Re: Blue vs. Hendrix Fuzz Face mini
I don't like germainum, too muddy for my taste.
Thats a pretty big generalization when it comes to fuzz faces. I like both germ and si, depending on the axe, the amp and the application. There are many many great germ fuzzes as well as many great silicon fuzzes and there is more to it than that, there is not just transistor type, but also each transistor's tolerances and also how well the circuit is tuned to the individual transistors. There are not many makers out there who pay that kind of attention to really fine tuning and getting the best out of every individual ff circuit, but they are out there. It always pays to keep an open mind when it comes to gear. The advantage of silicon is that the trannies are munch more uniform in their tolerances and therefore much easier to use in any kind of electrical circuit and produce on masse.
Anyway, back to the hendrix fuzzes. Both the hendrix ones use the bc108 transistors. They are both great fuzzes. There are also some other great options out there if you want something pedalboard friendly and that have the bc108 as the core.
The fulltone 70 is nice and small and also has the mids knob. The mids knob is very useful for tweaking the fuzz to suit your guitar/amp setup. It also has an adjustable bias trimmer inside too. Both things make the 70 a superior fuzz in terms of getting the legit tone, but also getting it tweaked to fit your style.
There is also the hartman bc108. Another really good silicon fuzz face. This one has an external bias knob and no mids control. It is not as gainly or plain nasty as the fulltone but its a very musical and organic fuzz. Very rewarding to use with lots of colours in the sound. This one is slightly bigger than the fulltone, but the jacks are on top so it ends up taking up the same amount of pedalboard space.
The last one worth considering is the Dunlop classic 108. Inside it is identical to the hendrix fuzz except it also has a switchable buffer which can come in handy depending on where you want to put your fuzz in the signal chain or in conjunction with a wah. Its the same size as the hartman, but again, it has top mounted jacks.
All three of these pedals will do everything you can do with either of the hendrix fuzz faces plus a more. So, out of all five if it came down to which one sounds best i would say:
1. fulltone- rude, nasty, cutting and tweakable
2. Hartman (close second)- a little smoother but complex sounding.
3. Dunlop classic108 - same as the hendrixes but with the buffer
4/5 either hendrix fuzz (they are really both the same thing)
However all five are great fuzzes and will get you some killer sounds.
sorry...i should have mentioned analogman who also makes a bc108 fuzz, but while im a big fan of the other fuzzes of his ive tried, ive not yet tried his bc108.
