The ultimate fuzz thread

MIKA-the-better-one · 2010-08-13T12:28:20+00:00

This thread hopefully should just be added to..... it can be where people can check out all types of fuzz's........ post videos of there favourite etc etc......

The ultimate fuzz thread

makepeace

Dinosaur Snr wrote: So glad this thread is active again.

+1

Build yourself an ampeg scrambler ?

I'm actually planning on building a fuzz factory soon. Keen to see what the hype is about. Very simple circuit as well..

MIKA-the-better-one

the Fuzz factory is cool, but a bit silly sometimes....... I like a real full, often fuzz dist blend....
My EQD tone reaper is a great sound... a really nice sound is the EHX double muff, actually a great sound

Norman86

BUMP:

The lead tones in Panic at the disco's songs here are fuzz right??
What kind of fuzz would get me into this territory??

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Nicholas-L

Just to add one more to this thread.

The Durham Crazy Horse.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2oC3_POYJY

refuogee

Wasnt someone on the forum recently selling a Blackout Effects Twosome Dual Fuzz?

Has it been sold? That video looked amazing!!

Stoner-Riff

Mr T wrote: Amen to that! The other non-fuzz users don't know what they're missing! ?

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Stoner-Riff

I would love to plug straight into an amp, with nothign between my guitar and amp, but NO amp i know off, can give me a fuzz tone, so i have to use a pedal . . . not that i care, because now i can "collect" those 'lil buggers ?

Stoner-Riff

Vick wrote:

...The white stripes,mainly use modded big muffs ?

How sure are you about that ?

I read many articles, where Jack White was quoted that the Big Muff he uses with the White Stipes, is 100% stock !

Stoner-Riff

MIKA the better one wrote:
A whole new level of fuzz............ Took me a bit off gaurd

Hey Mika . . . what part of Jack's tone got you by suprize ?
To my ears that is a bone standard Jack White tone !

The only 'new' fuzz tone of his, came in 2007, with "Slowly Turning Into You", when he ran his Big Muff into an EHX POG !

. . . hear it at 0m55sec.

LOVE IT !!!

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Greg

I'm gonna trawl through this in a bit but I'll just add my 1 cent here and then add the next cent after I've read the thread.

Fuzz's I have:

1) Little Big Muff, with Tone/Wicker. - I love the broadband sound it gets with the Tone switch off and the "muff"led fuzz sound with the wicker off. Very nice for big fat lines that still cut through the mix.

2) Greg'sFuzzToolShed (Fuzz Factory Style Fuzz made by Ben Craig of Craig Amps). - It gets all those squeely, bitty, crunchy, meltface, FF factory tones but has am extra knob (filter) and is handmade/engraved/painted/baked in Nelspruit.

3) Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Octave. - It was lying around and I like the responsiveness of it with the tone set at conservative levels.

Things I've learned about Fuzz:

1) Put all your Fuzzes BEFORE buffers/buffered pedals, putting them after drastically changes the sound and sensitivity of the fuzz. (This doesn't mean that you can't do it, it depends what sound you like, but you definitely won't get all the fuzz's glorious fuzzy definition if you put it after a buffer)
2) Silicone vs Germanium, learn about the difference and (tbfh) just have both.
3) Vintage Fuzzes suck your tone, put them in a true-bypass loop.
4) Voltage "sag" can also change the way the Fuzz behaves.
5) Sometimes your fuzz sounds nice and fat at home but as soon as you hit a loud band practice or play a live show, your fuzzybuzzy guitar can just disappear in the mix.
6) Fuzz is such a personal thing, I'd say that the only way is to trawl through all the possibilities get a hold of your top 4 fuzzes and then just play them and pick your favourite.

Now, time to read the thread.

Stoner-Riff

OK, this here Fuzzy Thread is moving wayyyy too slow . . . so i will post again.

Imho, the entire fuzz world can be pigeon-holed into 6 basic catagories.

* Muffs
* Fuzz Faces
* Tonebenders
* SuperFuzz'es
* Maestros
* Modern Fuzz'es (not based on anything really)

. . . yes, there are other circuits, but these are you 6 basic core fuzz tones out there today.

Like i told a good friend earlier today, Fuzz-collection is a very real sickness,and it is one that i am very gladly ill off. I will never have enough fuzzes.
I have one or two dedicated Dist boxes, and a few overdrives . . . but i will never have enough fuzz boxes.

The reason for that (as seen through my eyes / and heard through my ears) are very simple :

* 99% of dedicated Dist pedals, sound 'fake', if you are used to amp dirt.
To me, they sound lifeless, unless we are talking about units like the Spannish made Faustone ValveKlipper. That thing is Godly !!!
http://faustone.com/

* 95% of all overdrive pedals smooooth-out my sound !
Not good if you are me ! I like my tone G R I T T Y as hell. Even my limited lead playing must sound broken up. (not velcro/scratchy-like, just gritty)
Yes, an OD pedal can push your amp far into the red, and that is GREAT for people who does not have the right amp, because if you had the 'correct' amp for yourself, then one of the channels could have been used just for lead/solo'ing.

OK, enough about thinking that people actually care what i am saying about my prefs about my own tone.

Here are some clips, of some fuzz tones that i either LOVE with all my heart (but do not won - yet), or actually do own !

This is the new'est fuzz unit, that i am GAS'ing for :
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I love my Pharoah (i am good friends with Mark, the owner and builder of Black Arts Toneworks. I know him for about 5 years, before he started building stomp boxes)
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Now for the outsider, or black-sheep of the family.
This is actually an OD/Dist unit, but if you crank the gain to max, and press the little black BOOST button, you get a fantastic fuzz-like dist.
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This Wattson skreeeems Poison Ivy - the Cramps.The best Super Fuzz clone that i have heard to date - FACT !
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This thing can destroy an enrite American size city block in 30sec.
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There are many more that i lust after, but i wil leave it at this for now.
Feel free to post more YouTube clips of YOUR fav fuzz tones, or clips of a band you like, who uses fuzz (in a good way).

Here is a GREAT fuzz tone, well, to my ears atleast.

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PS : I am not a fan of their last 2 albums - they are sadly becomming a pop-radio band ☹

Mr-M

So I take it you love fuzz then? ? I do too! ?

I think you missed two types of fuzz:
Octave Up Fuzz - Roger Mayer Octavia
Octave Down Fuzz - MXR Blue Box

Stoner-Riff

Mr T wrote: So I take it you love fuzz then? ? I do too! ?

I think you missed two types of fuzz:
Octave Up Fuzz - Roger Mayer Octavia
Octave Down Fuzz - MXR Blue Box

I do - i really do love the fuzz . . . on a guitar tone, not my GF ?

I do not care for the Octave Up thing - makes you sound like Zakk Wylde - Dr Octavia from the Mafia album.

I do however have a modded Blue Box.
I honestly can not remember what the mod is called, but it is the most popular mod among the pedal builders out there.
I bought it 2nd hand in the US (+/- 2008), and all i can remember is that it is some sort of clarity modd.
I never A/B'ed it with a stock one.
I also never use the octave down part, just the fuzz.

Same with my old Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz wah - i only use the fuzz part of the pedal, not the wah.

Mr-M

Stoner Riff wrote: I do not care for the Octave Up thing - makes you sound like Zakk Wylde - Dr Octavia from the Mafia album.

I do however have a modded Blue Box.
I honestly can not remember what the mod is called, but it is the most popular mod among the pedal builders out there.
I bought it 2nd hand in the US (+/- 2008), and all i can remember is that it is some sort of clarity modd.
I never A/B'ed it with a stock one.
I also never use the octave down part, just the fuzz.

Same with my old Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz wah - i only use the fuzz part of the pedal, not the wah.

I tend to think of Octave up as Jimi Hendrix more than anything as well as the dissonant ring mod tones many of them can get. I love my Catalinbread Ottava Magus V1 and the chaos I can conjure with it stacked with another fuzz.

The Blue Box has a slight volume drop even with the volume maxed, so the mod involves cutting one cap off the board to slightly increase volume (and some say it adds clarity too). It does definitely change the tone a bit as well.

Stoner-Riff

Mr T wrote:
Stoner Riff wrote: I do not care for the Octave Up thing - makes you sound like Zakk Wylde - Dr Octavia from the Mafia album.

I do however have a modded Blue Box.
I honestly can not remember what the mod is called, but it is the most popular mod among the pedal builders out there.
I bought it 2nd hand in the US (+/- 2008), and all i can remember is that it is some sort of clarity modd.
I never A/B'ed it with a stock one.
I also never use the octave down part, just the fuzz.

Same with my old Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz wah - i only use the fuzz part of the pedal, not the wah.
I tend to think of Octave up as Jimi Hendrix more than anything as well as the dissonant ring mod tones many of them can get. I love my Catalinbread Ottava Magus V1 and the chaos I can conjure with it stacked with another fuzz.

The Blue Box has a slight volume drop even with the volume maxed, so the mod involves cutting one cap off the board to slightly increase volume (and some say it adds clarity too). It does definitely change the tone a bit as well.

Ahhhhh, that could deff be it you know !
As there is no volume drop in mine.
I can easily get unity volume on my 'lil Blue Box.

This thread allready gave me GAS for even more fuzz.
I am leaving SA, on Monday, for the next six months (i do contract work) and it will take me to the US (San Fran) & later Ozz & NZ.
I hope to go to TymGuitars . . . as they build some very interresting boxes.

http://www.tymguitars.com.au/?page_id=620

ftcl

Mr T wrote:
Stoner Riff wrote: I do not care for the Octave Up thing - makes you sound like Zakk Wylde - Dr Octavia from the Mafia album.

I do however have a modded Blue Box.
I honestly can not remember what the mod is called, but it is the most popular mod among the pedal builders out there.
I bought it 2nd hand in the US (+/- 2008), and all i can remember is that it is some sort of clarity modd.
I never A/B'ed it with a stock one.
I also never use the octave down part, just the fuzz.

Same with my old Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz wah - i only use the fuzz part of the pedal, not the wah.
I tend to think of Octave up as Jimi Hendrix more than anything as well as the dissonant ring mod tones many of them can get. I love my Catalinbread Ottava Magus V1 and the chaos I can conjure with it stacked with another fuzz.

The Blue Box has a slight volume drop even with the volume maxed, so the mod involves cutting one cap off the board to slightly increase volume (and some say it adds clarity too). It does definitely change the tone a bit as well.

I removed the cap on mine, and imho it made very little difference volume wise... In fact, I thought it sounded a lot thinner, and less synthy. So I reversed the mod. :-\

Mr-M

Stoner Riff wrote: This thread allready gave me GAS for even more fuzz.
I am leaving SA, on Monday, for the next six months (i do contract work) and it will take me to the US (San Fran) & later Ozz & NZ.
I hope to go to TymGuitars . . . as they build some very interresting boxes.
http://www.tymguitars.com.au/?page_id=620

Enjoy your trip and bring back some cool fuzz boxes! ?

ftcl wrote: I removed the cap on mine, and imho it made very little difference volume wise... In fact, I thought it sounded a lot thinner, and less synthy. So I reversed the mod. :-\

Yeah, I don't like the tonal effect the mod has either. The slight volume increase can make a difference in some rigs, but for me not so much (and I see the same for you). Still a cool pedal though. I prefer it stock with a boost pedal after it.

shadow1

Serioulsy special twosome.... Had it for a few days now and I really like its sound... more MUFF style but sounds the best to my ears between my mxr 108 classic fuzz and the fuzz factory.