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Flipping: What to get?

SplinteredSkull

SplinteredSkull

Guest
Jul 20, 2013
937
487
Roanoke, VA
#1
I just sold my Fireburst fuzz and I'm in the market for something to replace it. I kind of want an aggressive, chunky fuzz or a dimed rat style distortion to use as a fuzz.

At the top of my list is the KMA Minos fuzz. It's supposed to be a tonebender and superfuzz mixed together which sounds kind of appealing. Also on my GAS list for this area:

- Devi Ever Hyperion
- Old Blood Noise Haunt Fuzz
- Death by Audio Apocalypse
- Fuzzrocious Rat Tail
- Idiotbox Static Fuzz
- Idiotbox Dungeon Master
- Black Arts Destroyer
- Abominable Electronics Don't Shred on Me
- Volt Thrower
- Dizzy Tone

I'd like to hear all thoughts on these first as I know they're things I'm interested in. If you have a suggestion for something else I might be interested in, just know that I'm not a fan of muffs ;)
 
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#2
The IdiotBox Blower Box gets pretty fuzzy when the gain is cranked, so that may be worth a look into - probably more so than the Rat Tail (although that is an amazing pedal). You can't go wrong with either, but the BB sounds fuzzier to me.

The new MXR M85 rat-type distortion pedal may be worth a look, too, although I haven't had the pleasure of owning one (yet).
 
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#4
I am partial to Idiotbox, and own the Static Fuzz, the Cool Bass Fuzz, DeathRay and the Blower Box. In my opinion, if you go Idiotbox, you should get the Blower Box first. While all three are extremely great pedals, and while all three work really well together, the BB is the best all around for what you want. The SF may be a little bumped in the mids and overall the SF is a very "wet" and "saturated" pedal, while the BB remains "dry." I know those aren't the best descriptive terms, but it's the only way I can describe them.

IMHO, Idiotbox is making the best dirt pedals for bass out there. Why? Because they allow the full bass content of your signal to pass thru and thus, there is little to no low-end loss associated with them. i absolutely love all my Idiotbox dirt pedals.
 
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#5
Hank Scorpio said:
The IdiotBox Blower Box gets pretty fuzzy when the gain is cranked, so that may be worth a look into - probably more so than the Rat Tail (although that is an amazing pedal). You can't go wrong with either, but the BB sounds fuzzier to me.

The new MXR M85 rat-type distortion pedal may be worth a look, too, although I haven't had the pleasure of owning one (yet).
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I actually have the BB and love it (hence wanting another by them). And I have definite plans to get the MXR distortion when it comes out, but I'd use that as a distortion.
 
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#6
MGR said:
I am partial to Idiotbox, and own the Static Fuzz, the Cool Bass Fuzz, DeathRay and the Blower Box. In my opinion, if you go Idiotbox, you should get the Blower Box first. While all three are extremely great pedals, and while all three work really well together, the BB is the best all around for what you want. The SF may be a little bumped in the mids and overall the SF is a very "wet" and "saturated" pedal, while the BB remains "dry." I know those aren't the best descriptive terms, but it's the only way I can describe them.

IMHO, Idiotbox is making the best dirt pedals for bass out there. Why? Because they allow the full bass content of your signal to pass thru and thus, there is little to no low-end loss associated with them. i absolutely love all my Idiotbox dirt pedals.
Click to expand...

I actually run a lot of mids in my signal, so that could work out. Can the SF get thick and chunky? I'm just afraid of it being more "fizzy" or having the fuzz kind of sitting on top. (I do already own the BB)
 
#7
SplinteredSkull said:
I actually run a lot of mids in my signal, so that could work out. Can the SF get thick and chunky? I'm just afraid of it being more "fizzy" or having the fuzz kind of sitting on top. (I do already own the BB)
Click to expand...

The SF sounds very fizzy to me in all the demos that I have heard. And, it has gotten mixed reviews from people who have gotten them on here.

Disclosure: I love IdiotBox stuff and the only reason the BB is no longer on my board is because of my custom SFX distortion.
 
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#10
nshuman said:
The SF sounds very fizzy to me in all the demos that I have heard. And, it has gotten mixed reviews from people who have gotten them on here.

Disclosure: I love IdiotBox stuff and the only reason the BB is no longer on my board is because of my custom SFX distortion.
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Well, words like fizzy are kinda hard to work with because my fizzy might not be your fizzy, but having said that, there is nothing fizzy about the SF. In fact, it is about as thick and chunky an overdrive as I've ever experienced on bass and I have nothing but positive things to say about it. it sounds particularly good when it is tamed a bit by the Cool bass fuzz, and it does a great job taming the Deathray. I don't know if Matt meant it when he designed these pedals, but they all compliment eachother very well.
 
#11
MGR said:
Well, words like fizzy are kinda hard to work with because my fizzy might not be your fizzy, but having said that, there is nothing fizzy about the SF. In fact, it is about as thick and chunky an overdrive as I've ever experienced on bass and I have nothing but positive things to say about it. it sounds particularly good when it is tamed a bit by the Cool bass fuzz, and it does a great job taming the Deathray. I don't know if Matt meant it when he designed these pedals, but they all compliment eachother very well.
Click to expand...

I guess, to me, thick and creamy is more what you'd get from a Muff that can do low end, like a swollen pickle (that would be the extreme) or a coloursound bass fuzz, sgfx imperial, civil war, good green russian.

The Static Fuzz does not sound like it is stuttery fizzy like a fizzier Fuzz face but still fuzzy. I mean, you can't argue that the decay seems sputtery and fizzy on the SF. I'm not saying it's a bad pedal, it's just fizzy to me.
 
#12
nshuman said:
I guess, to me, thick and creamy is more what you'd get from a Muff that can do low end, like a swollen pickle (that would be the extreme) or a coloursound bass fuzz, sgfx imperial, civil war, good green russian.

The Static Fuzz does not sound like it is stuttery fizzy like a fizzier Fuzz face but still fuzzy. I mean, you can't argue that the decay seems sputtery and fizzy on the SF. I'm not saying it's a bad pedal, it's just fizzy to me.
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Ok, we'll agree to disagree. I play the SF every day for an hour or two and have never heard a fizzy/sputtery decay, but if you heard it on a video, I can't discount your opinion, although I have never experienced it.

Now, if you you wanna hear sputtery/fizzy, check out the Deathray. That is my idea of fizzy and sputtery.
 
#15
Dimed Rat? MXR Bass Distortion kills for the Rat thing. It's a simplified Rat Tail with the most important features of the Rat Tail...blend and switchable LED/silicon mode. Will do anything from Motown-y grind to insane fuzz and sound like a Rat doing it.
 
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#16
I feel like I'm going to end up with 8 rats at this point haha. I already want to get the Iron Pig to run as my main distortion. I just really want to love fuzz but I'm having trouble finding one I truly dig. Rats dimed to fuzz have always appealed (but I just love rats). The Minos is one of the most promising ones I've seen so far
 
#17
SplinteredSkull said:
I feel like I'm going to end up with 8 rats at this point haha. I already want to get the Iron Pig to run as my main distortion. I just really want to love fuzz but I'm having trouble finding one I truly dig. Rats dimed to fuzz have always appealed (but I just love rats). The Minos is one of the most promising ones I've seen so far
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It is a risk. I started off just with the RatKing, flipped that, ended up with the BB, SFX 42, now the dunwich one knob OpAmp distortion ordered, hoping to order the Volt Thrower soon. From 1 RAT to 4 RATS :)
 
#18
nshuman said:
It is a risk. I started off just with the RatKing, flipped that, ended up with the BB, SFX 42, now the dunwich one knob OpAmp distortion ordered, hoping to order the Volt Thrower soon. From 1 RAT to 4 RATS :)
Click to expand...

I mean I guess it's okay if we dig the sound.. I just don't want everything to sound similar you know? I'd use them in different ways, but still. I have the BB, and want the Iron Pig, Rat Tail, Volt Thrower, MXR M85, Don't Shred on Me, and maybe the Soothsayer and TK-421 (That's a lot of rats!!!).
 
#19
Aggressive chunky fuzz, I think the BAT Destroyer can get there, but if you wanted more options the Pharaoh or LSTR is a good bet, I have the Pharaoh Supreme and think its the ultimate fuzz.

Im really intrigued by the DBA Apocalypse too, so many different fuzz options on that, if you get that one, please make some clips.
 

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