Re: What's so great about fuzz pedals?
Fuzzboxes are not for everyone, no way...it's a very specific sound and to get a good sound from them it requires a lot of work both on technique plus a lot of work to match your rig to a fuzz box not to mention finding the fuzz or fuzzes that will produce the sound you want.
Listen to a lot of 60's and early 70's stuff...
Led Zeppelin I is FULL of Tonebender, a Sola Sound MK II to be exact...with a little Supro amp and a Telecaster, nothing else outside of a little echo.
Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page both abused Tonebenders in the Yardbirds...MK I's with various amps and guitars.
Jeff used a Marshall Supa Fuzz on Truth a lot and on Beck Ola a little.
Jimi used a Fuzz Face a lot.
David Gilmour also leaned HARD on fuzz boxes...a Germanium Fuzz Face in the old days of Floyd, a Silicon version as soon as they came out, he then started boosting his Fuzz Face with a Colorsound Overdriver (another fuzz!) and afte that he used Big Muff pedals for years...he still does in fact and his Cornish units are based on both Fuzz Faces and Big Muff's
Here's a good one...on this Marc plays a Les Paul into a plexi Marshall with a Fuzz Face...the whole tune is guitar into amp until the solo, thats where he kicks in the Fuzz Face.
Here is another great clip...
Watch about 1:21 and you'll see see Stevie step on a pedal (and hear it too!) and take a solo, the pedal he steped on is a Fuzz Face...then notice how he never turns it off after that, just runs the volume down and it cleans right up!
Fuzzboxes are funny...once you get a good one and get it dialed in and then learn how to use it w/o it being a nasty mess of sound you start to hear all kinds of classic tones...there are a lot more recordings of fuzzboxes than you think!
However, like I said they are not for everybody and good ones usally cost a pretty penny so there are downsides but for some of us they are a must...if I go to a jam or open mic and only take a guitar, amp, and a pedal be sure that 9 times out of 10 the pedal is a Fuzz Face.
