# Best bass friendly Fuzz Face NOT made in USA, preferably Canadian and Germanium



## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Just like the title says...I’m looking for a bass friendly fuzz face pedal. I strongly prefer germanium ones, based on past experience. I’ve owned many TAFMs and loved them all. Right now though I’m on a mission to have all my musical gear to be primarily Canadian built, to help out our economy and small businesses during these challenging times. If there isn’t a Canadian option, then I’ll consider from elsewhere in the world other than the USA.

So far I can’t find much of anything to fit this bill! The OxFuzz Bass is a leading contender, but it is silicon and I can’t get a hold of Ken. The Demedash Spidola USB very promising, is germanium, and sounds a lot like a fuzz face, so another leading contender...but it isn’t a proper fuzzface.

So help me out - what’s out there that’s a good fuzz face on bass?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

@Arcane ?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Dr scientist, arcane analog, empress, fairfield circuitry - i'd start there?


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## Griff (Sep 7, 2016)

I just recently came across this company out of the Saguenay called Guptech.









GUP Tech custom guitar effects


Handmade guitar effects from Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, by a guitarist for guitarists. From classics to innovations, GUP Tech brings the best effects to pedalboards.



gup-tech.myshopify.com





You could e-mail them and see what they suggest for a bass fuzz... I ordered the Phoque Face Fuzz but it's not here yet so I can't tell you how awesome it is for guitar or bass. Pretty affordable for Canadian made pedals though.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

+1 for Arcane. Dude knows how to tune fuzz pedals for bass.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Griff said:


> I just recently came across this company out of the Saguenay called Guptech.


I have their GUUL noise gate. Very well built, and works very well. Worth looking into.

Also ask @Sabzor of Dominion Fuzz. And Southampton Pedals out of Guelph. Tribute in Peterborough. KO Amps in North Bay. Briere Pedals (also a member here).


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

When you mention proper Fuzz Face, you only require 2 controls?...fuzz intensity and volume?


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Paul Running said:


> When you mention proper Fuzz Face, you only require 2 controls?...fuzz intensity and volume?


Number of controls is irrelevant as long as it works on bass, and is a germanium fuzz face circuit made in Canada (or elsewhere in the world outside of North America). It could be a one knob fuzz for all I care - I've got multiple one knob overdrives that work fantastically for bass!


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

knight_yyz said:


> @Arcane ?


Arcane was one of my first choices and I contacted Andrew. He did offer a positive response, so that's on my short list. I wish there was a bass demo though...


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Budda said:


> Dr scientist, arcane analog, empress, fairfield circuitry - i'd start there?


Dr. Scientist has no fuzz faces, nor does Empress, nor does Fairfield. The first two do make some nice fuzz pedals of a more general variety, but not with that beautiful germanium or FF quality. Empress has a fantastic Germ Drive that I've owned, I just wish they could make a Germ FF fuzz... As for Fairfield, all of their stuff is just too wild when it comes to fuzz. This is coming from someone who owns an Accountant, did own a V1 Barbershop, and lusts after a Shallow Water and Randy's Revenge, so it isn't like I don't love their pedals.


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Griff said:


> I just recently came across this company out of the Saguenay called Guptech.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This looks/sounds interesting, thank you! I'd love to hear what you think of it once it comes in - please post here or message me, if you don't mind!


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

starjag said:


> +1 for Arcane. Dude knows how to tune fuzz pedals for bass.


Sorry to be pesky, but do you have any direct examples of that, either from playing through one yourself or hearing someone use it? As noted above, the maker feels confident in his ability to tune one, but I'd love to hear a demo or a testimonial from a user themselves.


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

DaddyDog said:


> I have their GUUL noise gate. Very well built, and works very well. Worth looking into.
> 
> Also ask @Sabzor of Dominion Fuzz. And Southampton Pedals out of Guelph. Tribute in Peterborough. KO Amps in North Bay. Briere Pedals (also a member here).


This is an awesome list, thank you! I know Bob, one of the Southampton owners, and have heard from him that their Boosted Fuzz is workable on bass but not ideal. I am not familiar with the others though, so I'll look into them ASAP as well. It sounds like Saguenay is one I for sure need to check out. Great suggestions, thank you!


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Griff said:


> I just recently came across this company out of the Saguenay called Guptech.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I can't find an email or contact area on their website - do you have one that you can pass along? That Phoque sounds perfect - and I love a bias control - if it can be bass tuned!


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

blindrabbit said:


> Sorry to be pesky, but do you have any direct examples of that, either from playing through one yourself or hearing someone use it? As noted above, the maker feels confident in his ability to tune one, but I'd love to hear a demo or a testimonial from a user themselves.


I believe he is referring to the custom Fuzz Face I made for him. He is a bass player.


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

starjag said:


> +1 for Arcane. Dude knows how to tune fuzz pedals for bass.


I hear you've got one you use on bass! I'd love to hear more, either posted here or send me a PM! Thanks!


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Arcane said:


> I believe he is referring to the custom Fuzz Face I made for him. He is a bass player.


Oh, that's perfect! Hopefully I'll hear from him then!  Thanks for letting me know that was someone who could give a testimonial!


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## Dg87 (Oct 22, 2016)

I love my Toetags Fuzzdamental, you’ll have to go through Instagram if you want to reach him though.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

@blindrabbit, I’m curious as to what you think of this sound, The Guess Who, It’s My Pride. There’s a Bass Solo at 1:30.


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## Griff (Sep 7, 2016)

blindrabbit said:


> I can't find an email or contact area on their website - do you have one that you can pass along? That Phoque sounds perfect - and I love a bias control - if it can be bass tuned!


I'll PM you to avoid his e-mail getting more span than it already probably does.


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Dg87 said:


> I love my Toetags Fuzzdamental, you’ll have to go through Instagram if you want to reach him though.
> View attachment 357792


So that's with bass that you are using it then?

I'll check them out, thanks!


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Hammerhands said:


> @blindrabbit, I’m curious as to what you think of this sound, The Guess Who, It’s My Pride. There’s a Bass Solo at 1:30.


Definitely a cool tone, but I don't think that is a fuzz face...it almost sounds like a Superfuzz, or maybe an FZ-1 or similar? There seems to be an octave up in there, its got a serious honk to it, and the bass is...not really there. Cool tone though, and has its place, but I doubt that is a fuzz face. No cream to it!


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

blindrabbit said:


> Definitely a cool tone, but I don't think that is a fuzz face...it almost sounds like a Superfuzz, or maybe an FZ-1 or similar? There seems to be an octave up in there, its got a serious honk to it, and the bass is...not really there. Cool tone though, and has its place, but I doubt that is a fuzz face. No cream to it!


Yes, it’s not a pedal, it’s a tube fuzz circuit built into an amp. I’m not sure if the lack of bass is from the amp, I suspect it is due to the recording, or the mastering for a 45rpm record and 1964 AM radio.


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Hammerhands said:


> Yes, it’s not a pedal, it’s a tube fuzz circuit built into an amp. I’m not sure if the lack of bass is from the amp, I suspect it is due to the recording, or the mastering for a 45rpm record and 1964 AM radio.


Cool beans. I'm guessing that with it built into the guitar amp, that makes it even less likely to be bass friendly. A lot of those early fuzzes weren't that bass friendly though, so my guess is that it isn't just the recording. However, it still has that Superfuzz octave effect and that honk that wouldn't fit for my needs here. I've got an excellent bass-specific fuzz that is a Superfuzz circuit from Wounded Paw that covers me on that octavey/brash end!


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

The FF is such a simple circuit, in terms of parts count. The simplicity is deceiving, finding the "right" FF for your style and rig is sometimes a bit of a journey, even a lifetime quest for some...

Why don't you see many germanium FF's for bass? Maybe because people have tried and were not blown away with the results?
Don't get me wrong, there are ways to tweak for bass but once again, you are back to finding the "right" FF for your style and rig. 

The right FF is magic, take your best shot. Just don't be surprised if you buy one without trying it with your specific setup and it "isn't quite what you hoped".


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

tonewoody said:


> The FF is such a simple circuit, in terms of parts count. The simplicity is deceiving, finding the "right" FF for your style and rig is sometimes a bit of a journey, even a lifetime quest for some...
> 
> Why don't you see many germanium FF's for bass? Maybe because people have tried and were not blown away with the results?
> Don't get me wrong, there are ways to tweak for bass but once again, you are back to finding the "right" FF for your style and rig.
> ...


It is an incredible thing for sure, just how much difference there can be between variations of a simple design...amazing how importance the kinds of transistors can be!

Anyway, I've actually seen a good number of germanium FF for bass, and my all time favourite fuzz pedal - in fact, perhaps my favourite pedal of all time - is one. I went through 4 separate pedals of it too, and ended up having to rebuy the best one of the bunch...that's how subtle but important the differences can be! 

The issue that I mentioned in my first post is that starting a few years ago, I decided to purge my collection of music gear of anything that came from the USA, and have been repopulating it with things that come mainly from Canada, or if I can't find something here that fits the bill I look around in the Commonwealth or the EU for other options. It has been a fun process. 

Unfortunately, my favourite germanium FF and even the ones that were top ones on the list are all from the USA, so that resulted in me selling that one favourite, and ruling out a bunch of other "top" choices. I've been rolling without a FF on my board for a couple of years now, and I'm really missing it, so I figure it is time to try and get one back.

The info and PMs I've gotten from this thread have been incredibly helpful, and I think I've found at least one "match" to try. We've got so many great musical gear builders here in Canada, some of the best in the world. It has been great fun, great musically/tonally, and great in terms of supporting small business and our economy to go through this process! I'd definitely recommend that everyone consider Canadian builders for every aspect of their gear - instruments, pedals, amps - when making their next purchase!


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

It sounds like you should just say exactly which bass FF you liked and a Canadian builder can dig up the specs.


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

tonewoody said:


> It sounds like you should just say exactly which bass FF you liked and a Canadian builder can dig up the specs.


I did exactly that, and found three tracings of the circuit for them to use if I decide to go with that option. I may yet go with it, but I can't help but enjoy the exploring process. I own about 20 pedals right now, but I've probably owned and gone through...oh, I'm going to guess around 80-100 over the years (along with about a dozen basses and a dozen amps). Who knows, maybe there is an even better FF (or anything else for that matter) out there - I'll never know unless I try, right?


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## terminalvertigo (Jun 12, 2010)

Don't discount the Dr sci frazz dazzler.

Works nice on bass


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)




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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

terminalvertigo said:


> Don't discount the Dr sci frazz dazzler.
> 
> Works nice on bass


Yeah, Ryan's stuff is awesome on bass, and his Elements has always been quite phenomenal...I'll give it a peek. Maybe it'll earn a spot on my board in its own right!  Thanks for the nudge!


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## blindrabbit (Dec 24, 2014)

Griff said:


> I just recently came across this company out of the Saguenay called Guptech.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


@Griff and @DaddyDog - you guys nailed it with a great suggestion here! The Phoque FF sounds amazing on bass (I got some demos), and it turns out that it has a clean blend already as a part of the pedal, so there was no need to change anything else up! Fantastic pricing, and outstanding service from Guillaume - like I'm talking above and beyond what you'll get anywhere else. So thanks for the heads up on this builder, I have a feeling that not only should more people know about them, but also more people will in time. 

This has been a very cool process of getting tips on all sorts of great Canadian builders out there. I knew about a really great bunch of them before hand, but hearing and learning more about all these other builders has only strengthened my thoughts that we've got outstanding musical gear producers up here in Canada. To have rigs that are exclusively made up of Canadian products is not only possible, it can result in a top notch set of equipment that'll compete with anything else out there from anywhere in the world. 

Having said all that, feel free to keep the recommendations coming - making the list grow is always going to be a good idea for everyone, and I don't see myself ending my bad GAS anytime soon...there are undoubtedly more acquisitions and flips to be made in my future! 😁


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