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Sold Woolly Mammoth-Need Cheap Replacement Sound

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Etchbass

May 22, 2011
276
0
38
Great Lakes Freshwater Person
#1
So.... I sold my woolly mammoth in favor of a Wattson Classic Fuzz... which I love, but I find myself missing that really ripping, gated fuzz tone. It seems like most bass oriented fuzz pedals are just variations on a big muff, which isn't really what I'm looking for.

This is something I recorded right before I got rid of my woolly mammoth... to give you an idea of the sound that I'm really starting to miss:

http://theetchings.bandvista.com/rw_media/users/user_files/30839/The Etchings-Checkerboard Lies.mp3


Any suggestions for alternatives? or am i going to have to bite the bullet and get another mammoth?

thanks!
 
#3
Happynoj said:
You could try a Mastotron.
Click to expand...

That was my first thought. I'm going to try one ASAP and see if it's got what I need. Any other suggestions? I know that there are a TON of cheap and decent fuzz pedals out there. It's just really difficult wading through all of them and finding decent sound clips. The sound doesn't have to be exact, just in the ballpark... also... I'd rather not buy a clone of a pedal that zach vex, or anyone for that matter, is still producing and making a living on. Thank you all so much for your help!!!
 
#6
Happynoj said:
Iron Ether Oxide can get some pretty unusual sounds, but it might not be what you're after. FuzzHugger.com Effects Shop - FuzzHugger(fx) - Devi Ever - Mellowtone - Dwarfcraft - Seppuku fx - Smallsound/Bigsound - Fuzz Boutique Pedals has a bunch of different weird fuzzes, including quite a number of gated ones. I think Devi Ever has some (Legend of Fuzz?).
Click to expand...

I'm actually messing around with my guitarist's AB-Synth Fuzzhugger right now----its pretty frickin cool. Lots of bells and whistles. Not exactly what I'm looking for, but I want it on my board now, hahaha.
 
#9
Ok, my brother just pointed out that "this is America!," and feeling bad for playing a mammoth clone would be like feeling bad about drinking rc cola instead of coke, hahaha. Free market society, cheap alternatives and whatnot. Sooo... any suggestions on the best/cheapest woolly mammoth clone? Also taking other suggestions under consideration. So far I think the Iron Ether Oxide is a bit different, but could be a really cool substitude... a little pricey though. Thanks guys!
 
#13
Which Wattson classic? To get a sound like that I'd use my Wattson fy-6 which is in an Xotic blender, about 50/50. Actually, there's quite a few pedals BLENDED that sound like that. Fuzzhugger Velcroar and Subdecay (Flying) Tomato come to mind. None of these has enough bass response to be used outside a blender. For a more synthy sound I have a DE Ruiner in the blend too. Better try the Mastrotron before you buy it.
Best all around fuzz these days is TAFM. It has so many sounds that it could do that one. I'm not crazy about the Iron Ether, it makes a hissy chuffing sound at the attack (for me playing active basses) and it isn't as warm as a Mammoth. And it's too hot to boot.
 
#14
BassBrass said:
I'm not crazy about the Iron Ether, it makes a hissy chuffing sound at the attack (for me playing active basses) and it isn't as warm as a Mammoth. And it's too hot to boot.
Click to expand...

I just got an Iron Ether Oxide a few days ago, and playing through an active bass, I'm loving the tones but have to agree on its epic hotness. For the life of me I can't figure out how to calm it down to work alongside other tones in my chain. The disparity between clean and SUPERFUZZ might be a gamekiller if I can't figure out a better solution for leveling out volumes. However the Brassmaster sounds it pumps out are pure s3x.

Edit: Taylor Livingston, builder and inventor of Iron Ether pedals, just commented on another one of my threads on this very topic, providing a better explanation of the Fuzz vs. Clean vs. Drive controls... saying Fuzz controls the volume of fuzz, Drive controls amount of Fuzz, and Clean does what its supposed to. Definitely going to spend a couple weeks with this pedal before making judgement cuz the tone is $ $ $
 
#17
Etchbass said:
Ok, my brother just pointed out that "this is America!," and feeling bad for playing a mammoth clone would be like feeling bad about drinking rc cola instead of coke, hahaha. Free market society, cheap alternatives and whatnot. Sooo... any suggestions on the best/cheapest woolly mammoth clone? Also taking other suggestions under consideration. So far I think the Iron Ether Oxide is a bit different, but could be a really cool substitude... a little pricey though. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

BTW:

Someone was just talking about this last week....and I own a Zvex which as we all know costs a pile of cash...

Zvex did not design the circuit in the wooly mammoth. Added a tone circuit to an existing design that was public domain (and kickass) and made boatloads of cash money on it.

So don't feel bad about getting or building a clone, as you're not ripping anyone off.

CM
 
#18
Colonel Monk said:
BTW:

Someone was just talking about this last week....and I own a Zvex which as we all know costs a pile of cash...

Zvex did not design the circuit in the wooly mammoth. Added a tone circuit to an existing design that was public domain (and kickass) and made boatloads of cash money on it.

So don't feel bad about getting or building a clone, as you're not ripping anyone off.

CM
Click to expand...

well, it said on the bottom of the pedal that chuck zwicky designed it... i just assumed the two are close pals... whats the deal?
 
#19
Etchbass said:
That was my first thought. I'm going to try one ASAP and see if it's got what I need. Any other suggestions? I know that there are a TON of cheap and decent fuzz pedals out there. It's just really difficult wading through all of them and finding decent sound clips. The sound doesn't have to be exact, just in the ballpark... also... I'd rather not buy a clone of a pedal that zach vex, or anyone for that matter, is still producing and making a living on. Thank you all so much for your help!!!
Click to expand...

Might be just me but, the Mammoth is my fav pedal but I sold it because I only use active basses now, then I bought a Mastotron. Compared to the Mammoth, I feel that the Mastotron sounds really dull and dead.
 
#20
I've tried about 4 wm clones and none of them have close to the real thing. That's why I just recently bought a used wm.

The Tafm sounds like a big muff and the oxide is just different but definitely nothing close to a woolly IMO.

In simple words..BUY YOURSELF A ZVEX WOOLLY MAMMOTH!
 

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