want to buy a fuzz

Baltar

New member
helo there,

i recently noticed, od pedals aren't everything and i still haven't bought a fuzz :)
me dig does crappy oldish distorted sounds like on magic carpet ride
(steppenwolf) mainly. some hendrix territory would be nice too.
issue as always is 'no useful store around to test pedals'.
depending on reading reviews etc I 'think' the best choice for online order
would be an mxr 173. useful decision? any better recommendations?
usual setup strat->twin

cheers
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

Yah, that MXR is good but if you want that pedal in an even better format get the Hendrix one. That is probably going to gt you going good in terms of a fuzz face. It won't get you magic carpet ride though. A Yardbox would do that. If you want the Jimi thing you need a fuzz face, the only pedal that will do that. If you want those kinda crunchy fuzz chords usually something else is needed. PM me if you need any help.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

I'm a bit fan of pedals that ride the border -- depending on how you set them -- between distortion and fuzz. I've got a few full on Fuzz pedals and they're fun, but tend to be of more limited/specific use to me than things that exist further down the fuzz-->dist--->od continuum.

There are SOOOO many pedals in that category that I almost hate to even name names, but on my own board, I find my Rat to be an incredibly versatile pedal, from light breakup all the way to 'Wait, that's NOT a fuzz?" Or, to come at it from the other angle, my Big Muff *is* a fuzz, to the point that it can sound like a sawwave synth DI'd into the board, but can be tamed down to sound a bit more like a distortion box (though a particularly rude one).

Does Dano still make that orange fuzzbox? I bought one brand new for $30 a couple of years ago. It's...very fuzzy. And if they still make it and sell it cheap, it would be a fine one to try out for very little money.
 
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Re: want to buy a fuzz

I have the same set up I run strats and teles through a twin, And the most subtle and usable fuzz pedal I have is the Mi Audio Blues pro it can get kind of nasty are just slightly fuzzy and its a good over drive pedal as well I dont think there is a better pedal for the price. But others I would say the fuzz factory can cover a lot of needs but its hard to control at first but once you find the sweet spot its amazing. The fuzz factory is probably the one pedal that would suit the Hendrix attitude more than any other there is no pedal like it and it allows you to be extremely creative if this pedal was around back then I guarantee it would be on Hendrix board. The pedal Ive been really trying to hunt down is a Frantone Peachfuzz or a Durham Electronics Crazy Horse.
 
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Re: want to buy a fuzz

i just went thru a period of fuzz research.

if you have money to spend and want a fantastic germanium fuzzface, get an analogman sunface (i like the darker red dot, but a high gain white dot is nice too and a little less bottom heavy).

for the money its really hard to beat the blue hendrix fuzzface. its silicon but sounds really nice.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

i just went thru a period of fuzz research.

if you have money to spend and want a fantastic germanium fuzzface, get an analogman sunface (i like the darker red dot, but a high gain white dot is nice too and a little less bottom heavy).

for the money its really hard to beat the blue hendrix fuzzface. its silicon but sounds really nice.

Yeah, I own a sunface too. The red dot and they are extremely high quality.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

Personaly I like cheap Danelectro FAB Fuzz, but thats rather light fuzz without a lots of sustain, it works especialy well when you want some fuzzy overdrive reminiscent of some old recordings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkrvttJNtyM

I'm a bit fan of pedals that ride the border -- depending on how you set them -- between distortion and fuzz. I've got a few full on Fuzz pedals and they're fun, but tend to be of more limited/specific use to me than things that exist further down the fuzz-->dist--->od continuum.

Does Dano still make that orange fuzzbox? I bought one brand new for $30 a couple of years ago. It's...very fuzzy. And if they still make it and sell it cheap, it would be a fine one to try out for very little money.
If you mean Cool Cat Fuzz then yes, but now it is V2. The V1 was copy of Frantone Peachfuzz which has rather unique sound (schematic looks more like distortion). I dont know how V2 insides were changed, but now it sounds lets say more normal.

For fuzz capable of some distortion maybe Exar SF-04 Super Fuzz would work. The trick is that it has mix knob which on low settings make it a bit more like distortion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWRRzd4hfMc
The mix is in the mid of first row, and the second settings from this demo shows what happens when it gets low, but it can go even lower than that.
I think they are sold in US by this company
http://www.ovnifx.com/
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

That's the one. I'm surprised to hear that it's closer to a distortion. It's pretty damn crazyfuzz to my ears. I mean, not Devi Ever nutso, but full on fuzz, for sure. Or at least, that's how I remember it. I don't really use it much. Maybe I'll pull it back out.

If you mean Cool Cat Fuzz then yes, but now it is V2. The V1 was copy of Frantone Peachfuzz which has rather unique sound (schematic looks more like distortion). I dont know how V2 insides were changed, but now it sounds lets say more normal.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

I prefer fuzz pedals that have some kind of mid knob on them because I have found that they can get lost in a band setting. My favorite right now is the Voodoo Labs Superfuzz.

Vintage flavor, but with a lot of tone shaping options.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

Yah, that MXR is good but if you want that pedal in an even better format get the Hendrix one.
googling for hendrix fuzz face, i found a store that i never mentioned before and not to far away, which has the mxr in stock as well - strange world. this is my lucky month, if both are in stock ...
to bad the yardbox can only be ordered from overseas

I'd be tempted to try that . . .
it looks attractive to me as well, but due to my fat fingers i'd rather stay building amps and buying pedals. recently did a lovepedal mod to my boss - that was enough fiddling within 2011 for my taste. ;)

Mi Audio Blues pro
I tested that once and didn't like it too much. The others you mentioned, i didn't know. let's see if i can find them around

if you have money to spend and want a fantastic germanium fuzzface, get an analogman sunface
due to i'd have to pay shipping from us additionally, it definately is out of my budget.

Voodoo Labs Superfuzz
slightly to modern for my taste.

Personaly I like cheap Danelectro FAB Fuzz
they're really not to bad. the price is unbeatable. maybe i'll shot one, while
keeping my eyes open for a chance on a sunface or yardbox on ebay.
but i'll go test mxr vs fuzzface first.

cheers, martin
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

Looking at your options a Hendrix FF will be your best bet, and the smaller MXR second.

The Hendrix FF is the same as the Smaller MXR but it is handwired and the build quality is better (with the Hendrix).
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

The Superfuzz isn't really that modern sounding. It is based off of the Bosstone fuzz circuit. Germanium transistors. The only modern thing about it is that it gives a bit more flexibility when shaping the tone. It is one of those modern conveniences with a vintage sound type of pedals.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

good to know.


i think it's to easily going into heavier distortion. i prefer a smoother changeover.
but maybe that's just me

I haven't noticed that. Despite its name it is not super gain heavy. For gain it seems more on the spectrum of a fuzzy overdrive than say a wall of fuzz. It has about as much gain as a Fuzz Face. It tends to clean up pretty well too. Not quite as good as a Fuzz Face, but way better than something like a Big Muff.
 
Re: want to buy a fuzz

i have the voodoo superfuzz and its got loads of gain compared to germanium style fuzzfaces. its a cool pedal for sure and much more tweakable than a typical fuzz but its pretty different than a fuzzface
 
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