Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
- Thread starter jerryjg
- Start date
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
The Big Muff is the ultimate rockin fuzz tone. the Fuzz Face, I dunno, never played one. If you're not happy with your Big Muff, try plugging it into three more Big Muffs.
The Big Muff is the ultimate rockin fuzz tone. the Fuzz Face, I dunno, never played one. If you're not happy with your Big Muff, try plugging it into three more Big Muffs.
drpietrzak
New member
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
The traditional fuzz face circuit is much simpler. It has lower gain and is more responsive to volume and pick attack. Fuzz face is more Hendrix while the Muff is more Gilmour lead sounding.
The traditional fuzz face circuit is much simpler. It has lower gain and is more responsive to volume and pick attack. Fuzz face is more Hendrix while the Muff is more Gilmour lead sounding.
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
They are ohhhhhhhhh soooo different
many ads claim Hendrix, Santana, and Gilmour used a Big Muff, but I cannot confirm this.
Every Hendrix rig has had some kinda Fuzz Face
I know little of Santana's rigs exc that he had flirted with solid state before he finally came to Mesa Boogie early in the 70s.
Gimour did use Fuzz Faces, and still uses Rat pedals.
A fuzz face or equivalent will have a very Fuzzy, Synthy, distortion that can be comparatively thin to a Big Muff or a ToneBender. They are kinda raspy by comparison as well. The beauty of a Fuzz Face is that they clean up beautifully when you back off your volume knob. Just check out Hendrix at Monterey.
Big Muffs are THICK NASTY AND WOOLY, they are very saturated and can be heard in everything from 80s/90s alt like Dinosaur Jr to Smashing Pumpkins. Big Muffs do NOT clean up well, and they are not nearly as dynamic or responsive as a Fuzz Face, but they have that nasty thing going.
I am NOT a purist so I like Fuzzes with TONE CONTROLS so I can make them creamier.
They are ohhhhhhhhh soooo different
many ads claim Hendrix, Santana, and Gilmour used a Big Muff, but I cannot confirm this.
Every Hendrix rig has had some kinda Fuzz Face
I know little of Santana's rigs exc that he had flirted with solid state before he finally came to Mesa Boogie early in the 70s.
Gimour did use Fuzz Faces, and still uses Rat pedals.
A fuzz face or equivalent will have a very Fuzzy, Synthy, distortion that can be comparatively thin to a Big Muff or a ToneBender. They are kinda raspy by comparison as well. The beauty of a Fuzz Face is that they clean up beautifully when you back off your volume knob. Just check out Hendrix at Monterey.
Big Muffs are THICK NASTY AND WOOLY, they are very saturated and can be heard in everything from 80s/90s alt like Dinosaur Jr to Smashing Pumpkins. Big Muffs do NOT clean up well, and they are not nearly as dynamic or responsive as a Fuzz Face, but they have that nasty thing going.
I am NOT a purist so I like Fuzzes with TONE CONTROLS so I can make them creamier.
Philcguitars
New member
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
I believe that Gilmour has been known to use BOTH at one time or another. I'm a Big muff fan for sure.
I believe that Gilmour has been known to use BOTH at one time or another. I'm a Big muff fan for sure.
ericmeyer4
New member
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
I really liked the fuzz rig that Billy Gibbons had. 4 billion fuzzes into an old tube amp! Okay maybe he didn't have that many fuzzes pedals.
I really liked the fuzz rig that Billy Gibbons had. 4 billion fuzzes into an old tube amp! Okay maybe he didn't have that many fuzzes pedals.
Sludgenutz
New member
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
Less aggressive than either. The Fuzz Face has more sting, and the Big Muff is noisy (background noise) and tends to turn to muddy and lose definition.
Less aggressive than either. The Fuzz Face has more sting, and the Big Muff is noisy (background noise) and tends to turn to muddy and lose definition.
Ken
PlayingWithDollsologist
drew_half_empty
Looking for Real Life
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
that's kind of the point. Most people find it too dark & gainy to leave on all the time
but for solos, holy crap, it's perfect
that's kind of the point. Most people find it too dark & gainy to leave on all the time
but for solos, holy crap, it's perfect
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Big Muff vs. Fuzz Face
Tweak Fuzz is basically a Fuzz Face with 6 different input caps, and set up to be much more "civil" than other Fuzz Faces, as Sludgenutz said.
Hendrix used a Germanium Fuzz Face for Experience (Analogman NKT275 Sun Face, Fulltone 69) and Silicon Fuzz Face for Band of Gypsies (Foxrox Hot Silicon, Fulltone 70, Tweak Fuzz). Keep in mind that a Fuzz Face into a small transistor amp will sound like garbage, you need it running into a Marshall that's already breaking up some. As you mentioned, the Big Muff was designed to emulate that total combo. Does it? Kind of, but I really love the design on it's own. I love it's tone control, as well as the wall of sound saturation.
(I have heard some nice clips online of a Fuzz into an OD pedal into a Fender Amp that sound very convincing for the Hendrix tone) Also check out Euthymia, they make a Ge and Si Fuzz as well as a clone of the IC era Big Muff (ICBM) that I'm a big fan of.
Tweak Fuzz is basically a Fuzz Face with 6 different input caps, and set up to be much more "civil" than other Fuzz Faces, as Sludgenutz said.
Hendrix used a Germanium Fuzz Face for Experience (Analogman NKT275 Sun Face, Fulltone 69) and Silicon Fuzz Face for Band of Gypsies (Foxrox Hot Silicon, Fulltone 70, Tweak Fuzz). Keep in mind that a Fuzz Face into a small transistor amp will sound like garbage, you need it running into a Marshall that's already breaking up some. As you mentioned, the Big Muff was designed to emulate that total combo. Does it? Kind of, but I really love the design on it's own. I love it's tone control, as well as the wall of sound saturation.
(I have heard some nice clips online of a Fuzz into an OD pedal into a Fender Amp that sound very convincing for the Hendrix tone) Also check out Euthymia, they make a Ge and Si Fuzz as well as a clone of the IC era Big Muff (ICBM) that I'm a big fan of.
