For fuzz sakes

[sal paradise]

I know there’s more than a few fuzz fans, so maybe we should talk about them here?

I’m a recent convert. Totally love the unique character every model exudes in a way drives & distortions just don’t. I do still need to figure out how to get the sound into my everyday playing…

I might have bought 4 fuzzes already this year, and I have a little treat sat in customs clearing right now. My latest unnecessary purchase is loads of fun. A bit less ‘magic’ than I was hoping, but what it does do really well is low gain stacked into my lightly driven Marshall

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Yes, that‘s the way I feel about Fuzz(es) too! Some very unique characters that just enrich your sound.
To me: Pure magic!

I‘m a long time Fuzz-wielder and had over 12 different fuzzes over the years… sold a bunch this spring and still have ~6 different models and already thinking to add just one more (the Surfy Industries Surfy Fuzz is on my list since before the Surfer Joe Festival…but they only had a very small transistor amp to test it). But it‘s generally a very g.a.s.-sy time right now… I don‘t play out as much as I‘d like/used to - and could theoretically downsize… but it‘s always „one more“ (Jaguar/guitar project/amp/pedal) right now.

What are your favorite Fuzz-model/families at the moment and what are your favorite features - and why?

I’m torn between FuzzFace and FuzzRite at the moment. With Tone Bender (which was my favorite for a good 8 years) on third place…
And my favorite feature is the interaction with the volume knob or the strangle switch… works best on the Fuzz Face and the Bender…
and some others really get to shine when stacked with another drive/boost whatever.

[zhivago]

I love me some fuzz...I only have three at the moment...I have spent embarrassing amounts of money on fuzz pedals over the years!

Here's the current lineup:

[Telliot]

Admittedly I’m much more of a clean player, so my dirt offerings are humble.

[marqueemoon]

Current lineup is a Magnetic White Atom (hybrid with a bias control). Euthymia Crucible (hot BC109 silicon), and Vick Audio Fuzz Box (Colorsound 1 knob clone). The Vick is cool, but not my thing. The only reason I still have it is nobody else seems to want it.

I also have an Earthquaker Devices Bows germanium treble/full range booster which I’d classify as a fuzz family thing.

To be honest I find fuzzes pretty frustrating, as they are so easily washed away in a live situation. I’ve never tried one that cuts the way I want at the volume I need, and I’m sick of throwing money at it. For recording it’s fun to experiment with rolling off the guitar volume, but I’m not coordinated enough to do that live.

It would be fun to own a really nasty MK1 Tone Bender someday, but the Bows pushing the White Atom will do for now.

For live I just use a Rat for gainier sounds. It’s boring, but it does the job.

[zhivago]

To be honest I find fuzzes pretty frustrating, as they are so easily washed away in a live situation. I’ve never tried one that cuts the way I want at the volume I need, and I’m sick of throwing money at it. For recording it’s fun to experiment with rolling off the guitar volume, but I’m not coordinated enough to do that live.

+1000000!

I have had my heart broken by fuzz so many times, but I keep coming back from more.

Disappearing in the mix is the worst thing, and then some are temperature sensitive, so they have days where I just want to throw them out the window! .

[ThePearDream]

I didn't have any fuzz pedals until I learned to do the diy pedal thing. Now I love fuzz! So many cool old circuits for me to try still. Currently I have a Sunface, Skreddy Lunar Module Deluxe, Univox Superfuzz, Ampeg Scrambler, Foxx Tone machine, and a few Big Muff variants - all clones.

My favorite fuzz right now though is the Fender Pelt. I think this is an underrated pedal. The Bloom control is really useful, going from light OD, up into nasty velcro sounds. The Mid and Thick toggles are key features too. It cleans up great with the guitar volume as well. And, they are purple, which is just a nice bonus.

[marqueemoon]

To be honest I find fuzzes pretty frustrating, as they are so easily washed away in a live situation. I’ve never tried one that cuts the way I want at the volume I need, and I’m sick of throwing money at it. For recording it’s fun to experiment with rolling off the guitar volume, but I’m not coordinated enough to do that live.

+1000000!

I have had my heart broken by fuzz so many times, but I keep coming back from more.

Disappearing in the mix is the worst thing, and then some are temperature sensitive, so they have days where I just want to throw them out the window! .

Yep.

Even though I have lots of love for the Rat circuit I find my old faithful getting stale at times and inevitably try a fuzz again only to be disappointed.

My bandmates are used to a guest appearance from a fuzz at practice about every 6 months. I use it for a song or two, realize it’s not working, and pack it away until next time.

[Surfysonic]

WTFuzz! Mostly play at home or making YT vids, so I'm no longer have band mix issues. Here are my pedals:

Nocturne The El Fabuloso Seltzerado Fuzz De Los Muertos - sits on my main board. Fantastic fuzz. (Top row, middle pedal in photo)



Surfy Industries SurfyFuzz - newest fuzz, totally love it! US mode is gnarly '60s Fuzz / Japan mode is octave fuzz for '60s Japan fuzz



Fender The Pelt Fuzz - decent fuzz (sitting on my tertiary all Fender pedals board - mainly used for testing when I'm working at my tech table. (Top row, 2nd from left in photo)



Ty Pierce Ennio Ultimate Trilogy Fuzz - recent purchase on OSG and it's a decent Fuzz. Currently sitting on top of my brown western-tolexed FSR Blues Junior. It'll be part of a new pedal board build project.

[OffYourFace]

RANT (that doesn't matter cuz no one plays in a normal band anymore and we have access to everything now).

I used to obsess over fuzz pedals; the different ckts, the difference transistors, etc. Then I got into vintage analog synths and felt like a fool for wasting my time and money on fuzz pedals. I'll explain...

You know that feeling, you play thru a 'life-changing' fuzz pedal and you're like, "this is the one!". You try it on a recording, at band rehearsal and then on stage in a crappy club (or not crappy) and it doesn't sound as good or good at all. This is because you really need to dial in your sound to where it works with the other musicians you're playing with.

Most classic fuzz pedals are just one trick ponies. They do one sound great but that one sound doesn't work with everything. This was my experience with a vintage Tone Bender and a Big Muff that I thought were the best examples I was ever going to find. I eventually got them to work on some recordings but a lot of post EQ was involved or it had to be the Neve 1066 and not the API 312 or it had to be the Shure SM57 and not the Sennheiser 421 Blah Blah Blah. So much effort to make a vintage overpriced pedal sound good in an actual song instead of just wanking away in my room.

Once I understood subtractive synthesis and had a lot of experience using a Low Pass Filter or even better yet, a State Variable/Multi-mode filter, I felt in control of shaping the sounds I wanted. Little variations in brightness, midrange and bass (most often cutting bass) make a really big difference in a mix sometimes. If Fuzz pedals had a proper filter with frequency and resonance controls than a simple EQ, they would be a lot more useful IMO.

Find something that works for you like say 75% of the time (for me that's an old RAT combined with an OD and some boost) and then shape the sound to the other musicians you're playing with. Whether that's Amp settings or a little added EQ from a boost and/or overdrive pedal, just try to find it with what you have first and then proceed from there. A $2k boutique germanium fuzz will most likely never get you there.

If you're drummer is loud and hits his cymbals too hard, get a new drummer asap! haha. Or find the right midrange frequency you need to cut thru. If your bass player has a deep low tone and your drummer has a darker, lower tuned kit, you have lots of options to fit in.

Or just be like every other kid with a trust fund and put 10 different fuzz pedals on your board or at least one for every song in the set.

[zhivago]

Wise words, Mike!!!!

[sal paradise]

Good to know about the live mix problem. I’ve only ever played with a big muff on a recording & on a fuzzed out drop-out middle 8, so never encountered the issue.

Here’s my current collection. The orange one is Earthquaker Bellows clone. Doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as the EQD videos. Funnily enough, the boss modern setting was my gateway drug to coax me beyond the muff sound. And now I find it a bit dull

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I don't get to play electric guitar with other musicians very often these days, so my ridiculous fuzz collection is absolutely decadent excess on my part, but I do love discovering new flavours, and I don't remember having any trouble being heard when I last used a fuzzbox in an ensemble - for the record it was a late '70s (?) Little Big Muff in high pass mode. Very much a wasp in a jar setting, the disdain for which I will never understand.

My most recent favourite is the Fredric Effects Mutant Fuzz, which I love on low settings with a rolled-back volume knob and a compressor in front. Sounds very Revolver-era Beatles to my ears. Not that expensive for a boutique fuzz either, which is a bonus.

[MechaBulletBill]

Most classic fuzz pedals are just one trick ponies.

yep. that's why i tend to have two on the board - "fat" n "thin".

the other thing no one ever admits is that you can get pretty close to most sixties fuzz tones with a decent fuzz face that has a bias control. yes even the splatty decay mk1 TB sounds everyone was throwing thousands at a while back.

[windmill]

Playing bass, when stepping on a fuzz pedal to fill in the background while the guitar is soloing, it always needs to be louder and then a bit more than you think.

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