Great Wall review

[metalmariachi]

The Great Wall fuzz by Fuzzhugger.

I ordered this a couple of custom features that aren't on the standard version.

This fuzz has 5 controls, 2 foot switches and 2 flip switches.
The controls on mine are from left to right

Level (volume); controls the overall output volume of the pedal.
At first it seems you need to set it fairly high for unity at lower fuzz levels, but it is very interactive with the trim and gain controls.

Tone; there is very wide range of tone available.
I was able to dial in very very dark, through warm and fuzzy to bright with no problems.
Note; this isn't a super bright pedal, and I'm a bass player so my bright may be some one else's warm.

Volt (starve) adjusts the voltage supplied to the circuit.
Lower settings cuts the head room and the fuzz takes on more sizzle.
at higher settings the fuzz smooths out, becomes thicker and volume increases substantially.

Gain; This is the gain of the boost function.
In this mode the fuzz increases, becomes richer and even thicker.
Rather than just boosting the signal into the main fuzz, this controls another fuzz circuit which cascades into the main fuzz.
As with the volt control the volume kicks up quite a bit.

Trim; adjusts the fuzz level. What can I say nice sweet, just a touch of fuzz to lush.
it was hard to find a setting I didn't like here.

The right foot switch is the on/off true bypass for the main fuzz.

The left foot switch kicks in the boost, extra fuzz.
It is essentially having two different fuzzes in the same enclosure.

the first flip switch bypasses the tone control.
here we have another large jump in volume, Luckily it's right by the volume control, so quick adjustments are easily accomplished.

The second adds extra bass. this is a custom feature that Tom added at my request.
note; there is tons of bass already via the tone control, so this wouldn't be to every ones taste. In fact with some amp/guitar combinations this could cause every thing to become muddy and lost in the mix.

In spite of the multiple controls, the learning curve is very short.
It only took a couple of minutes to get the feel for the controls and dial in the tone and fuzz exactly how I wanted to sound.

Over all this is the best sounding and most bass friendly fuzz I've used.
This comparison includes some high end very expensive (and hard to get) bass specific fuzzes.

Very versatile, and able to get sounds that, in the past, required me combining several fuzz and boost pedals to accomplish.

Tom is great to work with, he put up with loads of emails, sorted through piles of photos for the custom graphics and in general allowed me to be a pain in the butt without complaining.

Any one of his fuzzes will be a great addition to your board.


MM