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Yet Another "Help me find a fuzz" thread

#41
socialleper said:
I'm pretty sure I'm looking for something that isn't normal. The sound in my head is a little like a distortion, but with balls of fuzz. I'm worried about the initial bite because I don't use a pick most of the time and don't play a P bass, which has a strong mid-range attack that seems to work well with fuzz pedals.
So it's not you, its me :thumbsup:.
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Well, here's where that gets interesting! Said 'Pickle was dialed in via a jazz type bass, single coil pickups both dialed up, tone left at max, basically balls to the wall. I haven't tried my new P on the pedal yet, but imagine the low & lower mids would be a little heavy, and upper mids + highs a little light. Also, I'm strictly fingers at this point, probably counterindicative of the styles of music that mostly use fuzz.

But then again, my idea of fuzz is very much influenced by the old Sly + Family Stone records. And Larry's fuzz was probably more accurately a creamy bass overdrive by way of guitar fuzz effect than any sort of modern bass fuzz. So, a cat could very well be barking up the wrong tree entirely. But the pedal gets the sound I like and that's all that really matters.

So, in our own ways, we just might be some fuzz weirdos. :cigar: :cigar: :cigar:
 
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#42
Considering your needs, I'd look at the newer Death by Audio - Fuzz War. I recently put one and a bunch of other pedals on lay by.

its a much less in your face, extreme gain Fuzz than my Stone Deaf Fig Fumb and is really usable in a lot of different genres.

It retains the bass better than the original versions and I will use it in my current Doom projects alongside the Death by Audio Ghost Delay.

Fantastic pedals at the moment. They are producing a lot better bass friendly pedals compared to a few years back and the build quality is much better now too.
 
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#44
socialleper said:
I'm pretty sure I'm looking for something that isn't normal. The sound in my head is a little like a distortion, but with balls of fuzz. I'm worried about the initial bite because I don't use a pick most of the time and don't play a P bass, which has a strong mid-range attack that seems to work well with fuzz pedals.
So it's not you, its me :thumbsup:.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you want somethin Rat like. Perhaps the Idiotbox Blower?
 
#45
OxFuzz is up there in my 'most disappointing fuzzes of all time' list. The fuzz itself is bland and has no low end so you totally rely on the clean side to bring it back in. Sounded great on a demo I heard, but I think it was going into a cranked tube amp, where any kind of boost sounds good!

A note for TAFM users - the new ones have an internal switchable buffer which is on by default, I prefer the warmer sound of turning it off and plugging a passive bass directly in. Also I attempted to upgrade to a newer one recently but kept the old one as the new one did not sound anywhere near as good. Not sure whether this was down to component changes (there have been a few tweaks over the years), or internal trimpot settings, probably a bit of both!
 
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#46
I'm along the lines of looking for a fuzz similar to what you want OP. I recently stumbled across the Death by Audio Apocalypse fuzz. It's a little pricey for a fuzz, but you could snag one used for close to your budget. It seems pretty versatile, and I dig the sound clips of the Ganiac and Square Wave channels. They nail that fuzzy distortion tone.
 
#47
monsterthompson said:
Perhaps you want somethin Rat like. Perhaps the Idiotbox Blower?
Click to expand...
According to Dunwich the Volt Thrower is a modded Rat circuit. There are some settings where I think the Wizard and VT sound almost the same, but maybe that's just my inexperienced ears.

The Idiotbox Static Fuzz was pointed out earlier and I like both the sound and look of that one. If we are buy things we should like what they look like, right.
 
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#48
SplinteredSkull said:
I'm along the lines of looking for a fuzz similar to what you want OP. I recently stumbled across the Death by Audio Apocalypse fuzz. It's a little pricey for a fuzz, but you could snag one used for close to your budget. It seems pretty versatile, and I dig the sound clips of the Ganiac and Square Wave channels. They nail that fuzzy distortion tone.
Click to expand...
That's two suggestions for Death by Audio so I should probably go check them out.
 
#49
socialleper said:
According to Dunwich the Volt Thrower is a modded Rat circuit. There are some settings where I think the Wizard and VT sound almost the same, but maybe that's just my inexperienced ears.

The Idiotbox Static Fuzz was pointed out earlier and I like both the sound and look of that one. If we are buy things we should like what they look like, right.
Click to expand...

A lot of their similarity might just be due to the player's tone. Corey Y on soundcloud has demoes of both in which I can discern the differences. I want a VT one day myself (but I love rats). I've also been looking at the static fuzz, and may in fact pull the trigger on it in a month or so. Matt is cool dude and will answer any questions you might have about it.

When I asked him about the SF on bass awhile back:
"Hey! It sounds rad on bass. Lots of beef. But it's an odd type pedal with the white noise going on. Kind of has a super fuzz vibe at some settings.
Excane has one and is going to do a bass demo with it, hopefully very soon :)"

EDIT: A couple users have also told me that it's a transparent fuzz (retains your original tone a bit better)
 
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#50
I haven't tried many of the ones in your list, but I have tried a few and some others not mentioned. Some impressions FWIW:

1.). I really like the W&C Pickle Pie B. The low end is massive but can be tightened up nicely, and the clean blend is great, and really does mesh well with the fuzz as advertised. I bought it because I liked the idea of a muff based fuzz that retains the character of your bass; I always assumed that was a contradiction, but this one can pull it off (or not, if you want a wall of fuzz). I get the point about the fizzy high end. You can dial that down with the Shape control. Also, it really matters what you have after it in the chain. I'm running it in front of a Barbershop, and with the hi cut engaged, the fizziness is mellowed without losing the aggressive character of the fuzz.
2.) I tried a used Musket in a GC. Massive thick meaty stoner fuzz, but IMO not a pedal that retains the character of your bass. In a green Russian muff vein, I was more impressed with a Black Arts Toneworks LSTR in the same store. Great range and articulation, less flabby in the low end. I liked the lower gain settings. I've never had a chance to try a Pharaoh or a Black Sheep, but both of those seem like they might check some of your boxes.
 
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#51
shinybeast said:
I haven't tried many of the ones in your list, but I have tried a few and some others not mentioned. Some impressions FWIW:

1.). I really like the W&C Pickle Pie B. The low end is massive but can be tightened up nicely, and the clean blend is great, and really does mesh well with the fuzz as advertised. I bought it because I liked the idea of a muff based fuzz that retains the character of your bass; I always assumed that was a contradiction, but this one can pull it off (or not, if you want a wall of fuzz). I get the point about the fizzy high end. You can dial that down with the Shape control. Also, it really matters what you have after it in the chain. I'm running it in front of a Barbershop, and with the hi cut engaged, the fizziness is mellowed without losing the aggressive character of the fuzz.
2.) I tried a used Musket in a GC. Massive thick meaty stoner fuzz, but IMO not a pedal that retains the character of your bass. In a green Russian muff vein, I was more impressed with a Black Arts Toneworks LSTR in the same store. Great range and articulation, less flabby in the low end. I liked the lower gain settings. I've never had a chance to try a Pharaoh or a Black Sheep, but both of those seem like they might check some of your boxes.
Click to expand...

I like what Black Arts is doing. I couldn't find any demos of the LSTR on bass, though the Pharaoh seems very popular.
The musket doesn't level too much of the original bass tone, but it does have a defined attack which I like. There is a little bit of a trade off there.
 
#53
socialleper said:
I like what Black Arts is doing. I couldn't find any demos of the LSTR on bass, though the Pharaoh seems very popular.
The musket doesn't level too much of the original bass tone, but it does have a defined attack which I like. There is a little bit of a trade off there.
Click to expand...

Really like the Pharaoh Supreme in the band mix. Its worth a shot for sure.
 
#57
socialleper said:
I'm getting some great suggestions!!

Now I wonder stand way people buy and sell pedals like crazy. In a way you are just rotating funds through different versions of the same investment. The problem is you would have to only buy used otherwise you will end up losing after each purchase.
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Oh it isn't a problem - ONLY buy used! There is no other way.

And, yes, it is true...once you get into pedal flipping as a part of the quest for tone, it is like the bottomless pit. I've been lucky enough to settle into a grouping that I really like right now, but don't think for a minute that I don't have a list as long as my arm of other that I'd like to try. ;)
 
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#58
blindrabbit said:
Oh it isn't a problem - ONLY buy used! There is no other way.

And, yes, it is true...once you get into pedal flipping as a part of the quest for tone, it is like the bottomless pit. I've been lucky enough to settle into a grouping that I really like right now, but don't think for a minute that I don't have a list as long as my arm of other that I'd like to try. ;)
Click to expand...

That does seem to be the only way to keep from losing your shirt. The trick is the more esoteric you get with the pedals, the less a chance there is that I will be able to find it. The turn over in the classifieds here is super high and it seems like Ebay either doesn't have these or only has new ones. I have the feeling that I better either be really sure when I buy one so I keep it, or just start fishing for whatever comes up.
 
#59
socialleper said:
That does seem to be the only way to keep from losing your shirt. The trick is the more esoteric you get with the pedals, the less a chance there is that I will be able to find it. The turn over in the classifieds here is super high and it seems like Ebay either doesn't have these or only has new ones. I have the feeling that I better either be really sure when I buy one so I keep it, or just start fishing for whatever comes up.
Click to expand...

Nah, go fishing. It is more fun. ;) I probably tried well over a dozen dirt pedals, and listened to dozens more demos and read hundreds of reviews before settling in to the ones I like right now. The hunt is a huge part of the fun!
 
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#60
socialleper said:
The demos I have found of the Pharaoh and Pharaoh Supreme seem to have muffled articulation. I like the shape of the germanium fuzz, but the demos make it sound boomy.
Click to expand...

I hear you about the demos, but the pre, tone, and high knobs on the Supreme help to dial out the muffled articulation and can be used to sharpen the articulation, atleast for me. YMMV.
 

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