Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

lousy_player

New member
Hey all,

I'm needing a super musical & useable fuzz pedal for some crazy parts I have to replicate in a live setting...

What's the best out there as far as tone is concerned?

Analogman SunFace?
ZVex?

What are your suggestions? I don't have a lot of experience with straight up FUZZ pedals...
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I love my ZVex Fuzz Factory but i wouldn't call it particularly user friendly. Requires a bit of patience and the sounds you get will vary from one day to another, but always cool. I use mine live, i just have to abandon all hope of it sounding EXACTLY as it did yesterday or the day before.

Crazy sounds are the pedal's forte, its capable of some mental noises.

see what the guys say about other fuzzes tho, there are tons out there...
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I've got an obnoxious amount of fuzz pedals, and they all are different and awesome in their own way. The Ge Sunface and Fuzz Factory are about as opposite as you can get in fuzz (although both are really cool at what they do)

What are some examples of fuzz tones you'd like to approximate?
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I have a few scattered fuzzers, but my favorites are the Boss FZ-2 and the Ibanez 7th Heaven.
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

If you want to use a fuzz but want it to sound a bit more like a cross between a fuzz and a tube overdrive, I'd recommend the BBE Free Fuzz. It's not as blatty or hashy as some fuzz pedals, though if you play an E9 chord you'll stil get hash.

The Duncan Lava Box is capable of warmer tones if you keep the gain lower and use low output pickups. At low gain, it just fattens up single coils nicely. But turn the gain up and it's a blatty hippy trippy fuzz, perfect for the riff in "Spirit in the Sky" or Hendrix leads.
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

For all around good and usable fuzz, i really like the Big Muff. The new Dunlop Hendrix fuzz is cool.

But if you want something versitile, i also like the new Boss fuzz. It models a few classic fuzz pedals.

You really can't rely on anyone's word though, when you're shopping around for fuzz. It's not easy to go out and try a bunch because most stores, in my experience, don't carry that many fuzz pedals. But youtube has tons of great vids of pedal demos. If you trust what they show you, you can decide from that.

Here's a few:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I_fd-RfSwg
MXR Classic Fuzz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWDFOk2Amy0
Big Muff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EqrQPbOhDo
The newer Hendrix Fuzzface

tons more man
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

The other thing to remember if this is your first fuzz, they aren't exactly plug and play, like a regular distortion box or Overdrive. You really need to learn how the volume/tone interact with the fuzz and how the fuzz affects the amp settings you need.
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I was in the market also a few weeks ago. I ended up getting the MXR M173. I really love the buffer function of this unit when using my wah. When the buffer is disabled... it's a different beast. I also use it as booster too and usually the buffer stays on most of the time, haven't really found a sweet spot yet. It's a great fuzzz unit tho. I can see myself owning another one really soon... like that Jimmy Dunlap Fuzz face.
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I don't know what to consider it, but the Denmark made T Rex Mudhoney is one of those pedals that's just pure magic.

But for traditional fuzz, I really like my Dunlop Hendrix sig. Fuzzface. My only complaint is that it doesn't have an AC power input....plus the input and output are backwards...per vintage spec. Sounds killer tho.

TREX%20Mudhoney_1.jpg


801_01.jpg
 
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Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I don't know what to consider it, but the Denmark made T Rex Mudhoney is one of those pedals that's just pure magic.

But for traditional fuzz, I really like my Dunlop Hendrix sig. Fuzzface. My only complaint is that it doesn't have an AC power input....plus the input and output are backwards...per vintage spec. Sounds killer tho.

Words right out of my mouth!
 
Re: Best Fuzz Pedal Out There

I bought an Analogman Sunface NKT 275 about 5 years ago and thought that was about as good as it gets, until I heard the KR Gypsy Fuzz, which is a kind of fuzz/overdrive hybrid. The Gypsy Fuzz just hits all the right spots if you're looking for something reminiscent of the Hendrix/Trower fuzz tone. I particularly like running in front of Marshallesque pedals, in lieu of using a Marshall! Here's a quick demo of it playing the intro to Trower's "Bridge of Sighs." In this case, it's the Gypsy Fuzz running into a Jetter Gain Stage Purple, with a KR Megavibe providing the required throb.

Bridge of Sighs


gf2c.jpg





Cheers...................................... wahwah
 
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