Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

[Falloffthebonetone]

I don't see this many places but with fuzz in particular I've noticed a lot of battery purists.

Does this make a substantial difference in the sound? Even between different kinds of batteries?

What do you prefer and why?

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

Depending on the fuzz... Yes this can make a huge difference. Even the type of battery like a newer alkaline has a different sound from dollar store leak if you leave them in too long batteries. In my experience with my sun face is that the best tone is a cheesy ever ready classic battery thats been used for an hour or 2. Then its good for about 3 hours after that the tone changes again and it gets mushy and indistinct.. A new like duracell will last a lot longer but has a harshness to the sound that doesnt change until the battery is almost dead, at that point the pedal just starts to fart. To me using the power supply with it sounds like a fresh new alkaline battery. If you want that harsher fuzz its ok but if you want the soft wooly hendrixy fuzz tones its not so good.

When I was using this pedal as a regular part of my rig i would buy batteries in bulk and the during band practice wear them in then put them in my guitar case and swap in the good ones for use at gigs.

On the flip side of this my other fuzz is a cheesy but way under rated DOD FX52 and that thing... its all the same it does a good big muff imitation but it couldnt care less about batteries or power supplies.

hell my sun face starts to sound like crap if its left in the car too long

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

I use a power supply with my early 2000's true bypass NYC made Big Muff Pi. It sounds great.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

Basically what Edgecrusher said. Some pedals (like a Big Muff) don't seem to care, while other fuzzes (particularly germanium) can be very particular about batteries. In general I agree about a power supply, but if you have one with sag voltage (like a PP2+) dropping the voltage a bit can help with the harshness.

The only fuzzes I use frequently are a Home Brew UFO, a Wren & Cuff Pickle Pie B, and a Russian Big Muff, none of which seem to care.

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

Yeah I've heard about germanium being sensitive to its environment. I remember hearing people would sometimes throw fuzz boxes in freezers for a bit before they record actually. I think Eric Johnson mentioned batteries change the way some pedals can behave in some interviews.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

I use a battery in my Sunface, but only because it has the battery off switch on the volume pot. Otherwise I'd just have it on the power supply, as I'd forget to take the cable out. Hell, I've even forgotten to turn the battery off via the switch many times.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

I use power supply for all my pedals, aside from the ones with proprietary power supplies (Pigtronix, strymon)

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

You know Strymon doesn't need the proprietary power supply, right? You can power any of their units off a 1Spot or Pedal Power, provided you're using an outlet with enough mA.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

Yes, but space is not an issue for me when it comes to power supplies.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

Well my sunface doesn't have a power jack, my hartman NKT275 blew up my cheapo power brick (my fault cos its center positive) and i haven't tried anything but batteries in my fulltone 70. I don't think this topic is relevant to other styles of fuzz like muffs etc, so i guess i can't help because i don't have an opinion either way. My feeling tho is that good reliable clean power will always be a better thing than unreliable power.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Battery vs Power Supply for Fuzz

i only have a red dot sunface and it sounds best (noticeably different) with a cheap non-alkaline 9v