# Fuzz Pedal?



## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Do I need a fuzz pedal? I really don't know. Never tried one before and have no idea what it's used for. Seriously. I've had a range of OD's usually because I've tried to tweak my tones towards Dumble amps. I've been watching videos on various pedals but still can't see the the attraction. Someone told me a while back that fuzz pedals are like wah pedals, they cover up your lack of sounding good. 

So, I need to get school'd on fuzz pedals and I know you guys always come through. Why would I need one? What tunes would I need one? Do they get used often or once in a while, maybe one or two tunes for a three set gig? Are they for particular playing styles or music genres? If I try a cheap one, will it turn me off compared to a really nice one? Off the shelf or boutique? Tonebender? Facebender? Fuzz Face?

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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

There's a lot of variations of fuzz pedals.

If you have checked out clips and it did nothing for you, save your money.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Just got one yesterday in a trade. The Arcane Analog Tonebender Mk2. 

It's already disconnected and sitting on a shelf. 

If you are covering the Sixties, you can do: Satisfaction, Hello I Love You, Spirit in the Sky, Over Under Sideways Down, etc. Or re-create that retro sound in your own song. Unlike distortion, which can be tweaked a million different ways, fuzz is fuzz is fuzz -- with an "artificial" signal introduced that dominates attempts at modification. Still variable in many ways but always has that even, sustained chainsaw sound. Cool in its own way, but... 

I am unlikely to use it, given my direction in the last couple of years (which is: song for the sake of the song without much soundscape). 

Yours cheap if you wanna try it.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

If you love fuzz, you love fuzz. If you don't, you don't. If appears that there's really no middle ground when it comes to fuzz. The different fuzz flavours are strong flavours, as said before, you might have a distortion/overdrive pedal that covers your needs, but there's no single fuzz that does it all. People that love fuzz, generally have a few fuzz pedals. Yes, yes, yes, you need one. I just ordered a facebender/rangebender combo pedal from Arcane Analog, tuned for bass. Send them a message and they will help you find the one to try first.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Q: Do I need a fuzz pedal?

A: Yes, you need a Fuzz pedal.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

There are many types of fuzz flavours available and most are not as simple to use as an overdrive or distortion pedal. Even the simple Fuzz Face circuit is not an easy pedal to dial in for many people. Take your time and after you identify what kind of fuzz you are interested in you need to sort it out with your rig.

One thing many players do not understand is that you really need to learn how to use a fuzz. It is not as simple as plugging in and sounding like Hendrix. You cannot expect a germanium based fuzz pedal to sound good unless you know where to place it in your chain, have a decent tube amp to pair with it and learn how to set the pedal up and operate it. Again, fuzz may sound simple but there are far more variables to learn than with a standard OD pedal. Hell, just the use of your guitar's volume knob with a Fuzz has a bit of a learning curve. Learning how to properly use a fuzz pedal is a very important step in the process.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Arcane said:


> There are many types of fuzz flavours available and most are not as simple to use as an overdrive or distortion pedal. Even the simple Fuzz Face circuit is not an easy pedal to dial in for many people. Take your time and after you identify what kind of fuzz you are interested in you need to sort it out with your rig.
> 
> One thing many players do not understand is that you really need to learn how to use a fuzz. It is not as simple as plugging in and sounding like Hendrix. You cannot expect a germanium based fuzz pedal to sound good unless you know where to place it in your chain, have a decent tube amp to pair with it and learn how to set the pedal up and operate it. Again, fuzz may sound simple but there are far more variables to learn than with a standard OD pedal. Hell, just the use of your guitar's volume knob with a Fuzz has a bit of a learning curve. Learning how to properly use a fuzz pedal is a very important step in the process.


A lot of fuzz pedals interact with your guitar volume and tone controls a lot as well. A Tonebender would be one of the best examples of that. I definitely misunderstood how one works the first time I owned one. They are actually a pretty versatile pedal when you learn the nuances.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Fuzz is a fuzzy topic and you can get lost in the rabbit hole fairly quickly. I would suggest starting with some "friendly" fuzz pedals. Here are a few and i am sure other members can add some:

ThorpyFX Fallout
Thorpyfx Veteran
King Tone Mini Fuzz

the SolidGoldFX Lysis is also a very musical pedal to my ears and does the octave thing as well. 

Check Youtube for clips and enjoy the ride.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Arcane said:


> There are many types of fuzz flavours available and most are not as simple to use as an overdrive or distortion pedal. Even the simple Fuzz Face circuit is not an easy pedal to dial in for many people. Take your time and after you identify what kind of fuzz you are interested in you need to sort it out with your rig.
> 
> One thing many players do not understand is that you really need to learn how to use a fuzz. It is not as simple as plugging in and sounding like Hendrix. You cannot expect a germanium based fuzz pedal to sound good unless you know where to place it in your chain, have a decent tube amp to pair with it and learn how to set the pedal up and operate it. Again, fuzz may sound simple but there are far more variables to learn than with a standard OD pedal. Hell, just the use of your guitar's volume knob with a Fuzz has a bit of a learning curve. Learning how to properly use a fuzz pedal is a very important step in the process.


This the guy to talk to. My comment only reflects my personal lack of interest in fuzz. No need to delve into an effect that I won't use. I don't use any effects really. Maybe you don't either. Guitar/cord/clean-amp and guitar/cord/dirty-amp. This is the full scope of my knowledge. Love listening to other guys use effects, however. 

Edit: oh yeah, sometimes I step on a momentary switch for some tremolo. Really technical.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

I’m a fuzz fan. My drug of choice is a Spaghetti Western fuzz from Bearfoot FX.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I bought an old Shin-Ei Companion fuzz at a Moncton pawn shop in 1992, mostly becauseit was near impossible to buy stompswitches in New Brunswick at the time, and the pedal was the same price as a retail stompswitch. The board sat unused for over a decade or more, until I found the wiring diagram, figured I'd fire it up and was blown away. I've since made a half-dozen clones with assorted mods to get different sorts of sounds. It's a nice meat-and-potatoes '60s silicon fuzz. It does NOT "clean up" at all. It can be considered a cousin of the Mosrite Fuzz-Rite.




A recent episode of That Pedal Show demoed a variety of Tonebenders, with some stunning tones. The thing to keep in mind about "vintage" germanium fuzzes, like the Tonebenders, is that germanium transistors can vary widely, such that finding "a good one" can be tricky sometimes.

The boundary between "distortion" and "fuzz" is a hazy one. What people call the one can easily be labelled as the other. My own definition is not a widely accepted one, but I distinguish fuzz from other forms of distortion by the portion of a note's lifespan that the signal stays above the clipping threshold, such that the tone elicited when you pick a single note tends to last for a while longer before the sizzle begins to dissipate. This is in contrast to distortion pedals that will produce a similar sort of tone for the first 100msec or so and then the string seems to mellow out.

True fuzzes are not much use for chords, because of all that continuing harmonic content. So if single note runs are not your thing, then fuzzes probably aren't either. But there are plenty of nice ones out there. Most folks will say you can't go wrong with a Big Muff Pi of some issue/vintage.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

mhammer said:


> The boundary between "distortion" and "fuzz" is a hazy one.
> 
> True fuzzes are not much use for chords, because of all that continuing harmonic content. So if single note runs are not your thing, then fuzzes probably aren't either.


Bingo. I can get the same effect (to my ears) with existing gear.

Bingo. I found I had to altogether abandon some techniques, not just chords. Great sound but not suited for what I do. However, If I could find some other guys interested in developing a psuedo-psixties-psychedelic-psound... my floor would be covered with stomp devices.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Merlin said:


> I’m a fuzz fan. My drug of choice is a Spaghetti Western fuzz from Bearfoot FX.


Bearfoot or Bigfoot?


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

jimsz said:


> Do I need a fuzz pedal?


Yes. Yes you do.

All you need is fuzz, fuzz is all you need .( Sung to the tune of “all you need is love -the Beatles”)


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## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

Oh man, for me - fuzz is the "crack" of the pedal world. I can't get enough! *#*(

Sold lot's - but still have Sola Sound Tone Benders (MK I, 1.5, II and III), a couple of Fuzz Faces (NKT 275 and BC108c), EH triangle Big Muff, Shin-Ei companion FY-2, Mosrite Fuzz Rite, Foxx Tone Machine, Roland Bee Baa, Maestro FZ-1A, tone knob Rat, Jordan Boss Tone, grey Vox Tone Bender...


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I like fuzz into an overdrive. It gets the tone thick and massive singing sustain. I learned years after never liking the buzzy farty brittle sounds I would get from them the big trick with many is they hate to have a buffered signal going into them. The difference between after a buffer and first in the chain is night and day. I will say after buying some really expensive ones I would get some of the new small box reissue ones in the $100 range. A noise gate is also really good to have. Some fuzz pedals have built in noise gates, I use a Roctron Silencer pedal that has the Hush and a noise gate. It's a game changer.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

fernieite said:


> Oh man, for me - fuzz is the "crack" of the pedal world. I can't get enough! *#*(
> 
> Sold lot's, but still have many Tone Benders (MK I, 1.5, II and III), a couple of Fuzz Faces (NKT 275 and BC108c), EH triangle Big Muff, Shin-Ei companion FY-2, Mosrite Fuzz Rite, Foxx Tone Machine, Roland Bee Baa, Maestro FZ-1A, tone knob Rat, Jordan Boss Tone...


That's quite the "honour roll". You'll probably like this thing I made for myself. It houses, from left to right, clones of the FY-2, Boss Tone, Boss OD-1, Silicon Tonebender Mk II, hotrodded Green Ringer, and a booster I designed. I wanted something that would house as many different 2-knob circuits as I could stuff in it. And it's pretty packed. A rotary switch lets you pick the circuit you want. I have a bunch of others as well, but this was a nice assortment that covered a lot of bases.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

vadsy said:


> Bearfoot or Bigfoot?


You’re correct, it is in fact from Bigfoot FX.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

As I suspected, I see some good answers here. It does look though as if a fuzz pedal is something that may or may not be on a pedal board as a standard, such as say a reverb or delay pedal, is subject to taste of the player and their style of playing and seems to be split on genre of music??


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> There are many types of fuzz flavours available and most are not as simple to use as an overdrive or distortion pedal. Even the simple Fuzz Face circuit is not an easy pedal to dial in for many people. Take your time and after you identify what kind of fuzz you are interested in you need to sort it out with your rig.
> 
> One thing many players do not understand is that you really need to learn how to use a fuzz. It is not as simple as plugging in and sounding like Hendrix. You cannot expect a germanium based fuzz pedal to sound good unless you know where to place it in your chain, have a decent tube amp to pair with it and learn how to set the pedal up and operate it. Again, fuzz may sound simple but there are far more variables to learn than with a standard OD pedal. Hell, just the use of your guitar's volume knob with a Fuzz has a bit of a learning curve. Learning how to properly use a fuzz pedal is a very important step in the process.


Okay, good response. That definitely has tweaked my interest. Are there any videos on learning how to dial in or tweak a fuzz, see the variables and also on how to learn to properly use a fuzz? If there are and they're of good value, it will make a believer out of me and hopefully allow me to figure out what fuzz flavor is best for me. Many thanks!


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

What kind of sound are you looking for? I would suggest narrowing the field somewhat as it is hard to offer advice without narrowing it down. 

Using a Fuzz Face is much different than using a Big Muff.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> What kind of sound are you looking for? I would suggest narrowing the field somewhat as it is hard to offer advice without narrowing it down.
> 
> Using a Fuzz Face is much different than using a Big Muff.


Oh boy, I was afraid you might ask that question. That's the thing, I really don't know what kind of sound I'm looking for, that was basically the gist of this thread, to figure out what fuzz pedals are all about and what difference one is to the other. Where do you think I should start?


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

jimsz said:


> As I suspected, I see some good answers here. It does look though as if a fuzz pedal is something that may or may not be on a pedal board as a standard, such as say a reverb or delay pedal, is subject to taste of the player and their style of playing and seems to be split on genre of music??


The issue is there are fuzzes that can work for all kinds of genres of music. But, there are so many distinctive kinds of fuzzes. People sometimes associate the sound of 'fuzz' strictly with a maxed out fuzz pedal sound, but they can do more than that. You really need to try a few out to know what would work for what you do. Or at least narrow things down to get advice.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

If I am only going to use one pedal it’s always a fuzz. Usually a Muff variant. I use the guitar volume to go from clean to fuzzy. I don’t usually crank up the fuzz too much, so it’s more like a versatile overdrive.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

jimsz said:


> Oh boy, I was afraid you might ask that question. That's the thing, I really don't know what kind of sound I'm looking for, that was basically the gist of this thread, to figure out what fuzz pedals are all about and what difference one is to the other. Where do you think I should start?


YouTube is a great place to start. Search 'fuzz comparison's videos.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

the only way to get it figured is to buy a half dozen, or better yet dozen, different fuzz pedals of varying types and budgets to try out. Sell what you don’t use


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

vadsy said:


> the only way to get it figured is to buy a half dozen, or better yet dozen, different fuzz pedals of varying types and budgets to try out. Sell what you don’t use


In theory, that's a sensible suggestion. The difficulty is that a) EVERYTHING sounds good on Youtube, b) few things demoed on YT use the same sort of rig one may use oneself, and c) nothing demonstrated on Youtube really takes steps to either say what it is really very close to, or what it is noticeably different than.

That's not to suggest that such videos are deceptive, just that picking a decent selection of a half-dozen may be trickier than it seems.

I have to ask the OP, what is it that you think you might want one for? Or is it the case that you're simply looking for a kick in the pants from a "different" sort of pedal, and are hoping it will point the way?

Finally, while there are a bazillion fuzzes out there, and a near infinity of ways to corrupt a clean signal, a surprisingly significant share of what IS out there is either a derivative of the Fuzz Face/Tonebender topology, or the Big Muff Pi topology. I'm not dismissing the validity of the variations. Rather, checking out what each of those basically do is a good starting point. 

FWIW, I was digging through a drawer of half-finished effects before lunch, stumbled upon a half-germanium/half-silicon (2SC281, BC108, for those who care) Fuzz-Face I had perfed up a while ago, and decided to finish wiring it up. I was really impressed. One of the qualities of the basic FF design, that is generally not an aspect of the BMP, is the manner in which it "cleans up" when the guitar volume is rolled back a bit. I was shocked at how simply dialing guitar volume between 6 and 10 was almost like stepping on the bypass switch.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

jimsz, I think the easiest place to start is by providing us a picture of what music you currently play or intend to play as it will give us a place to start.

If you like blues /rock I am probably going to suggest a Fuzz Face and certainly not going to suggest starting with a Buzzaround.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

mhammer said:


> In theory, that's a sensible suggestion. The difficulty is that a) EVERYTHING sounds good on Youtube, b) few things demoed on YT use the same sort of rig one may use oneself, and c) nothing demonstrated on Youtube really takes steps to either say what it is really very close to, or what it is noticeably different than.
> 
> That's not to suggest that such videos are deceptive, just that picking a decent selection of a half-dozen may be trickier than it seems.
> 
> ...


oh hammer. you overcomplicate things when they don't need to be. the post word count is great but a bag of fuzz pedals in hand is worth two in the bush and we have a winner is how the old saying goes. the guy needs to try some in his setup and ignore the hype around the internet


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

mhammer said:


> In theory, that's a sensible suggestion. The difficulty is that a) EVERYTHING sounds good on Youtube, b) few things demoed on YT use the same sort of rig one may use oneself, and c) nothing demonstrated on Youtube really takes steps to either say what it is really very close to, or what it is noticeably different than.
> 
> That's not to suggest that such videos are deceptive, just that picking a decent selection of a half-dozen may be trickier than it seems.
> 
> ...


I disagree with your assessment of YouTube as a whole. It's a good starting point, and there are tons of different types of videos and approaches people take to making videos. You just have to find one that relates to your playing scenario in some way. Again, it's a starting point for before you drop a bunch of cash to trial pedals. Also, it can at least show a few of the more common characteristics, EG a Tonebender vs a Big Muff.


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## Brian Johnston (Feb 24, 2019)

I like the Bloodbuzz because it has different fuzz flavors and voices, but it's more costly (partly due to also having an overdrive section that you can blend if desired... or overdrive on its own). This fuzz, however, is pretty intense from the get-go. Something like the Black Spiral fuzz can be on with a very low mix, which warms up the tone (great for leads as it gives that silky smooth tone).


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Certainly what one can learn from such demo videos is a whole lot more than one can glean from popping into the local music store today, and spending a Saturday afternoon plugging into things.  But unless one has a decent-enough listening setup with your internet connection (I'm listening through the puny little speakers on my monitor, and I'll wager many here are as well), discerning what's better and worse is hard. When it comes to dirt, I find many demonstrators actually start out with an already dirty amp sound. Personally, I am often more impressed with the resulting tone, than I expected to be, when I plug a dirt pedal into my crappy solid-state Fender and set the amp for dirty tone. But if one wants to know what a pedal does, you compare it against a _clean _tone, not superimpose it on a dirty tone that may be unique to the demonstrator's setup.

Can such videos generate interest in a particular pedal? Sure. That is, after all, what they are meant to do. But what is the range of control? Does X have a wider range of gain settings than Y? Does it have more tonal control than Y? How easy is it to achieve reasonable volume boost when gain/drive/fuzz is set modestly? Even the good videos never say.

I will agree with you, however, that often the basic "character" of a given design can be reasonably well-conveyed.


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## Todd MacCulloch (Mar 8, 2018)

jimsz said:


> Okay, good response. That definitely has tweaked my interest. Are there any videos on learning how to dial in or tweak a fuzz, see the variables and also on how to learn to properly use a fuzz? If there are and they're of good value, it will make a believer out of me and hopefully allow me to figure out what fuzz flavor is best for me. Many thanks!


Rhett just did one


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> jimsz, I think the easiest place to start is by providing us a picture of what music you currently play or intend to play as it will give us a place to start.
> 
> If you like blues /rock I am probably going to suggest a Fuzz Face and certainly not going to suggest starting with a Buzzaround.


I've been doing classic rock in bands for years, but the next gigging band will probably have a fair amount of Chicago, Little Feat, Steely Dan, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, Pink Floyd, Boz Scaggs, etc. However, when I do some fun jams, it's often power trio where I need to fill up a lot of sound, Big Sugar, Who, that kind of sound. Hope that helps.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

vadsy said:


> the only way to get it figured is to buy a half dozen, or better yet dozen, different fuzz pedals of varying types and budgets to try out. Sell what you don’t use


That would probably be the way to go, in another time, but right now, I'm steering clear of buying and selling on Craigslist and won't be able to visit L&M to try out various units.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> Certainly what one can learn from such demo videos is a whole lot more than one can glean from popping into the local music store today, and spending a Saturday afternoon plugging into things.  But unless one has a decent-enough listening setup with your internet connection (I'm listening through the puny little speakers on my monitor, and I'll wager many here are as well), discerning what's better and worse is hard.


I'm okay with that, I have a gaming computer hooked up to a 55" screen, Denon amp with 5 Energy speakers and sub. It's a pretty kickass sound.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> I have to ask the OP, what is it that you think you might want one for? Or is it the case that you're simply looking for a kick in the pants from a "different" sort of pedal, and are hoping it will point the way?


There's probably a lot of truth to have something different, but also I believe I might be missing some tones in my setup that I can't get with OD pedals. I could be wrong about that but again, it's one of the pedals I've never tried.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

jimsz said:


> I've been doing classic rock in bands for years, but the next gigging band will probably have a fair amount of Chicago, Little Feat, Steely Dan, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears, Pink Floyd, Boz Scaggs, etc. However, when I do some fun jams, it's often power trio where I need to fill up a lot of sound, Big Sugar, Who, that kind of sound. Hope that helps.


In the first list, Mr. Gilmour's sound in Pink Floyd is synonymous with the Big Muff (Ram's Head) and the Colorsound Overdriver. These effects were frequently stacked as well.

For Big Sugar and the Who you have a little more room to manoeuvre. While both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Bachman were known to use the Garnet Herzog / Stinger from time to time you can get similar sounds with a few different pedals. A MK3 or MK4 Tone Bender is a great place to start. They are much more flexible than the MK1 or MK2 Tone Bender.

I would note that I have no idea what you use for amps and instruments nor how you set them. I find I much prefer a germanium based fuzz into an edge-of-breaking or pushed amp and a decent amount of stage volume. The fuzz and output can be dialed back - along with the guitar volume control - to hit a huge amount of sounds this way. Mr. Hendrix used his Stratocaster and Marshall to great effect in combination with the Fuzz Face and Octavia.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

mhammer said:


> Certainly what one can learn from such demo videos is a whole lot more than one can glean from popping into the local music store today, and spending a Saturday afternoon plugging into things.  But unless one has a decent-enough listening setup with your internet connection (I'm listening through the puny little speakers on my monitor, and I'll wager many here are as well), discerning what's better and worse is hard. When it comes to dirt, I find many demonstrators actually start out with an already dirty amp sound. Personally, I am often more impressed with the resulting tone, than I expected to be, when I plug a dirt pedal into my crappy solid-state Fender and set the amp for dirty tone. But if one wants to know what a pedal does, you compare it against a _clean _tone, not superimpose it on a dirty tone that may be unique to the demonstrator's setup.
> 
> Can such videos generate interest in a particular pedal? Sure. That is, after all, what they are meant to do. But what is the range of control? Does X have a wider range of gain settings than Y? Does it have more tonal control than Y? How easy is it to achieve reasonable volume boost when gain/drive/fuzz is set modestly? Even the good videos never say.
> 
> I will agree with you, however, that often the basic "character" of a given design can be reasonably well-conveyed.


There's you forget though. A lot of us don't have a local store. I have to drive 45 minutes to get to one, and most times things won't be in stock that I want. Especially some off the beaten path pedals. It's easier for me to online order from a place with a good return policy. So demo videos are a good starting point in that scenario. Really, the only starting point I have.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Todd MacCulloch said:


> Rhett just did one


That was very informative, thanks. I liked the Red Jam pedal and the Tone Bender.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

torndownunit said:


> There's you forget though. A lot of us don't have a local store. I have to drive 45 minutes to get to one, and most times things won't be in stock that I want. Especially some off the beaten path pedals. It's easier for me to online order from a place with a good return policy. So demo videos are a good starting point in that scenario. Really, the only starting point I have.


Understood. That was part of why I had the eyeroll emoji. For some folks in the big stretched-out land, it's not even a matter of music stores currently being closed; it's a matter of there actually _being_ music stores. I guess I was too subtle.

jimsz,
When I look at the list of bands you cover, apart from Floyd, in most instances I think what I hear on their albums is really hard overdrive, rather than fuzz. That doesn't mean it would be useless in your toolkit, and no one is saying that a cover tune HAS to sound *exactly* like the original. I'm just saying it may not be as absolutely necessary as you might think.

Most overdrives, if pushed by a booster or stacked with another overdrive, can achieve some pretty intense sounds that attain serious sizzle.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> jimsz,
> When I look at the list of bands you cover, apart from Floyd, in most instances I think what I hear on their albums is really hard overdrive, rather than fuzz. That doesn't mean it would be useless in your toolkit, and no one is saying that a cover tune HAS to sound *exactly* like the original. I'm just saying it may not be as absolutely necessary as you might think.
> 
> Most overdrives, if pushed by a booster or stacked with another overdrive, can achieve some pretty intense sounds that attain serious sizzle.


That's my current setup, a klon clone in front of a dumble clone. They work fine for gigging, but I thought about the fuzz for fun jams where a guy can just cut loose, no holds barred.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> In the first list, Mr. Gilmour's sound in Pink Floyd is synonymous with the Big Muff (Ram's Head) and the Colorsound Overdriver. These effects were frequently stacked as well.
> 
> For Big Sugar and the Who you have a little more room to manoeuvre. While both Mr. Johnson and Mr. Bachman were known to use the Garnet Herzog / Stinger from time to time you can get similar sounds with a few different pedals. A MK3 or MK4 Tone Bender is a great place to start. They are much more flexible than the MK1 or MK2 Tone Bender.
> 
> I would note that I have no idea what you use for amps and instruments nor how you set them. I find I much prefer a germanium based fuzz into an edge-of-breaking or pushed amp and a decent amount of stage volume. The fuzz and output can be dialed back - along with the guitar volume control - to hit a huge amount of sounds this way. Mr. Hendrix used his Stratocaster and Marshall to great effect in combination with the Fuzz Face and Octavia.


Okay, that's a good start. I watched the video above, Rhett suggests to start with a Fuzz Face or Big Muff style pedal, but I did dug the sound of his Tonebender. I liked the cutting edge sound over the others.


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## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

Fuzz Face is a very good place to start imo. The OP mentioned Floyd - Early Pink Floyd, up to 1976, has lots of Fuzz Face on it. 

Fyi, A silicon Fuzz Face will typically have more bite and fuzz than a germanium tranny version... That's what Gilmour used (from 71 to 76) on Dark Side and Live at Pompeii, etc. From 68 to 71 he used a germanium one.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

jimsz said:


> Okay, that's a good start. I watched the video above, Rhett suggests to start with a Fuzz Face or Big Muff style pedal, but I did dug the sound of his Tonebender. I liked the cutting edge sound over the others.


While the MK1 Tone Bender is definitely a favourite of mine I think it would not be the best choice as a first fuzz. They are not the easiest pedals to build nor are they the easiest to learn on. A MK3 or MK4 or one of their variants would be a better starting point to learn on and they are much more flexible than the MK1 or MK2.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

The ZVex Fuzz Factory is, for the most part, a germanium Fuzz Face with tweakable parameters for a broader range of sounds than a stock Fuzz Face. If you want simple futz-free, it's probably not your safest bet, but it gets you a lot of sounds in a small package.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> While the MK1 Tone Bender is definitely a favourite of mine I think it would not be the best choice as a first fuzz. They are not the easiest pedals to build nor are they the easiest to learn on. A MK3 or MK4 or one of their variants would be a better starting point to learn on and they are much more flexible than the MK1 or MK2.


I saw a vid of your MK2 on your channel, didn't see anything for the MK3 or MK4, but I'll have a look at those vids from other vendors so I can get an idea. Thanks.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

I must confess I have little time to make demos. Sometimes I make quick clips when I have a few minutes but that is infrequent. There should be lots of MK4 videos out there. 

I like the Fuzz Factory circuit as well but, as Mark mentioned, it has a much steeper learning curve than others mentioned.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> I must confess I have little time to make demos. Sometimes I make quick clips when I have a few minutes but that is infrequent. There should be lots of MK4 videos out there.
> 
> I like the Fuzz Factory circuit as well but, as Mark mentioned, it has a much steeper learning curve than others mentioned.


I had a listen to that one and many others, there's several "Fuzz Pedal Shootout" vids including the MK series, Fuzz Face, Big Muff, etc. I'm starting to get an idea of the many flavors out there, it really is overwhelming actually. I see what you meant about the MK1, that was a very cool sound. The MK1.5 was interesting and I liked the MK2. The MK3 and MK4 series were really saturated and I'm not sure if those can be dialed back, most had a number of knob options, but I was wondering if you could get the tones from the MK1 and MK2 out of them or at least dial back all that saturation? 

The Death by Audio pedal was pretty awesome, had killer lows and highs without the really heavy saturation. I think a few of the Russian pedals were fairly good too, but overall the rest didn't really appeal to me, many had way too much saturation or compression that made them sound too muddy. Of course, after a while of listening to so many of them, I started forgetting one from the other, so I'll probably go back and have a second, maybe third listen so I can start to nail down what I'm looking for.

One thing I've learned though, is that I think I do need a fuzz pedal, maybe more than one.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> The ZVex Fuzz Factory is, for the most part, a germanium Fuzz Face with tweakable parameters for a broader range of sounds than a stock Fuzz Face. If you want simple futz-free, it's probably not your safest bet, but it gets you a lot of sounds in a small package.


I did have a short listen to that one but it didn't really appeal to me. That said, I'm going to go back and look for more in-depth reviews of it to see the options. That was also one of the more costly pedals. I noticed there was a used one here on CL but the guy was asking way too much for it, almost the price of new.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

I could not live without fuzz pedals... The more the merrier...

YT video's are nice but you really need to try with your amps and instruments.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

jimsz said:


> I did have a short listen to that one but it didn't really appeal to me. That said, I'm going to go back and look for more in-depth reviews of it to see the options. That was also one of the more costly pedals. I noticed there was a used one here on CL but the guy was asking way too much for it, almost the price of new.


There is a higher and lower-priced version. After his custom painter Jason Myrold either left or began pondering departure, Zach started selling what he called his "Vexter" series, which did not use the custom paint job and sold for much less. He described the manner in which the painted finishes were done on the DIYstompbox forum once, and it was _really_ involved, with multiple stages/steps that took about a week to carry out, mostly in order to make the paint job well-defended against scratching and peeling. A whole lot more than an "artiste" doing some fancy brushwork for 10 minutes and saying "job's done". There is also a larger 7-knob version of the Fuzz Factory (as there is with several other ZVEX effects) that costs even more.

Having said that, pretty much ANYTHING using germanium transistors is going to cost more, and show unit-to-unit variation. They will cost more because they pretty much all depend on NOS transistors - germanium units not having been manufactured in quantity for a long time. So there will be limits on how many units of a given pedal can be produced. The plus side is that, over time, developers discover other long-neglected NOS transistors whose properties allow them to substitute nicely for "the classics", and which still exist in decent quantity. As well, with limited quantities of the transistors, achieving consistency in their properties from unit to unit. There are adjustments one can make to get _this_ transistor to behave comparably to _that_ transistor, in the same general circuit, but that requires additional labour for scoping/measuring the circuit behaviour in order to identify what to tweak. Not NEARLY as straightforward as throwing a chip (with unlimited supply) into yet another Tube Screamer clone-circuit and selling it for $40.

The silicon-based Big Muff Pi is a classic sound. People have their beliefs and preferences about different "issues" of the pedal. In an interview that EHX founder Mike Matthews gave in a business magazine about 10-12 years ago, he noted that if you took 4 consecutive Big Muff pedals off the line in the '70s, they would all sound different from each other. Capacitor values have wide tolerances; wide enough that they can completely change the character of the circuit. Current production BMP units are probably pretty consistent, but what EHX was churning out 35-45 years ago relied heavily on surplus components that Matthews was able to buy cheap. The guts of one pedal would look different than the guts of another because the capacitor brand would have been changed. That's not a weakness, but much like germanium fuzzes, sometimes even silicon-based ones are not consistent in their properties across units.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> There is a higher and lower-priced version. After his custom painter Jason Myrold either left or began pondering departure, Zach started selling what he called his "Vexter" series, which did not use the custom paint job and sold for much less.


Just curious, is that this one?

ZVEX Effects - Fuzz Factory Pedal


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

jimsz said:


> Just curious, is that this one?
> 
> ZVEX Effects - Fuzz Factory Pedal


thats the one and even though I don't see as many of recent, the used ones sold for $110-150 in a lot of cases


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

I found one on Vancouver Island but it has a different paintjob. $175.

ZVEX Fat Fuzz Factory - musical instruments - by owner


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

jimsz said:


> I found one on Vancouver Island but it has a different paintjob. $175.
> 
> ZVEX Fat Fuzz Factory - musical instruments - by owner


thats the same 'Vexter' series, so its a factory paint job and he wants way too much for it, especially busted up like that.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

I also found this one for sale on the Isle as well for $140. I'm just listening to some demos of it and am impressed. It's got all kinds of tones.

EHX Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

The same guy also has this pedal for $130. Wow, what an awesome pedal. Maybe I'll hit this guy up for both.

Dunlop JHM1 Fuzz Face 70th


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

jimsz said:


> The MK1.5 was interesting and I liked the MK2. The MK3 and MK4 series were really saturated and I'm not sure if those can be dialed back, most had a number of knob options, but I was wondering if you could get the tones from the MK1 and MK2 out of them or at least dial back all that saturation?


The MK1.5 is almost identical to the Fuzz Face in terms of the circuit but the transistors are different in the two pedals which accounts for the difference in the respective flavours. Some builders offer a MK1.5 version that is simply another Fuzz Face. If you want to get something that is actually representative of the MK1.5 you will need to find one with either a set of AC125 transistors or, your best case scenario for nailing the sound, a pedal equipped with the original OC75 transistor.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

I think it was mentioned here but I would listen to the professional quality demos with a grain of salt or perhaps or the entire salt shaker. They are not trying to get an accurate portrayal of a pedal. They tend to be over-produced, very "vanilla" sounding and designed to appeal to as many players as possible. Many of them are not going to be representative of much more than a highly produced studio recording and the effect is simply a part of the production.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Arcane said:


> I think it was mentioned here but I would listen to the professional quality demos with a grain of salt or perhaps or the entire salt shaker. They are not trying to get an accurate portrayal of a pedal. They tend to be over-produced, very "vanilla" sounding and designed to appeal to as many players as possible. Many of them are not going to be representative of much more than a highly produced studio recording and the effect is simply a part of the production.


^^^this and absolutely this. these things are fun to watch but a goat farting on a drum can be made to sound good. you gotta do your own hands on demos to figure out what works


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I don't think the YT demos are _deliberately_ deceptive, just incidentally so. If you had a pedal that you really liked, either because you made it or because you spent hard-earned money on it, you'd want to show it off in the best possible light. Not unreasonable. but THAT person's amp, guitar, and mic might not replicate exactly under *your* circumstances. One good reason for being intrigued by a YT video demo, but needing to try out the pedal for yourself before plunking your money or credit card on the sales counter. On this, vadsy and I agree.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> I don't think the YT demos are _deliberately_ deceptive, just incidentally so. If you had a pedal that you really liked, either because you made it or because you spent hard-earned money on it, you'd want to show it off in the best possible light. Not unreasonable. but THAT person's amp, guitar, and mic might not replicate exactly under *your* circumstances. One good reason for being intrigued by a YT video demo, but needing to try out the pedal for yourself before plunking your money or credit card on the sales counter. On this, vadsy and I agree.


I would agree with that as well. I put 2 vids up, one for the Muff and the other the Fuzz face. The Muff vid seemed to be homemade, yet also appeared to bring out most of the tones enough to make a rational decision. If anyone watches that vid and says otherwise, I might reconsider.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Some of the best demos are right here IMHO
The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Official Lyric Video) - YouTube
Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone - Wikipedia

Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man (Official Video) - YouTube
Tone Bender - Wikipedia

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this one yet.
Long-Lost Instruments: The Zonk Machine
couldn't resist one more classic fuzz
Strawberry Alarm Clock - Incense & Peppermints 1967 - YouTube


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

mhammer said:


> I don't think the YT demos are _deliberately_ deceptive, just incidentally so.


The production of many of these demos are a giant filter. They have been EQed and polished to death.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

And even when they haven't, let us not forget the "magic" that Youtube encoding does, in addition to whatever one's home listening setup does. For instance, if I want to listen to a YT video _without_ experiencing any interruptions for buffering, I run it at 240p - the second worst rate. That tends to have a greater impact on the visual portion than the audio, but still isn't highest fidelity.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

Another issue I have is that demos of inherently noisy circuits - say the Big Muff - come out crystal clean sounding as they never "stop playing" or allow the listener to hear that a high gain MK2 pedal has some background noise when you are not actually playing.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Arcane said:


> Another issue I have is that demos of inherently noisy circuits - say the Big Muff - come out crystal clean sounding as they never "stop playing" or allow the listener to hear that a high gain MK2 pedal has some background noise when you are not actually playing.


The demo players are very quick to roll their volume off as soon as they stop playing.

Have you considered a tour box for players to try out your pedals?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

player99 said:


> The demo players are very quick to roll their volume off as soon as they stop playing.
> 
> Have you considered a tour box for players to try out your pedals?


Tour box is a great idea, that’s how I found my current fav fuzz


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Arcane said:


> I think it was mentioned here but I would listen to the professional quality demos with a grain of salt or perhaps or the entire salt shaker. They are not trying to get an accurate portrayal of a pedal. They tend to be over-produced, very "vanilla" sounding and designed to appeal to as many players as possible. Many of them are not going to be representative of much more than a highly produced studio recording and the effect is simply a part of the production.


Again though, they are somewhere to start. I don't know a single person outside of the people on this forum who can just buy 6 effects pedals at once on a whim just to try what they want. That is a legit option for people on this forum and that's fantastic for those of you who can. But I don't know anyone personally including myself who can afford to do that. So for me some of the advice people give on this forum is hilarious at times. Combine that with not everyone even having a local store to shop at. People really don't seem to get at times that not everyone is in the same position. So the videos just provide some sort of basis to start from when I've saved up enough that I can research something. I am thankful they are around personally, I just find the channels that match up with my needs and playing style and yes, take things with a grain of salt. But they are still super useful for some people.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

torndownunit said:


> Again though, they are somewhere to start. I don't know a single person outside of the people on this forum who can buy 6 effects pedals at once just to try what they want. That is a legit option for people on this forum and that's fantastic for some of you. But I don't know anyone personally including myself who can afford to do that. So for me some of the advice people give on this forum is hilarious at times. Combine that with not everyone even having a local store to shop at. People really don't seem to get at times that not everyone is in the same position. So the videos just provide some sort of basis to start from when I've saved up enough that I can research something. I am thankful they are around personally, I just find the channels that match up with my needs and playing style and yes, take things with a grain of salt. But they are still super useful for some people.


If you have a credit card it might be an option. Buy what you want to demo at the start of the card's billing cycle, try them for 1-2 weeks, return what you don't want.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

torndownunit said:


> Again though, they are somewhere to start. I don't know a single person outside of the people on this forum who can just buy 6 effects pedals at once on a whim just to try what they want. That is a legit option for people on this forum and that's fantastic for those of you who can. But I don't know anyone personally including myself who can afford to do that. So for me some of the advice people give on this forum is hilarious at times. Combine that with not everyone even having a local store to shop at. People really don't seem to get at times that not everyone is in the same position. So the videos just provide some sort of basis to start from when I've saved up enough that I can research something. I am thankful they are around personally, I just find the channels that match up with my needs and playing style and yes, take things with a grain of salt. But they are still super useful for some people.


In general, I'd agree with you. But looking at some of the pedalboards that people post pics of, and the rate that some people seem to go through guitars, amps, and pedals, there would seem to be a couple of folks, at least, who would consider the buy-6-sell-5 option. I don't _agree_ with that approach myself, but when a pedalboard is clearly worth $4k+, I think such individuals can likely afford it, or at least are willing to take on the debt.
It's a big 'ol kooky world, with lots of kooky people in it.
For the moment, I think the OP really needs to just pick one of the less-expensive "standards", play with it for a while, figure out where it's going to fit in what he normally plays or would like to play, identify what he needs more and less of, and then find a unit that does exactly that. Having a half-dozen units all at once would still leave him lost at the choicepoint.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

trying on one pair of shoes before buying isn’t going to get you a good idea of comfort as trying on 6 pairs of shoes. Try on a few pairs of shoes and fuzzes


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

For clarity's sake, what I posted about videos being over produced is not to dissuade anyone from starting the exploration process by watching videos.

My point is that many people hear the pro demo and expect to sound the same. With a pro demo, there are a million "professional" variables including studio quality production, post production and typically a professional player with high end gear. I would encourage a player to listen to an "unprofessional" demo from Joe Average on YouTube. Chances are the Average Joe sound is more in line with what the pedal sounds like in the real world.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

player99 said:


> If you have a credit card it might be an option. Buy what you want to demo at the start of the card's billing cycle, try them for 1-2 weeks, return what you don't want.


Well I guess this is not how I was brought up, when a decision is made to purchase something you pay that person and if you are not happy with it, sucks to be you.

My morales were taught to me by an old German immigrant farmer whom was my grandpa.

Not judging anyone, just my beliefs, good luck on your fuzz quest.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

MarkM said:


> Well I guess this is not how I was brought up, when a decision is made to purchase something you pay that person and if you are not happy with it, sucks to be you.
> 
> My morales were taught to me by an old German immigrant farmer whom was my grandpa.
> 
> Not judging anyone, just my beliefs, good luck on your fuzz quest.


L & M has a return policy, and there is no immoral act being perpetrated here. I bet if you told them you wanted to try the 4 pedals for a week and buy one they would gladly do it. You will have to put up the money though. This is not your grandpa's world. Credit, sales and returns are a part of the marketplace, and sellers gladly work with you. For them it's a numbers game. If you buy and return and repeat without buying anything they have software that tracks you. They will then start charging a return fee.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

mhammer said:


> In general, I'd agree with you. But looking at some of the pedalboards that people post pics of, and the rate that some people seem to go through guitars, amps, and pedals, there would seem to be a couple of folks, at least, who would consider the buy-6-sell-5 option. I don't _agree_ with that approach myself, but when a pedalboard is clearly worth $4k+, I think such individuals can likely afford it, or at least are willing to take on the debt.
> It's a big 'ol kooky world, with lots of kooky people in it.
> For the moment, I think the OP really needs to just pick one of the less-expensive "standards", play with it for a while, figure out where it's going to fit in what he normally plays or would like to play, identify what he needs more and less of, and then find a unit that does exactly that. Having a half-dozen units all at once would still leave him lost at the choicepoint.


I think you must missed my point that on _this forum_ a lot of people absolutely can afford that approach, and so they tend to recommend approaches like that at times. What I said was, outside this forum that sort of buying (buy 6, find what you like example) isn't a reality for a single player I personally know. Again, good on the people here, I am not knocking anyone's successs. But I have seen for sale ads where the gear in them combined is worth more than my possessions period. So some of the buying advice given does make me laugh bit at times. We are agreeing on the '6 pedals thing' but for different reasons.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Arcane said:


> For clarity's sake, what I posted about videos being over produced is not to dissuade anyone from starting the exploration process by watching videos.
> 
> My point is that many people hear the pro demo and expect to sound the same. With a pro demo, there are a million "professional" variables including studio quality production, post production and typically a professional player with high end gear. I would encourage a player to listen to an "unprofessional" demo from Joe Average on YouTube. Chances are the Average Joe sound is more in line with what the pedal sounds like in the real world.


Not trying to be rude as far as the terminology, but do you really think most players are ignorant the possible issues when looking at videos? I don't think they generally are personally. That's why most people I know watch dozens of videos or search for something that matches their playing scenario. I have spent hours researching a purchase. This is also how you get more people posting videos saying 'I should post how this sounds with my rig because it might interest someone' resulting in more resources. I don't think you are giving people enough credit.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Arcane said:


> For clarity's sake, what I posted about videos being over produced is not to dissuade anyone from starting the exploration process by watching videos.
> 
> My point is that many people hear the pro demo and expect to sound the same. With a pro demo, there are a million "professional" variables including studio quality production, post production and typically a professional player with high end gear. I would encourage a player to listen to an "unprofessional" demo from Joe Average on YouTube. Chances are the Average Joe sound is more in line with what the pedal sounds like in the real world.


A poorly recorded demo serves no purpose, how about a non professional doing the demo with quality recording gear to reproduce the audio as accurately as possible.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

loudtubeamps said:


> A poorly recorded demo serves no purpose, how about a non professional doing the demo with quality recording gear to reproduce the audio as accurately as possible.


I did not say "poorly recorded". All I said was highly produced / professional demos are not the best reference points in many cases as the goal is to polish the product. You can get a pretty accurate representation of a pedal with minimal setup and/or a camera phone these days.

On your second point, possibly, although a non professional player in a studio environment with quality gear seems like an unlikely demo setup for a YouTube channel. Interesting though. Do you have any examples?


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

player99 said:


> L & M has a return policy, and there is no immoral act being perpetrated here. I bet if you told them you wanted to try the 4 pedals for a week and buy one they would gladly do it.


I never thought they would do something like that, considering the 3 pedals returned could no longer be sold as new. Definitely will ask the next time I'm there. Thanks.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Arcane said:


> I did not say "poorly recorded". All I said was highly produced / professional demos are not the best reference points in many cases as the goal is to polish the product. You can get a pretty accurate representation of a pedal with minimal setup and/or a camera phone these days.
> 
> On your second point, possibly, although a non professional player in a studio environment with quality gear seems like an unlikely demo setup for a YouTube channel. Interesting though. Do you have any examples?


I think no pros with quality gear makes up probably at least 50% of this forum hahaha.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> I did not say "poorly recorded". All I said was highly produced / professional demos are not the best reference points in many cases as the goal is to polish the product. You can get a pretty accurate representation of a pedal with minimal setup and/or a camera phone these days.
> 
> On your second point, possibly, although a non professional player in a studio environment with quality gear seems like an unlikely demo setup for a YouTube channel. Interesting though. Do you have any examples?


I experienced something just like that when I was looking at an OD pedal. I saw a few home grown vids and a few pro versions, the difference was somewhat obvious. After buying the pedal, I found that it indeed sounded way more like the home grown vids and not like the pro vids. I still have that pedal and still like it a lot, a J Rockett Archer Ikon.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

RBlakeney said:


> I think no pros with quality gear makes up probably at least 50% of this forum hahaha.


Haha


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

jimsz said:


> I experienced something just like that when I was looking at an OD pedal. I saw a few home grown vids and a few pro versions, the difference was somewhat obvious. After buying the pedal, I found that it indeed sounded way more like the home grown vids and not like the pro vids. I still have that pedal and still like it a lot, a J Rockett Archer Ikon.


This has been my experience too albeit from a different perspective as someone who builds pedals. Sure, professional demo YouTube channels give you an idea of what the pedal sounds like but they polish and tailor the sound far too much for my tastes. As a builder, I want to offer more demos but hesitate in using the "professional" demos as they remove all of the warts and highlight the charms of pedals.

Like him or not, but someone like Gearmandude is probably as "mid-fi" as it gets. By no means are his demos perfect but he certainly does not polish them up and he pretty much uses the same licks and riffs in all his demos.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

Does anyone have any "Gearmandude" type YouTube channel suggestions?


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

I look at pro YouTube demos like Hollywood actors or magazine models. For their roles on screen or for a photo shoot these individuals spend weeks getting in perfect shape and then the studio enhances their look with filters and Photoshop. If you bump into the same actor or model on the street they have a few extra pounds, are wearing sweat pants and their complexion doesn't look air brushed.

I simply prefer the "real" look as opposed to the "fantasy" look. Same goes for pedal sounds.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Arcane said:


> This has been my experience too albeit from a different perspective as someone who builds pedals. Sure, professional demo YouTube channels give you an idea of what the pedal sounds like but they polish and tailor the sound far too much for my tastes. As a builder, I want to offer more demos but hesitate in using the "professional" demos as they remove all of the warts and highlight the charms of pedals.
> 
> Like him or not, but someone like Gearmandude is probably as "mid-fi" as it gets. By no means are his demos perfect but he certainly does not polish them up and he pretty much uses the same licks and riffs in all his demos.


Found his channel, thanks! Will go through it and check out his fuzz vids.

gearmanndude


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

jimsz said:


> Found his channel, thanks! Will go through it and check out his fuzz vids.
> 
> gearmanndude


And added bonus, he sounds just like Jack Black.


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Arcane said:


> I did not say "poorly recorded". All I said was highly produced / professional demos are not the best reference points in many cases as the goal is to polish the product. You can get a pretty accurate representation of a pedal with minimal setup and/or a camera phone these days.
> 
> On your second point, possibly, although a non professional player in a studio environment with quality gear seems like an unlikely demo setup for a YouTube channel. Interesting though. Do you have any examples?


I think we're on the same page here: I would want to hear an effect recorded as accurately as possible , barebones without the sweeting of delay, reverb etc. to mask or enhance.
It doesn't have to be a big production.....A decent mic. , proper mic.placement ,a good sounding amp, a guitar that's in tune and someone who can demo the effect to show its full potential. 
This guy comes to mind, no frills and gets the job done. 
Brett Kingman - YouTube
The options to be able to preview pedals and gear online is a convenient starting point. 
Agreed:technology has come along way and I'm blown away by the reproductive quality of phones these days but recording with a smartphone and even worse, listening back ,will not accurately represent pedal being tested. 



.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

loudtubeamps said:


> .


Haha. Good one! And it doesn't even mention the elaborate all analog mastering process


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Been checking out the various fuzz pedals and have decided to try out three of mains; Big Muff, Tonebender and Fuzz Face. After viewing a number of videos of various pedals, I've settled on 2 of the 3 so far. First up is a version of the Big Muff; Electro Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi. Just received this used one from a guy on Vancouver Island. Looking forward to trying it out with my new SG.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Nice. Make sure the amp is turned up, fuzz loves loud.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

vadsy said:


> Nice. Make sure the amp is turned up, fuzz loves loud.


As does the player.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I don't know about the re-issue Sovtek one, but the original EHX Deluxe Big Muff was an op-amp Big Muff, and a Soul Preacher compressor, in parallel. Going by the panel controls, they've added a few features. Whether the internals are similar to the original is a whole other matter. You can read up more about the original here: https://hammer.ampage.org/files/Device1-7.PDF


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

mhammer said:


> I don't know about the re-issue Sovtek one, but the original EHX Deluxe Big Muff was an op-amp Big Muff, and a Soul Preacher compressor, in parallel. Going by the panel controls, they've added a few features. Whether the internals are similar to the original is a whole other matter. You can read up more about the original here: https://hammer.ampage.org/files/Device1-7.PDF


Link doesn't work for me...


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Works for me. Maybe remove the s on https.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

mhammer said:


> I don't know about the re-issue Sovtek one, but the original EHX Deluxe Big Muff was an op-amp Big Muff, and a Soul Preacher compressor, in parallel. Going by the panel controls, they've added a few features. Whether the internals are similar to the original is a whole other matter.


I watched a couple vids to hear the tones and really liked several of them, then watched a reviewer go through the controls and how each one affects the signal. Got to say, there's a whole lot of variety in this one box.


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## Boogieman (Apr 6, 2009)

mhammer said:


> Works for me. Maybe remove the s on https.


This is what I got when I tried to access the page with Google Chrome. Tried on both Google Chrome and Firefox (both latest versions), even with the "s" removed from "https":

*This site can’t provide a secure connection*
*hammer.ampage.org* uses an unsupported protocol.

ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH

The Ampage site home page loaded up fine, but not all of the linked pages worked from there. All returned with the same SSL error issue.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Hmm, I'm using Firefox with no particular mods or specialized options selected, and the link goes straight to the document for me. I don't know why that is. Apologies for the wild goose chase. Here's the unit the link was talking about.








And here's the schematic for that same unit:








The signal splits after that first A1 stage, going to the op-amp Big Muff and the Soul Preacher at the same time. Point "B" provides a buffered output (i.e., no true bypass, despite outward appearances) that the "Fuzz Out" footswitch can select. The "Blend" slide-switch at the rear lets you link both the Big Muff and Soul Preacher outputs, mixed together, to the same output. The document I tried to link to has an article from 1979, by Thomas Henry, on how to convert the unit from parallel to series (compressor into fuzz).


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Next up, this one just arrived today, sent from one of our esteemed members who made an offer I couldn't refuse; Arcane Analog Tonebender MKII. This is the one I'm really forward to trying. I haven't yet found a Fuzz Face pedal I like, but the hunt continues.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

One of my favorite ways to approach fuzz is with a bridge pickup tone rolled all the way down. Get some reverb or delay on that baby and you’ll in face searing heaven


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

vadsy said:


> One of my favorite ways to approach fuzz is with a bridge pickup tone rolled all the way down. Get some reverb or delay on that baby and you’ll in face searing heaven


HB, SC, or other?


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

jimsz said:


> ...this one just arrived today]


Finally. 

Enjoy, let us know if it's "the one".


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

mhammer said:


> HB, SC, or other?


all of them


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

I just received this Shoneswood Shralp fuzz I got a nice deal on as really my first dive into fuzz.

I love it so far. It’s a fuzz face circuit I’m told. Most of his housing are made out of used skateboard decks but not this one.

Still playing around but have gotten lots of useable stuff out of it so far. Guy was outstanding to deal with and sent a bunch of goodies w the pedal as well. Next for me will be an Arcane Analog once I free some more cash.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

The JHS Muffeletta

The Big Muff fuzz has been around so long, been on so many classic recordings, and been through so many variations that every guitarist out there has a favourite version of its iconic tone. JHS wanted to pay tribute to that undeniably classic fuzz pedal, but we couldn't come to a consensus about which Muff was king. With the Muffuletta, our indecision is your gain.

We crammed five all-analog re-creations of the pedal's most beloved tones into this box. We even threw in a JHS-exclusive tone that is our take on the historic stomp. No matter what Big Muff era you prefer, you can get 'em all in the JHS Muffuletta fuzz pedal.

*Five tones inspired by these classic Big Muffs:*

*JHS - "2015"*
The JHS Muff is a JHS original take on the classic circuit. You will find this version more powerful and less compressed, with a more haunting midrange. It is also the best for bass guitar.

*'73 Rams Head - 1973-1977 V2*
Scooped midrange, less gain, and darker.

*The Triangle - "1969-1970 V1"*
More low-end response while being more articulate.

*The Pi - "1977-1978 V3" *
Features a more aggressive sound.

*The Russian - "1999-2009 V8"*
Sports less clarity and less low end than other models. A great garage-type sound.

*The Civil War - "1991-1993 V7"*
Best known for having more midrange and having a brighter overall tone with less gain.

With a pedal so stuffed with tasty tones you will have a hard time needing anything else to curb your appetite. This pedal requires standard 9V DC Negative power, consumes less than 100mA, and measures 2.2"x4.8"x1.6".


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Have been playing both pedals for a couple days now. I'm impressed with the Electro Harmonix Sovtek Deluxe Big Muff Pi, this pedal produces a wide range of great fuzz tones on tap with it's multiple set of controls, with the Mids stomp adding another option while playing. Great pedal.

Unfortunately, the Arcane Analog Tonebender MKII was a disappointment. Whether engaged or not, the pedal was noisy with both crackling and hum noises if the strings were not grounded by my hands using either single or double coil pickups, unlike the Big Muff which was dead quiet. I found the Bias control to be somewhat useless as the pedal seemed to cut in and out if turned to either side of the control. Upon playing a note or chord, the volume would drop and then suddenly come back again within a second, making this annoying for any kind of normal play-ability. The Fuzz control was very difficult to turn around the 12 oclock position and only loosened up if the nut holding in place was just hand tightened. I have been informed by Arcane that this pot is most likely damaged and needs replacing. It is unknown whether or not this pot may be causing other issues with the pedal.

At this time, I am probably looking at a repair and hoping that the repair will fix all the other issues, but unfortunately the electronics stores are closed and I will probably have to purchase online. Arcane has offered to fix the pedal, but with the cost of shipping back and forth across Canada and the cost of the repair may not make it worthwhile. I'll have to think about this one.

Both pedals were purchased used and did not come from the manufacturers.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

Great review! Haha

I am certainly happy to repair it. I would also suggest determining if Canada Post may have had something to do with the damage.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

@jimsz you should send that thing back to me and I'll refund. That's ridiculous, I had no idea. I tried it and within an hour or two knew it didn't do anything I didn't already have. Nowhere near the problems you are having though. Or get it fixed and I will refund that portion if less than the purchase price.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

I build these incredibly durable - especially tagboard builds - so there has been some physical damage along the line. 

I do not even average one pedal repair per year. 

Canada Post may have had some shipping misfortune.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

jimsz said:


> ...very difficult to turn.


I would have noticed this. As would the forum member that I bought it from. It worked fine for both him and I. Something happened.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

KapnKrunch said:


> I would have noticed this. As would the forum member that I bought it from. It worked fine for both him and I. Something happened.


He is well aware as I explained something similar to him as well. I think it somewhat strange that he "reviewed" a damaged pedal. Anyway.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Arcane said:


> He is well aware as I explained something similar to him as well. I think it somewhat strange that he "reviewed" a damaged pedal. Anyway.


No intention to doubt the buyer. I have seen the pictures. I am just super disappointed that my first sale on the forum went bad. Nothing but good vibes from Jim so far on my end.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

I am not sure what you mean by doubting him.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Is it time to jump to conclusion,. I say I think so


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Gentlemen, no need to rush to defensive mode. I've made no accusations or laid blame on anyone, I've merely shared an experience with a piece of used gear which is normal for this forum. Whether the experience was positive or negative, it should not cast doubt on anyone's reputation, integrity or the products. I'm sure many here know Arcane puts out quality pedals, there should no doubt about that. That fact that this particular pedal has some issues should in no way change ones mind to believe they're not quality.

Further to that, notwithstanding the quality of Arcane's products, there may very well be folks who absolutely hate them for one reason or another, but we all know the fact is, you can't please everyone. As for myself, I've heard his pedals on vids and loved them, even though I've never been a big fan of fuzz pedals. I've seen all of the pictures of his builds here and his work appears to be impeccable.

As far as the pedal being shipped, it was carefully wrapped multiple times in bubble wrap and then surrounded by crumpled newspaper, the box itself did not have a mark on it. That said, I'm no expert on potentiometers and how they can withstand shipping, so at this point, it's all speculation. Perhaps, if it were opened up and an expert could tell the pot was damaged as a result of shipping, then that would be the conclusive evidence.

So, fear not lads, I'll get through this and hope you do too.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

Just ship it back. I will fix it. Problem solved!


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

That's right Jim. Thanks.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Arcane said:


> I am not sure what you mean by doubting him.


I just meant I have seen a pic of the offending pot and I believe it's a problem of some kind, even though it was fine here. If I had noticed anything wrong I could have returned it, because the forum member I traded with is less than an hour away.


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

The Analogman Astrotone is a great starting point fuzz, can get overdriven tones if you roll the fuzz back !


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Well know you went and did it, it's NPD for me!

I picked up a Big Muff Rams Head reissue cheap off Kijji.

Should I put this in my overdrive chain of my pedal board?


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

MarkM said:


> Should I put this in my overdrive chain of my pedal board?


Congrats on the fuzz bud! 
Order? I put mine first. Before any of the buffered pedals. Wah, fuzz, compressor, ect.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

I currently run into Wah, compressor and then over drives into amp input, all modulation runs through effects loop.

Big Gilmour fan and utube sold me on this fuzz.

No I am not expecting to sound like him when I plug into this, next quest in an analog delay.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

MarkM said:


> I currently run into Wah, compressor and then over drives into amp input, all modulation runs through effects loop.
> 
> Big Gilmour fan and utube sold me on this fuzz.
> 
> No I am not expecting to sound like him when I plug into this, next quest in an analog delay.


I got an alter ego in a trade recently and definitely some Gilmour in it and they can be had for not much cause they look like dog doo but i think it’s a great pedal. For a budget guitarist like myself anyway.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Ok, I got the six pedals but forgot the second part.



http://imgur.com/lw3W86p


I'm late to this thread. 

Seems like you're well on your way, welcome to the rabbit hole.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

bzrkrage said:


> Congrats on the fuzz bud!
> Order? I put mine first. Before any of the buffered pedals. Wah, fuzz, compressor, ect.


Tried this and found it added noise to the compressor, granted I have a noisy compressor.

Didn't know I needed a fuzz until this thread, I think I picked the right one for from all the suggestion and leads.

Fuzz on dudes and dudettes!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Few compressors are noisy. Rather, they simply do as they are told, and treat hiss in the input signal, when you stop playing, as soft strumming that _desperately_ needs a gain boost. Boosted input hiss ends up sounding like the compressor itself is noisy.

That's why, from a _musical_ viewpoint, one can get some interesting things by sticking a compressor later in the signal chain, but from a "signal hygiene" viewpoint, compressors should generally go at the start of your pedal chain, since every pedal leading up to it contributes a bit of cumulative hiss (high-gain pedals even more). Note, as well, that all overdrives, distortions, and fuzzes will reduce the dynamic range which compressors require to do what they do. So, sticking a compressor after any sort of clipping pedal is not only noisier in most instances, but also makes the compressor's action on dynamics pretty superfluous and barely audible.


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## amesburymc (May 14, 2006)

I was more of a fuzz hater ended up with more fuzz pedals than I need lol. I love how it can go from overdrive to crazy buzz with a volume knob. It is not easy to get a good tone as it’s sensitive to so many things but once you find your spot, it’s pretty tough to stop playing.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

amesburymc said:


> It is not easy to get a good tone as it’s sensitive to so many things but once you find your spot, it’s pretty tough to stop playing.


This is a huge factor that folks who are new to fuzz very often fail to understand. Many fuzz circuits - especially germanium based designs - are not like a distortion or overdrive pedal when you can plug in and play pretty easily. There are many variables that can completely change the way a fuzz pedal sounds and behaves. Placement in your chain and/or interaction with other pedals is a big one. The amplifier you use, the power supply you have, the temperature of the room and your playing style can all have dramatic results on your tone and experience with an effect. There is a learning curve with fuzz and a player must put in time and effort if they want quality results.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Arcane said:


> This is a huge factor that folks who are new to fuzz very often fail to understand. Many fuzz circuits - especially germanium based designs - are not like a distortion or overdrive pedal when you can plug in and play pretty easily. There are many variables that can completely change the way a fuzz pedal sounds and behaves. Placement in your chain and/or interaction with other pedals is a big one. *The amplifier you use, the power supply you have, the temperature of the room and your playing style can all have dramatic results on your tone and experience with an effect.* There is a learning curve with fuzz and a player must put in time and effort if they want quality results.


I find the guitar I play, and the gain of the pickups, is one of the biggest factors. If I switch from an LP to a Tele to a Gretsch, the settings have to be rejigged to suit each guitar and get the most out of the fuzz.


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

Once you do get the fuzz dialed in it is heavenly.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

I found it easy to dial in the Ram's Head, started with everything at 12:00 and tapered the volume back and tone and drive forward slowly.

I tried it before and after a compressor and didn't like either, decided I don't need compression as it does that itself. I have a Digitech delay set to one bounce that really made it sing. The wah ahead of it was outstanding.


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

Arcane said:


> There are many types of fuzz flavours available and most are not as simple to use as an overdrive or distortion pedal. Even the simple Fuzz Face circuit is not an easy pedal to dial in for many people. Take your time and after you identify what kind of fuzz you are interested in you need to sort it out with your rig.
> 
> One thing many players do not understand is that you really need to learn how to use a fuzz. It is not as simple as plugging in and sounding like Hendrix. You cannot expect a germanium based fuzz pedal to sound good unless you know where to place it in your chain, have a decent tube amp to pair with it and learn how to set the pedal up and operate it. Again, fuzz may sound simple but there are far more variables to learn than with a standard OD pedal. Hell, just the use of your guitar's volume knob with a Fuzz has a bit of a learning curve. Learning how to properly use a fuzz pedal is a very important step in the process.


once you learn how to use it, especially with volume, it becomes something so very different. It would be my desert island drive pedal without a doubt.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I find with most fuzz. more than any other effect, that the controls are really interactive with each other.

I have two fuzz on the big board and lately have been stacking them, another level of fun.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

sulphur said:


> I find with most fuzz. more than any other effect, that the controls are really interactive with each other.
> 
> I have two fuzz on the big board and lately have been stacking them, another level of fun.


I like your style sulphur!


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## Dknez93 (May 29, 2020)

Maybe start off with a fuzz face, they’re the easiest to get into with a ton of recreations on the market


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

This is a great recommendation. My fuzz journey has been the opposite, I started with a few super wild fuzz pedals, and now finally trying a fuzz face tuned for bass.

Canadian builder, check. Bias knob, check. Lovely clean up when rolling off the bass guitar's volume, check. Rangemaster boost just a click away, check.






Dknez93 said:


> Maybe start off with a fuzz face, they’re the easiest to get into with a ton of recreations on the market


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

This has been a fun thread to read as I love the fuzziness! Sadly my EHX Bass BigMuff (I use it for guitar) has been acting up for a while so I've had to pull it off of my board. 

I'll have to look for something else (oh darn...lol!) or perhaps open it up and spray it with some contact cleaner or something like that.

Anyway, OP, hopefully your search for fuzz has been fruitful and fun!


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

johnnyshaka said:


> This has been a fun thread to read as I love the fuzziness! Sadly my EHX Bass BigMuff (I use it for guitar) has been acting up for a while so I've had to pull it off of my board.


Could be a simple fix!


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## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

Arcane said:


> Could be a simple fix!


Perhaps. I'll open it up one of these days to see what's inside and that will likely generate a new thread.


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