Another cross-post from the Fuzz Addict thread:
More thoughts on the CMC Elk/Hizumitas and Ram's Head for bass:
I got to run them through my #2 bass rig (400RB-IV and Neo 410) today and compare to the fuzz on that rig - the CMC Tall Font.
Elk/Hizumitas: Similar bass response to the Tall Font, but more scooped as well. (I feel that I need a fuzz with a decent amount of bass push on this rig, as it doesn't reproduce the natural lows as much as my 700RB-II.) Also looser in the distortion. I'd say this one has the loosest lows AND the loosest feel of the distortion, as well as plenty of gain. Great for wall of sludge, as the scoop seems to keep clarity in the distortion for much of the tonal spectrum, but the extra lows and looseness also lost some of the clarity in the lower end of the tonal spectrum. Slow and droning riffs would likely work well, and the wall of distortion could really be a great tone if that's what you're wanting, but this isn't what I'm after. My least favorite of the CMC Muffs on bass, though I can also see how some people would really want this tone.
Ram's Head: This was closer to my Bubble Font/Tall Font tone than expected on rig #2, though it was always gainier. I DID have to change the settings drastically from the "standard" settings I have on my CMCs. (For reference, those are silicon diodes, Tone from 11:00-1:00, Shape typically from 3:00 to max, and Sustain from 9:00-10:30.) The Sustain knob really seems to change the tone as you sweep it higher, adding plenty of treble bite. I ended up having Sustain at 8:00, Tone at 11:00, and Shape at 12:00. This got a fairly even fuzz tone with plenty of grit and aggression, but also carried enough lows to have some "oomph". It's not as heavy on the lows as any of the Russian varieties (TF/BF/CW) but isn't lacking either. While this ultimately won't replace my two favorites on bass, it's a worthy addition to the tonal arsenal.
I also got to check them out on my guitar rigs today. Here are those results:
Elk/Hizumitas: Similar findings to my bass notes above, but I do think I like this better on guitar than bass. I also prefer slightly less mids on guitar than bass, so that makes sense with the scoop. It's raw and aggressive, and I can see it being used for some sort of dirty rock and roll type stuff with a single guitar being able to take up a lot of sonic space. For whatever reason, I think Jack White, though I can't say I'm AT ALL familiar with his rig. But something along those lines. It's obviously incredibly similar to the EQD Hizumitas, so if you're familiar with Boris, it's that tone. I can't say I'm terribly familiar with that band either, but I've listened to some of their videos demoing the Hizumitas, and that's pretty much it.
Ram's Head: This really surprised me on guitar. Compared to my Civil War, it's definitely shier on the lows, and a bit fuzzier and looser, but can get similar tones with tweaking. The Ram's Head is a bit brighter and gainier overall (though at the same time, I ended up using far less gain on the Ram's Head than the Civil War...). It didn't
quite have the clarity or note separation of the Civil War, but was very close. The clarity was a little less due to the looser gain inherent in the Ram's Head (which I think is why I ended up using less gain - to try and tighten it up slightly). As I kept switching between the RH, CW, and my FatMetal Pro, I found them all more alike than different at my preferred settings. For reference, one of my main tonal goals on guitar is to be able to play a convincing Tony Iommi tone - not going for the exact tone, but similar enough. I found that each of these could do different versions of that tone. The FatMetal Pro seemed to be most similar to his most current tones (high gain, solid lows, plenty of bite without fizz), the Civil War is a mix of current and vintage early 70's (high gain, solid lows, looser distortion feel with more brittle highs), and the Ram's Head is vintage early 70's (plenty of treble bite and aggression, some brittleness in the highs, fewer lows). Because my FatMetal Pro and Civil War are so similar in tone, with the CW really only being somewhat looser in the lows and a slightly fizzier in the distortion (especially the highs), the Ram's Head made a solid showing on my #1 guitar rig. However, it really shone through on rig #2, and may take a permanent place there instead of the Swollen Pickle. With the exception of Sustain being at 8:00, this is pretty much using only my "standard" bass settings mentioned above - Tone at 12:00 and Shape cranked. It's not quite as articulate as my Civil War on guitar rig #1, but it's darn close, and definitely more similar to it than the Swollen Pickle. This could easily go between guitar rigs #1 and #2 depending on my needs/current mood.
Thanks for reading my essay! I've also decided to start a
thread/group for CMC since I seem to love talking about them. Love to see you all over there if you'd like to talk about them as well!
