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How important is Gating on a Fuzz to you?

Modern Growl

Modern Growl

Jun 7, 2005
3,334
150
NY/NJ Metro Area
#1
I'm trying to decide on a gated fuzz or not. I can get the Brown Dog for about $250 - or I could go with the MXR Bass Fuzz Deluxe for $100...

I heard the samples of the Gating effect on the Brown Dog - and when used heavily - it makes notes sound like a cheesey video game from 1992 "Mario Brothers"...

So I don' think I'll be using it heavy - probably mid way... and a Fuzz would be my ONLY pedal as I'm not a big pedal guy. I don't need the Gating for noise reduction...

Should I save the cash and just get the MXR?
 
#2
It depends. I don't always like a gated sound. Sometimes I do though. Right now, I don't think I own any gated pedals though. So I guess my answer would be...it doesn't matter much to me.

The Brown Dog is awesome though. I haven't tried the Bass Fuzz yet.

Ever though about an Oxide or a gated Team Awesome Fuzz machine?
 
#3
^ Yeah I looked at both and don't care for them for various reasons. I've narrowed my choices down to the MXR Deluxe and Brown Dog.

Gating, in theory, sounds cool. It appeals to me for a "tight" sound, but... when I heard it in practice - it sounded way to digital & "video game" like.

Both have a Wet & Dry control - the MXR wins with the Tone, but the BD has the Gating...

I wish I could play em both and compare - but I have to make a decision based on examples and feedback from players. So far - based on the examples of extreme Gating, I don't care for it.

I wonder if the MXR has a gate "preset" on it, but at a neutral arena.... hmm.....
 
#4
As far as I know the MXR does not have a gate on it at all. And the Brown Dog's gate can be dialed way back just to avoid extra noise without getting into glitchy sounding fuzz.

For funk I like a gate and for synthy/electronica stuff I think it's essential.

For most other types of music a gate isn't essential or even important for me. And for something like Doom, I'd dial the gate all the way back on any pedal that had one.

Like most things (and especially effects) it depends on what you're playing and what sounds you want to get.
 
#5
Jared Lash said:
As far as I know the MXR does not have a gate on it at all. And the Brown Dog's gate can be dialed way back just to avoid extra noise without getting into glitchy sounding fuzz.

For funk I like a gate and for synthy/electronica stuff I think it's essential.

For most other types of music a gate isn't essential or even important for me. And for something like Doom, I'd dial the gate all the way back on any pedal that had one.

Like most things (and especially effects) it depends on what you're playing and what sounds you want to get.
Click to expand...

Right on... yeah, I don't do synthy or electronica stuff at all... my guess is I'd be better off with the Tone control on the MXR and save $$$
 
#6
I was in this same boat. I was looking at a brown dog just because it appears to have everything. It can be mild, or harsh, it has a gate etc... However i went with the TAFM about a week ago (it hasnt arrived yet) and feel its the best option (its germanium, and has a gate and does the mild and harsh stuff plus a bit more towards what i want)

It cant be bad getting MORE then what you want though. With the brown dog you might not want the gate but later on start using or realize that turning the gate up and blending in the clean adds something you like.

IMO it would be nice to have the gate up a bit on a fuzz to prevent that accidental string noise or something...
 
#9
The Oxide is an amazing fuzz. I wholeheartedly recommend it. And given your recent threads, I think it would fit your needs better than the Brown Dog.

Really versatile fuzz that can do gating but more importantly sounds great on practically every setting.
 
#10
^ Thanks for the input. I'll look more into it. Not crazy that there is a mid scoop or mid bump setting and no "flat"... but I'll look into further.

What I've noticed so far is that for almost all the demo's (MXR/BrownD/etc...) I like a more clean tone. I want just a bit of texture on top of my note, and not all out raging fuzz.

Any other thoughts based on that?
 
#15
Modern Growl said:
^ Thanks for the input. I'll look more into it. Not crazy that there is a mid scoop or mid bump setting and no "flat"... but I'll look into further.

What I've noticed so far is that for almost all the demo's (MXR/BrownD/etc...) I like a more clean tone. I want just a bit of texture on top of my note, and not all out raging fuzz.

Any other thoughts based on that?
Click to expand...

It sounds like a clean blend will be important for you. And even more so I'd steer you towards the Oxide.

That being said, there's no way to know if you'll like a fuzz based on internet opinions and sound clips - you have to play it with your bass and your rig and hear it with your ears.

My advice is to settle on something that looks like it will work for you and isn't cost prohibitive and buy it, especially from a place with a generous return policy like proguitarshop.com

Then play the heck out of it and decide if it's right for you. If not, return it and try something else.
 
#17
Jared Lash said:
It sounds like a clean blend will be important for you. And even more so I'd steer you towards the Oxide.

That being said, there's no way to know if you'll like a fuzz based on internet opinions and sound clips - you have to play it with your bass and your rig and hear it with your ears.

My advice is to settle on something that looks like it will work for you and isn't cost prohibitive and buy it, especially from a place with a generous return policy like proguitarshop.com

Then play the heck out of it and decide if it's right for you. If not, return it and try something else.
Click to expand...

Yes, clean knob is essential. Thats why I boiled it down to the MXR / BD.

From your knowledge, do you know any pedals that excell at a cleaner grit?
 
#18
I just got a MXR Bass Fuzz Deluxe yesterday and I think it sounds fantastic. With the clean blend it still cuts through. I also love the fact it is a true bypass and does not suck the tone when it's off. I also have a swollen Pickle but even messing with the internal settings I thought it got buried in the mix. As MXR claims, using the clean blend allows them to stay away from boosting the lows into the Fuzz. Consequently the fuzzy part does not have a "low mid emphasis" which is what gets you lost in the mix. I.e if you were to use the BFD with a 100% fuzz and 0% clean it would not be really bassy. The lows come from the clean bass sound.

To the OP: At a certain point you got to jump and make a decision - Trust your intuition!
 

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