Algal Bloom Into Tube Distortion

[Ice Ape]

Hey all, my first post on ilovefuzz. I am wondering how the Algal Bloom stacks into an already distorted tube amp. All the demos I have seen showcase its sound when run into a clean amp setting (sounds great!) but I have yet to see it demoed into a dirty amp. I imagine that the AB fully gained out into a gained out amp would be total mayhem but what about at a lower gain setting? Or maybe both the amp and the AB at lower gain settings? I have a Mesa Electra Dyne that has a clean setting, a vintage gain setting, and a more modern high gain setting if that helps. I already have an EQD Dream Crusher on my board that I love and it stacks very well with my amp. The AB has a very specific type of sound and crunch that to my ears is 180 degrees opposite the DC. Modern vs old school? I love that the AB cleans up so well (the DC does too), an important part of my playing. I suspect the Algal Bloom would complement the DC nicely and round out all the fuzz territory I could ever need to cover. Any thoughts or experiences along these lines would be greatly appreciated.

[sonidero]

Dude nice name... The Algal sounds awesome into ANY AMP... I have a Mesa DC-3 and two old Kalamazoo tube amps and I LOVE feeding the Algal into any of them... It can be set for low gain and act as a dirty boost or crank the Bloom and Gain and make your AMP EXPLODE... I don't have a DC but I think Hclapp might have some experience in that realm... The Algal stacks well before or after any other kind of dirt and the starve knob is key to getting it to sit right in a mix of pedals... GET ONE!!! You won't be disappointed...

[FuzzHugger]

That's a great question! I can't answer it. Haha. I designed the Algal Bloom on a clean tube amp, as all FuzzHugger pedals. My goal is something that sounds great--huge, transformative--on a clean amp. I've only owned clean tube amps for the past five years (after selling my excellent Carvin X100b). I'd love to hear what people have to say about this. The Algal Bloom does clean up really well, with a lot of control over response...I'd think that'd work nicely into a distorted amp, but I'm not qualified to say for sure!!!

[coldbrightsunlight]

I haven't done it much, but set low gain it worked nicely into a slightly dirty amp when I tried it, like a normal boost but MORE because it's a little fuzzy already.

[sonidero]

like a normal boost but MORE because it's a little fuzzy already.

Pretty much, I played a bunch last night into the DC-3 on the dirty channel... With the knobs down you can get the Algal to act as a nice dirty booster but when you start adding Bloom and Starving it things get really weird... The Bloom can add a lot of Low End if you keep the Gain low but when you start to add the Gain it smears the Amp sound and the Guitar to the Extreme... Like I said above the secret is in the Starve knob to get everything to sit right... With slight amp and Algal adjustments I was able to get just about any style of DIRT/FUZZ/GAIN that I wanted...

[Ice Ape]

Thanks for the great responses, they help to clear things up regarding the Algal Bloom for me. I am really interested in getting one soon. Lets see where I am after my next paycheck. It is hard to get me really excited for a stompbox but there is something to the AB that makes it stand out to me. I see one in my future.

That's a great question! I can't answer it. Haha. I designed the Algal Bloom on a clean tube amp, as all FuzzHugger pedals. My goal is something that sounds great--huge, transformative--on a clean amp. I've only owned clean tube amps for the past five years (after selling my excellent Carvin X100b). I'd love to hear what people have to say about this. The Algal Bloom does clean up really well, with a lot of control over response...I'd think that'd work nicely into a distorted amp, but I'm not qualified to say for sure!!!

Thanks for the info on your wonderful pedal. Of course the AB is at its heart a high gain fuzz that can stand alone without any additional dirt in the mix. From all the demos I have seen it sounds just great into a clean amp. Your goal of a huge transformative sound has been achieved and then some. This is what attracted me to the AB in the first place. It was more its ability to clean up so well that got me thinking about how it would stack into a dirty amp. My experience is lowish gain from a pedal + lowish gain in the amp = great unique high gain sound. The harmonic richness the AB displays in demos sounds like the perfect compliment to the sweet harmonics of tube distortion. I think the AB is an exciting pedal with a wide range of possible uses. I am eager to get one.

like a normal boost but MORE because it's a little fuzzy already.

Pretty much, I played a bunch last night into the DC-3 on the dirty channel... With the knobs down you can get the Algal to act as a nice dirty booster but when you start adding Bloom and Starving it things get really weird... The Bloom can add a lot of Low End if you keep the Gain low but when you start to add the Gain it smears the Amp sound and the Guitar to the Extreme... Like I said above the secret is in the Starve knob to get everything to sit right... With slight amp and Algal adjustments I was able to get just about any style of DIRT/FUZZ/GAIN that I wanted...

Thanks for the insights into how it actually works into a dirty amp. Far better than me speculating. I imagine that without care being taken it would be easy to go over the top with the AB running into an already distorted amp. It also seems a shame to me to have to dampen its natural higher gain when stacking it into a distorted amp. It shines so well on its own. That said I am sure that with care I could find some sweet combinations bringing out the best of both my amps sound and the glory of the AB's fuzz. Now all I have to do is get one....

[sonidero]

Yes you have to get one... I know you will find a place for it... It's always inspiring to play...