black pleather. The pedal arrived in the allotted timeframe and appeared to be well constructed but Im not sure I could identify a poorly built pedal unless it was falling apart in my hands. Although Im not a fan of the fabric covering or the folded and glued corners, I had the opportunity to go with bare metal and passed, so this is on me. His newer stuff appears to be painted now.
For those of you not familiar, the Buzz Bomb is a fairly over-the-top fuzz pedal. In addition to the regular fuzz it offers, you can add a stutter effect to the fuzz for a different sound. The Buzz Bombs control layout isnt overly complicated, but Im a moron so it took a little while to get straight with the knobs and switches. The three knobs are as follows: Gain, Frequency (of the stutter effect) and Volume. The switches are 1: effect knob/photocell 2: normal fuzz/effected fuzz and 3: bass cut. Switch number 3 is both stupid and dead to me. The photocell rounds out the usual controls. It should be noted that when I told the maker that I would be using this with bass, he mentioned that the stuttered fuzz setting loses a bit of lowend. For $15, I had him add a blend knob.
The frequency that is stuttered can be controlled by either the middle knob (which sets it to a particular frequency, depending on the position) or the photocell. The photocell changes the affected frequency based on how much light it sees. With your foot (or hand) fully covering it, the effect is virtually unnoticeable. As you pull your foot away, the predominant frequency goes higher, working much the opposite as a wah pedal with a similar sound. The pedal travel, or relative distance of your foot from the photocell before you reach maximum annoyance is usually quite small. I say usually because the character and responsiveness of the photocell is variable, depending on the light source and intensity.
Sound. Im not good at describing sound. I was hoping this review would survive on the merits of my grammer. The manufacturer notes that this pedal will work with both active and passive basses, and Ive found hes right. In fact there is virtually no change in sound from one to the other. I also dont find a huge difference when Im adjusting my basse(es). When its on, its on and you know it. As to the sound .Well, its a fuzz pedal. I find the youtube videos fairly representative of its sound. To my ears, the normal setting sounds similar to a Big Muff, only more, but I havent owned one in over a year and I drank a lot in the interim. Ive not played another pedal that sounds life the effected fuzz, but I again refer you to the video(s). In either setting, I find the gain knob not very useful. It seems that the last ¼ turn is where it needs to be and beyond that it gates (if thats the right word) where you have to really dig in to get the fuzz to engage, and it does so very abruptly. This characteristic might be useful for some. The volume knob should be approached very cautiously. Ive found the blend knob I had added to be very useful and would recommend it to anyone considering this pedal.
Despite the number of available controls, I dont find it the most versatile pedal. This isnt so much of an issue for me as I didnt expect a jack-of-all-trades fuzz. I think Tech 21 has that covered.....and in spite how this review might read, I really like the pedal and would definitely buy from 3XFX again
Mike
I purchased the 3XFX V1 Buzz Bomb several months back after wanting something loud and obnoxious and bouncing between the Fatman and this. I did look at other pedals, but the photo-sensor on the 3XFX pretty much sold me as a possible alternative to the wah pedal I saw myself buying in the near future.
The ordering process was directly with the builder and painless. Although it appears his site has since changed, I had the opportunity to choose from about 5 different fabric coverings. I went with the black pleather. The pedal arrived in the allotted timeframe and appeared to be well constructed but Im not sure I could identify a poorly built pedal unless it was falling apart in my hands. Although Im not a fan of the fabric covering or the folded and glued corners, I had the opportunity to go with bare metal and passed, so this is on me. His newer stuff appears to be painted now.
For those of you not familiar, the Buzz Bomb is a fairly over-the-top fuzz pedal. In addition to the regular fuzz it offers, you can add a stutter effect to the fuzz for a different sound. The Buzz Bombs control layout isnt overly complicated, but Im a moron so it took a little while to get straight with the knobs and switches. The three knobs are as follows: Gain, Frequency (of the stutter effect) and Volume. The switches are 1: effect knob/photocell 2: normal fuzz/effected fuzz and 3: bass cut. Switch number 3 is both stupid and dead to me. The photocell rounds out the usual controls. It should be noted that when I told the maker that I would be using this with bass, he mentioned that the stuttered fuzz setting loses a bit of lowend. For $15, I had him add a blend knob.
The frequency that is stuttered can be controlled by either the middle knob (which sets it to a particular frequency, depending on the position) or the photocell. The photocell changes the affected frequency based on how much light it sees. With your foot (or hand) fully covering it, the effect is virtually unnoticeable. As you pull your foot away, the predominant frequency goes higher, working much the opposite as a wah pedal with a similar sound. The pedal travel, or relative distance of your foot from the photocell before you reach maximum annoyance is usually quite small. I say usually because the character and responsiveness of the photocell is variable, depending on the light source and intensity.
Sound. Im not good at describing sound. I was hoping this review would survive on the merits of my grammer. The manufacturer notes that this pedal will work with both active and passive basses, and Ive found hes right. In fact there is virtually no change in sound from one to the other. I also dont find a huge difference when Im adjusting my basse(es). When its on, its on and you know it. As to the sound .Well, its a fuzz pedal. I find the youtube videos fairly representative of its sound. To my ears, the normal setting sounds similar to a Big Muff, only more, but I havent owned one in over a year and I drank a lot in the interim. Ive not played another pedal that sounds life the effected fuzz, but I again refer you to the video(s). In either setting, I find the gain knob not very useful. It seems that the last ¼ turn is where it needs to be and beyond that it gates (if thats the right word) where you have to really dig in to get the fuzz to engage, and it does so very abruptly. This characteristic might be useful for some. The volume knob should be approached very cautiously. Ive found the blend knob I had added to be very useful and would recommend it to anyone considering this pedal.
Despite the number of available controls, I dont find it the most versatile pedal. This isnt so much of an issue for me as I didnt expect a jack-of-all-trades fuzz. I think Tech 21 has that covered.....and in spite how this review might read, I really like the pedal and would definitely buy from 3XFX again
Mike
