Home › Forums › Help/Technical Questions › I am thinking of getting a (GASP!) Fuzz pedal!
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June 8, 2009 at 11:46 am #78370mhuxtableMember
I posted this last night but when I got on this morning it had disappeared so I will try again.
I am thinking of finally getting a fuzz pedal…for those who don’t know, I play mostly indie pop shoegazey americana stuff…I use a LOT of effects (mostly EHX!) but my only drive pedal is a Blackstone overdrive and I play in all into a Twin Reverb RI.
So I was thinking about getting a fuzz for some really dirty sounds. So what do get? I know I hate fuzzes that sound fizzy or too muddy. So somewhere in between…ala Smashing Pumpkins or My Bloody Valentine? It needs to sound good on its own, or also boosted from the Blackstone…I am not gonna be soloing, mostly chords and some riffs….so a pedal that handles those sounds well is a must.
So a couple questions then: 1. Is there any difference between the Big Muff and the Little Big Muff? 2. What is the difference between the NYC Big Muff and the Russian Muff?
So what should my first fuzz pedal be guys? Big Muff? Russian Muff? Graphic Fuzz? Help!
June 8, 2009 at 2:13 pm #97536GoldengloveMemberBig Muff with Tone Wicker perhaps?
June 8, 2009 at 2:18 pm #97538julianModeratorLittle Big Muff = 90s fuzz
Big Muff with Tone Wicker = 60s fuzz
Bass Big Muff = 70s fuzzJune 8, 2009 at 2:22 pm #97540mhuxtableMemberwhat does the tone wicker offer that the regular muff doesnt?
and are the tone wicker and the big muff the same pedal essentially?
(i am a fan of the big boxes so if i can find what i want in the big box, i am going that route, but if not, XO will do)
and julian, so what you are telling me is i need a Muff with tone wicker AND a little big muff?
June 8, 2009 at 2:29 pm #97541julianModeratorI think the best thing to do would maybe to try them out.
They can all sound very similar or very different really. They are all Big Muffs after all.
Little Big Muff has a big mid scoop and is really fuzzy. It might be too muddy for you.
The Tone Wicker you can turn off the mid scoop and also add extra highs with the two switches. It’s less wooly sounding, but can get pretty noisy in its own way. The wicker brings some clarity.
The Bass Big Muff might be the best for you really. It’s thicker than the Tone Wicker, but if it gets too muddy, you can mix in dry to clear it up a bit.
June 8, 2009 at 2:32 pm #97542mhuxtableMemberand what about the original NYC muff pi and the russian muff pi? how would you describe their sounds next to one another.
and i am gonna try them all out, just trying to do my preliminary research.
June 8, 2009 at 2:41 pm #97543B.DawsParticipantI have two Russian BMP’s and I think the Russian is the smoothest sounding Fuzz of the basic EHX fuzzes. I have not tried the Tone Wicker but it’s a BMP with what I would assume a switch to mess with the mids. I love the Russian and I think it is super smooth and creamy. I have an older yellow print black one that sounds great, and the newer one I got (the writing is more Yellow/Green) I am modding to the green Russian and adding a tone wicker so it should be rocking but I don’t know yet! Go to the store and try them out!
June 8, 2009 at 3:01 pm #97545devnulljpParticipantGreen Russian Big Muff or maybe a Superfuzz of some sort would do you.
Original Superfuzz can be expensive but there are lots of decent clones.
Or an Ibanez Standard Fuzz circuit (hunt out an old Mica/Bruno/Ibanez fuzz-wau) if you want a bit of an octave to it but less insane than a Fender Blender.
Although the Tone Wicker is a great sounding versatile muff…although I find mine a bit noisy, I doubt it would be a problem for shoegazer stoner stuff.
D*A*M Meathead is also a good, but expensive and hard to come by option…the Slomatics guys use those.June 8, 2009 at 5:44 pm #97549electro-melxModeratorthe Big Box Big Muff is my favorite, It sounds really good to me.
June 8, 2009 at 7:10 pm #97558BlueSteelParticipantI’d go with just the RI Big Muff Pi.
June 8, 2009 at 9:39 pm #97561freshchopsMemberAlright, so I should probably get blasted for this (being a EHX) forum…. but I’d recommend checking out the Cusack Screamer Fuzz. My absolute favorite! You can hear demos on proguitarshop.com or cusackmusic.com. It has a great ability to roll the “screamer” and “fuzz” to desired levels including tons of tasty, subtle levels or even roll them all the way open, then roll the overal volume to taste…. I find almost every setting useable. A couple others are the ZVex: Fuzz Factory or better, the Woolly Mammoth. But depending on your budget, those can get pretty pricey.
For the EHX, I would check out the Big Muff Pi w/ wicker, the English Muff’n or if you want to go more all in one, maybe the holy stain……
June 8, 2009 at 10:08 pm #97562Ned FlandersModeratorSovtek muffs=bommy/muddy as hell via a twin reverb.
NYC RI= thick and woolly fuzz. an excellent pedal.
BMP+tone wicker is possibly want you want as its not quite as bassy (but almost) as the NYC RI and the tone bypass features may come in handy.
Go to a store and check one out. And check you tube for demo’s.June 9, 2009 at 1:57 am #97567mhuxtableMemberso i have checked out demos on youtube and wow theres a lot of fuzz to listen to. my ears got tired after about 30 mins and everything sounded the same. but the pedal that kept grabbing my attention was the BMPWTW.
When David Weiner hits those chords on his demo, wow it sounds amazing. Im gonna go try one out this weekend.
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