Roger Mayer Classic Fuzz

[Guest]

looking fro a similar or better fuzz, if you ever used one of these for an extended period of time you know what im talking about

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Roger Mayer Classic Fuzz

The Classic Fuzz is more or less a Fuzz Face with Rogers tweaks.

I love Fuzz Faces but truth be told the RM Classic is one of my least fav FF's out there...

It's hard to go wrong with the AnalogMan Sunface or the BMF Ge Spot 2 plus Dunlop now has 4 different Fuzz Faces out there all 4 of which are good.

Outside of those I'd be looking at Hartman, MJM, Oxfuzz or Creepy Fingers.

[Kostas]

Re: Roger Mayer Classic Fuzz

looking fro a similar or better fuzz...

Check this http://www.jampedals.com/fuzz-phrase/ if you like germanium fuzzes.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Roger Mayer Classic Fuzz

A fuzz face is such a simple circuit so you really notice subtle component changes. A good one is a wonderful thing to work with because they interact so well with your guitar controls and become an integral part of your axe/amp sound combination. I leave mine on pretty much 24/7 to get all manner of clean and dirty sounds on tap right at my fingertips. MOre modern complex circuits that have all manner of controls or have been designed to work well with buffers and other circuits seem to lose something of the complexity of sound, harmonic presence and organic response. Fuzz faces can be really finicky, but you can get great results with patience and a "less is more" philosophy. I've found that a fuzz face gives up all its best sounds if there is literally nothing else in the signal chain. If you want you fuzz to play nice with wah's, overdrives or anything else, then a classic fuzz face may not be the best option, but if you really embrace the minimalist approach then a good fuzz will pay you back in spades.

http://www.hartmanpedals.com/#!portfolio

Ive been using the nkt275 version of the germ fuzz for many years, but have recently switched to the silicon version because it sounds more defined and is more predictable for live use. One thing about germanium (as TGWIF will agree) is that the really sweet ones are quite sensetive to temperature changes, so a bias control is really useful (analogman pedals have this as an option). I know the classic fuzz has one on the inside.
A lot of purists prefer germanium over silicon as it has a warmer top end and it is a lot more sensetive to the volume and tone knobs on your guitar, but both types of fuzzfaces have their advantages and disadvantages. Its hard to say which type will suit your purposes better until you use both. I guess thats why Dunlop offer 4 types of fuzzfaces - 2 germanium and 2 silicon - even tho they are all really the same circuit with only a few component changes.
Jimi hendrix swapped to silicon during his career, but everybody knows how cool his first two albums sound, so its pretty near impossible to pick "the best" fuzz sound. You'll need to experiment a little and see what works best for you.
IN terms of mayer pedals, the classic is close to the sound of the germanium fuzz faces on Hendrix first two records, and the axis is closer to the sound on axis bold as love etc.
I know there are many more users of fuzz than Jimi Hendrix, and i know players use many more types of axes than a strat etc, but he's a good frame of reference - especially as you mentioned the mayer in your original post. Different fuzzfaces suit different pickup and amp combinations better or worse depending on context.

p.s. I installed the roger mayer hendrix modifications on my NKT275, but after a couple of years in that comnfiguration ive reverted to stock. More gain is not a priority for me (i mainly use a 335) but a good workable cleanup is really useful.