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Top 6 Dirt Pedals on 7/31/2009

grygrx

Lookout! Here comes the Fuzz!
Dec 24, 2003
4,529
238
Columbia, MO
I'm procrastinating, this seemed like a novel idea.

No particular order:
  • D*A*M Ram Head (muff)- Go-to recording fuzz.
  • Wounded Paw Battering Ram - Splintering, versatile, grab and go.
  • Sonic VI Champion Fuzz (B&M / Jumbo Tonebender Clone) - Lower Gain, Warm and Fat, muffish in flavor.
  • BJFE Blueberry Bass OD - Big Tube Drive Sound, Itty-Bitty Box.
  • Dredgetone Angler - Low but Nasal, cuts like a knife.
  • Robot Factory TLSF (superfuzz clone)- Side 1: Blows stuff up. Side 2: Slices to pieces.

If you've tried at least 7 dirt pedals... list your top 6 ;)
 
No particular order here either, although I haven't tried nearly as many dirt pedals as you have Grygrx. :p

The ones I own:
- Malekko Heavy Industry B:Assmaster Silicon - the "oh my god, did he blow a speaker" fuzz of doom
- Tech21 VT Bass (I assume that this will pass as a dirt pedal?) - high gain SVT cranked sound
- Polish Love - lower gain overdrive great for running into a wah
The ones I sold for various reasons:
- Chunk Systems Brown Dog - gated goodness, moved up to an Octavius Squeezer, then sold it because of how annoying it is to setup. Regret selling this one deeply.
- HBE Hematoma - dark sounding OD that had a very convenient boost. This was the first real OD I ever owned. Eventually, I might go back to one because I miss that dark OD sound I got from it.
- MXR Bass Blowtorch - versatile pedal that went from light OD to synthy fuzz. If it's the only pedal on the board, it's awesome and super handy. Otherwise it's got too much overlap with other effects.
 
Again, in no particular order:

Hjärt Müller Bass Drive - A tight, warm overdrive, probably my overall favorite.

Bogdan's Polish Love - A bit edgier than the Hjärt Müller, fun pedal. Aggressive boost.

HBE Hematoma - Dark, doom and gloom. Gotta have the purple knobs though. :)

MXR Blowtorch - Jack of all trades dirt pedal, master of none, but good all around.

Sanford & Sonny Bluebeard - I thought this one was overhyped until I tried one. Now it's a permanent fixture on my main board.

Bogdan's Tonebender clone - Fat, warm and full. I can't believe he didn't like this for bass.

And, honorable mention (dare I say it?) the Boss HM-2. For some reason I really like this little pedal.
 
in no particular order:

  • mojo hand huckleberry v2: a wicked sil/germ hybrid fuzz/distortion with awesome fuzz face-type swell/bubble/crack
  • bass big muff: still my go-to fuzz. fine-grained texture like a vintage wine. goes with everything
  • hbe hematoma: undoubtedly the doomiest tubescreamer knockoff around. wasted without a tube amo tho.
  • chunk brown dog: badass bassy fuzz that doesn't really need a tone control. best gated fuzz i've heard, hands down.
  • tech 21 XXL bass edition: dude! heavy, dynamic and dark with a bite like a rotweiler and a temper to match
  • hjart-Müller bass-drive: You can stop looking for a RAT now, OK? Why did I sell this again?

honorable mention: Malekko silicon B:Assmaster, preferably with sub-frequency mod
 
Top 6 (following the trend: in no particular order):

  • English Muff'n - Awesome in a box, but not worth the power reqs for me.
  • Swollen Pickle - Never owned a muff, but this thing can go from 0 bass to an overabundance. Very useful
  • Attack Goat - I've owned this twice. Unique. Nuff said.
  • XXL Bass - Awesome crunch, even at max gain/max tone. Using this after other dirt with gain min/tone max and messing with the warp knob yields some interesting results
  • Digitech Grunge - Can give some pretty stonerish tones. Cheap.
  • Prunes and Custard - Fat fuzz -> FIRE MAH LAZORZ in a box. Some nice synthy awesome, especially strange with the XXLB running after it
 
What exactly does the sub mod do? I've been wondering this for a while, and whether or not I want to do this to my B:Assmaster (If it indeed can be done).

it's subtle, but gives more low-end response.

[*]XXL Bass - Awesome crunch, even at max gain/max tone. Using this after other dirt with gain min/tone max and messing with the warp knob yields some interesting results

so much for the "dynamic" aspect of that one :p
 
I don't think I have tried 7. But my favorite ones are:

Electronix GeminiDrive
Malekko Heavy Industries B:ASSMASTER
Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie "B"
Copilot FX Orbit
Catalinabread Serrano Picoso

EDIT: I forgot one. Electronix Messdrive Hybrid+