Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

"Nobody is covered for fuzz!" :D


Recommended Posts

"Nobody is covered for fuzz!" :D

 

There are so many varieties and variables in the fuzz universe- and that's not limited to pedals(!)- that one can always find something different-in-a-good and possibly even useful way that could be added to their arsenal.

 

I've begun to put a dent in that, particularly in the arena of octave fuzzes; I've got at least five, and will very likely obtain at least two or three more in time, I've already got my sights set on specific targets... Each of mine have their differences- some in being octave-up, octave-down, even two-octaves-down, ALL in character and responsiveness and potential application. The guitar's volume and tone controls and ones "touch" all figure mightily here, as well.

 

Sometimes, going straight into a clean amp. Often, into an overdriven amp. And also, quite a bit of the time, stacked into other overdrive, distortion, and even other fuzz pedals. ESPECIALLY when starting with an octave-fuzz in such a chain.

 

Dannyalcatraz, you need to acquire a Foxrox Octron, and a Fulltone Octafuzz! Once you have, yours will be the loudest voice to say that I was RIGHT. :rawk::thu::cool: From thence, you'll likely move on to stomps such as the Lastgasp Art Laboratories Octavella, and the rebooted current sequel to the venerable Mu-Tron Octave Divider. I know that you've already got what, a Catalinbread Perseus (very Blue Box inspired?) and... was there another, octave-UP fuzz of some kind in your court... ? But, YOU NEED to experience and deploy octave-up Octavia/Octavio and fOXX Tone Machine stylees, I assure you indubitably. (The Octafuzz and the Octron's Octave-Up Fuzz, respectively, will more than satisfy those needs.) Stack either of these into some of your other drive pedalry and lookout!!

 

I have maybe... uhmn... three 'standard' fuzzes... that is, NON-'octave-fuzz' fuzzes, not counting the Octafuzz, which does double-duty there, with its two-way "Octa"/"Fuzz" selector-switch to toggle between- and quite admirably, I'll add, it's fuzz minus the octave-up is OUTSTANDING... I suppose that my MXR Blue Box is more or less a 'standard fuzz' with its sub-octave (TWO-octaves down!!) section dialed-out, albeit a very heavily-fuzzed, nearly synth-like buzz of a fuzz as such... Butt, I digress...

 

I've got a Fulltone '69, an improved, enhanced, maybe even perfected take on the classic germanium-transistor Fuzz Face of yore (mine, 'n' airbuddies ;) ) which is wonderfully dynamically touch-sensitive and "cleans-up" like a Champ (thanks, Leo! :D ).

 

I've also got a fantastic VFE Fiery Red Horse (V1, THE very LAST V1 made), which is a very delightfully versatile high-quality, low-noise update on the famous and coveted Electro-Harmonix "triangle era" Big Muff Pi. Run on 18v and with its Sustain and Power controls dimed, it turns in a Smashing impersonation of the currently craved but once abhorred V4/V5 "Op-Amp"/"IC" Big Muff Pi carpet-munchers. Reined-in a bit, it's right on the Money in Time for Gilmourish tones. ( ;) Forgive me!! :D ) I would really like to get a V2 VFE FRH underfoot, as they're supposed to be more dynamically-responsive to knob and touch adjustments...

 

I've got a rather low/mid gainish, mildly fuzzy Danelectro D-7 FAB Fuzz, which is almost a somewhat fuzzy low/medium-gain overdrive, as opposed to what one expects at the mention of "fuzz". I don't get a lot of use out of it, yet something tells me to hold on to it, that it'll prove to be 'just the thing' for some use someday, most likely in a stacking scenario...

 

 

I think that's it, other than the reminder of my small swarm of octave-up honey-buzzers unmentioned above; I'd better get on that and get some more... :D:thu:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites



Thank you for starting this thread! I may be one of the most fuzz-addicted players out there. I literally do not know how many I have, only that I do not gave all the ones I want. VIVA LA FUZZ!

 

Well, I DO know I only have one true octave-fuzz...so far.: the Catalinbread Perseus:

[video:youtube]

 

Besides your Octron & Octofuzz, Im looking at the Octopussy and yes, the Octavella.

 

I own an AntiCthon too. :D Definitely in the top 5 oddest pedals I own.

[video:youtube]

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried a fuzz pedal a long time ago in the 60's and again in the 70's. Never bonded with them however, so I have not used one ever since, and from the sound of those samples above, I am not impressed for my tonal needs.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried a fuzz pedal a long time ago in the 60's and again in the 70's. Never bonded with them however, so I have not used one ever since, and from the sound of those samples above, I am not impressed for my tonal needs.

 

 

Well, theyre not for everyone, true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...yes they are... ;)

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody tried any of these?

 

www.stompunderfoot.com

I know of them, but not personally. Had them bookmarked for a while now. But even crazy people like me have limitations.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody tried any of these?

 

www.stompunderfoot.com

 

I haven't had the pleasure of trying out any of those, but they seem to have a very good reputation, and I find a few of their models to be interesting...

 

I tried a fuzz pedal a long time ago in the 60's and again in the 70's. Never bonded with them however, so I have not used one ever since, and from the sound of those samples above, I am not impressed for my tonal needs.

 

I can understand that. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if you tried, say, a Fulltone '69, based on and improved upon the late '60s vintage germanium-transistor Fuzz Faces, going into your favorite overdrive/distortion pedal, and finding "sweet spots" with your guitar's volume-knob, and you found something to like there... My favorite way to use a fuzz is into an overdriven/distorted tube-amp or an overdrive/distortion pedal.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some others I own Ive mentioned in the past:

 

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]

 

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWnAKQr1sY4

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuzz was my first love, as far as Guitar effects go. Bought my first Big Muff at Manny's in NYC, 1973/74? That one is long gone, but I still have a full-size NYC Big Muff that my wife got me as a birthday present, quite some time ago.

 

Because I use so much signal processing, I try to run a very clean Amp tone, and I tend to use Fuzz for Sustain, with the Volume & Sustain knobs dialed back to where I can hit a note and lean on it, but my Amp doesn't sputter and cough when I play.

 

Right now, I have more Fuzz pedals & variants than any other type of OD/Distortion, and some of them are true Anarchy boxes, Fuzz w/Ring Mod, Fuzz w/Oscillator, Fuzz w/Glitch Delay, Fuzzes with Starve & Choke controls. The crazier, edgier ones get used as needed, but the Mojo Hand Iron Bell (Muff-like, if not a Muff clone) and the Subdecay Harmonic Antagonizer (Zappa-esque Fuzz with Oscillator & Filter) are fixtures on my current pedalboard. The Iron Bell gives me that "Violin-like Sustain" promos for the Muff used to describe. To my ears, the Subdecay is very similar to Zappa's mid-80's tone, if you set it just right . . . my wife, OTOH, who has a good ear for these things, said it sounded like a Fuzz designed by Keith Emerson. Not bad, either way.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dannyalcatraz and Winston Psmith- I think that maybe the two of you are fairly well covered for fuzz... ! :crazy:

 

I still thing- ehrr, think- that you'd both rrrrreeeaaaallllly dig the Foxrox Octron, and very much enjoy the Fulltone Octafuzz.

 

However-

 

HOW did I not know about the rebirth of Shin-ei... ??!!

 

Did you know?!

 

____

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Caevan - Hadn't heard about this? I notice that some of the pedals are U.S.-made, too. Very likely some enthusiasts bought the rights to the name.

 

I do recall there was one particularly nasty vintage Shin-Ei Fuzz that you admired, and IIRC, it was revived as the EQD Terminal Fuzz.

 

Question on Octave-Fuzz effects - I had a Voodoo Lab Proctavia for a short time, and could not get anything I liked out of it. However, I did notice a tendency, if that's the right word; most of the players who favored Octave-Fuzz effects were using SC's or P90's. Conversely, many of the British Prog Guitarists I listen to played Gibsons and used Treble Boosters. Maybe an Octave-Fuzz just doesn't go with my rig, or the way I play?

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

____

_. :rawk::crazy: Oh, hi! :D:wave:

 

I do recall there was one particularly nasty vintage Shin-Ei Fuzz that you admired, and IIRC, it was revived as the EQD Terminal Fuzz.

 

The EQD Terminal Fuzz is one of a few reincarnations of the Shin-ei Companion Fuzz/JAX Fuzz Master Unit stomps, and sure looks to be an excellent one.

 

Not to be corksnifferentially snobbish, but the lamentedly lost JAX of my youth just happened to be a rare germanium-transistor version, and was easily the sickest paint-stripping sand-blaster of a fuzz I've ever had the pleasure of. I believe that most- all?- of the various Companion/Fuzz Master-based stomps currently out there are of the silicon-transistor variety. I'm guessing that my JAX may also have been of an unusually high gain or mis-matched transistors or... Iddunno. It was just ill. I strongly desire another that so abrasively breathes and pumps like a fizzed-out compressor with harmonic chimes and squeals just leaping out at a touch of the strings, like the one I had; this just may require a custom-made-to-order cheese-wedge of intense wrongness. Not to turn up my nose at the good works of fine sonic perverts, I just rrreeeaallllly want that twisted sick sound that is scratched into my memory... !

 

Question on Octave-Fuzz effects - I had a Voodoo Lab Proctavia for a short time, and could not get anything I liked out of it. However, I did notice a tendency, if that's the right word; most of the players who favored Octave-Fuzz effects were using SC's or P90's. Conversely, many of the British Prog Guitarists I listen to played Gibsons and used Treble Boosters. Maybe an Octave-Fuzz just doesn't go with my rig, or the way I play?

 

For what it's worth, personally, I really enjoy running my Les Paul's rather hot, ceramic-magnet humbuckers through my various octave-fuzzes, though I usually adjust the guitar's volume-knobs this way and that to please my ears and fingers with said pedals. Fenderish single-coils and P-90 "soap-bars" as well when I have fed them through octave-fuzzes. Used as such, varying knobs and "touch", I haven't found a particular bias there... As they say, "Your Mileage May Vary".

 

It's worth noting that, between being based on the fOXX Tone Machine to begin with, and having some specific circuit additions and internal trim-pots and switches to tailor the response and sound, the Foxrox Octron's Octave-Up Fuzz is very consistent over a greater range of the fretboard and picking-hand "touch", certainly much more so than the more typical Octavia/Octavio based octave-fuzz pedals out there, even the best of 'em. And then there's the Direct blend, and Octave-Down Fuzz... Spend some time with one, including the manual and internal controls, and you'll see and hear what I mean! :crazy::cool:

 

1) no, I hadn�t heard about the rebirth of Shin-ei!

 

2) I don�t know that I�ve tried my Perseus with a HB. Hmmmm...

 

As is often the case, the more traditionally expected "classic" Blue Box type sub-octave sounds (like in "Fool in the Rain"- probably played on a Fender, though, as far as I know) will most likely come about using the guitar's neck-pickup and playing in high registers, whether humbuckers or single-coils are employed.

 

Same with Octavia/Octavio and fOXX Tone Machine style octave-up fuzzes. At least, that's been my experience. Though I have also often found much to love about bridge-pickup assaults through such octave-fuzzes; one just doesn't get as much of the expected octave-overtones, especially with octave-up types. Sometimes riffing with the bridge-'bucker through Octron octave-up AND octave-down fuzz into Plexitube or other such grindy biting overdrive/distortion, with a bit of "English" on my picking-hand "touch", is highly satisfying...

 

:rawk:

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not exactly a Fuzz - hell, it's not exactly anything identifiable - but my Catalinbread Heliotrope arrived this afternoon. Very nice, used but very well cared-for. Part Fuzz, part Ring Mod, part gawd-knows-what. When the folks from Catalinbread originally came up with it, they didn't even try to print a Manual for it, just wished everyone luck figuring it out.

 

Long hot day today, out working in my garden, so I'll plug in tomorrow - after I get back from landscaping work. Wish me luck, friends, we've got Heat Advisories coming my way.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New from Walrus Audio.

 

https:// www.premierguitar.com/articles/29119-walrus-audio-unveils-the-kangra-filter-fuzz

That one sounds fairly nice........

 

I really would have liked to hear it by itself, though. At the beginning of the video, the Guitarist is pumping the Wah-Wah pedal, and I'm not sure how much, or how little, the Keyboard is contributing to the overall sound, either? Let's see someone like Andy from Reverb (formerly the ProGuitarShop video guy) demo this, so we really know what it does.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

New from Walrus Audio.

 

https:// www.premierguitar.com/articles/29119-walrus-audio-unveils-the-kangra-filter-fuzz

That one sounds fairly nice........

 

I really would have liked to hear it by itself, though. At the beginning of the video, the Guitarist is pumping the Wah-Wah pedal, and I'm not sure how much, or how little, the Keyboard is contributing to the overall sound, either? Let's see someone like Andy from Reverb (formerly the ProGuitarShop video guy) demo this, so we really know what it does.

From your lips...errr...keyboard to God"s ears!

 

[video:youtube]

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now, the next fuzz I will want to get- and it won't be too soon, I won't be able to afford shopping for one for a while- will be specifically for placing after my VFE BumbleBee volume-swell/optical-compressor and/or Rockman RV-1 Volume* pedals, for fuzz that is initially somewhat "cleaned-up" and then rapidly more fuzzier, following the onset and envelope of each volume-swelled note. So, it will have to be a euzz-pedal that will play nicely with another pedal in front of it- in-between the guitar and the fuzz- and be dynamically responsive enough to noticeably "clean-up" with lower volume input... dig?

 

Potential candidates so far seem to be the EQD Erupter and the Blackhawk Amplifiers Valhalla Fuzz, both of which use a transformer or coil effectively as a "dummy" pickup simulation to mitigate the impact of having other pedals between them and the guitar's pickups...

 

 

*("Rockman" from Michalik Design/Czech Republic, nothing to do with Tom Scholz' co. or products) :crazy:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Iddunno, I'm a little leery- d' ya think I might be alright with an octave fuzz... ?! :D:thu:

 

Thanks, Dannyalcatraz; very interesting...

 

Now, that led me to another Wren & Cuff fuzz pedal on their 'site, the Irkella Manifest Fuzz- which, by its description, seems very much fitted to the requirements of my mission-statement...

 

A low noise floor and wide gain range lets you dial in anything from synthy precision to a warm drive that will push your tube amp over the top.

 

The Irkalla has also been designed to have the elusive combination of dynamics via the guitar's volume and tone knobs, yet no sensitivity to buffered pedals before or after it. Stick it wherever you want in the chain, and it'll be just fine.

 

__________________ Wren and Cuff Irkalla Manifest Fuzz

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

Link to comment
Share on other sites

kev, don't get too hung up on brand name bullshit.

several of the pedals you're paying too much for are virtually identical circuits electronically, and can be had for 50-100 or less in "chinese" versions on ebay n shit.

the bluebox is more of a phase locked loop than a fuzz per se. pll's are a pain in the ass to design with. god, i hate them things.

the fulltone 69 is just a fuzzface. it has a PRESET volume loss, which you can accomplish with your guitar knobs alone. last i checked, silicon, not ge. its not really an improvement, just easier for guys to dial it in without using their guitar as part of the equation.

 

ya'll would be surprised how much of the marketing hype shite ya'll believe to be just bunk-mojo, as so so soooooo many of these "must-have" circuits are virtually the same inside.

 

basically these days, its a

 

fuzz face

or

tonebender.... almost the same thing

 

or

a big muff.... literally thousands of variants

 

or a tube screamer.... even MORE variants from all the others. those 4 basic circuits cover about 99% of the whole fuzz world thats out there. one component change and people call it original.

mostly they take old circuits, make a couple minor part value changes and "tweak" them to lean toward a specific tonality. its pretty easy.

fuck, if i can do it....

 

as for shin ei? you REALLY wanna pay inflated vintage prices NEW for shit that's #1 selling point is nostalgia? do ya really wanna spend 400 bux on a superfuzz when you can get literally the same circuit for 39.95 shipped?

 

the amount of disinformation and obscurities and downright misleading information people sling is ridiculous. i used to hang on every word in reviews by GP here for years... and now realize a lot of it was byzzword bullshit.

 

if ya REALLY love fuzz, get yourself a breadboard and cook your own up. its easy, and you'll find you may enjoy building your own, rather than paying insane money for literally less than 40 bux worth of parts.

 

devil's advocate here.

 

fuzz on ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am both respectful and jealous of your skills.

 

I generally don"t want to pay more than I have to, but I am not exactly handy. Give me pencil and paper, I can design a logo or jewelry. Give me a knife and a pan, you will love the dinner you get.

 

Give me a soldering Iron, make sure you have a fire extinguisher.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am both respectful and jealous of your skills.

 

I generally don"t want to pay more than I have to, but I am not exactly handy. Give me pencil and paper, I can design a logo or jewelry. Give me a knife and a pan, you will love the dinner you get.

 

Give me a soldering Iron, make sure you have a fire extinguisher.

 

Much the same here. I'm a skilled End User, not a Maker. Part of why I developed my skills as a bargain hunter, as well.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...