Tell me about the SSBS Mini/Fuck

[JamesSGBrown]

I see a lot of love for this pedal around here, but there's next to no decent demos online, and tbh I didnt think the Knobs video was great- didn't seem that the playing suited the pedal.

So, why are people so ape shit for it?

[DADGBD]

They give the KLON/Dumble tones.

[askashrub]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmTvDpiqgnc[/youtube]

[Derelict78]

It gives you that "my amps about to explode" tone.

[theactionindex]

To each their own, it may just not be the pedal for you. I've really liked both the Mini and the Fuck because they can pull off an awesome sounding overdrive, but they're super versatile and can achieve a lot of other sounds not typically associated with overdrives.

If you can find a way to try either one out, I highly recommend it.

[Strange Tales]

Place Fuck after delay -> momentarily turn on crackle when you stop and delay self-oscillates -> cum

[tremolo3]

and tbh I didnt think the Knobs video was great- didn't seem that the playing suited the pedal.

Nothing against knobs demos, I do enjoy some of their videos, but that one just plain sucks indeed.
I would love to see another demo and see if I finally get one of those SSBS.

A couple of questions for owners:

What is it based on?
Is that "crackle" knob just a voltage sag?

[JamesSGBrown]

Now this demo rules

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-pegj1yMY[/youtube]

I want an interesting and versatile overdrive, fromboost to fuzz. I could afford a Mini, but the Fuck is a bit pricey...does the mini cover most of the same ground besides the crackle?

[ThurberMingus]

I've had both and prefer the Fuck. The Mini is better for a darker fuzzier tone, but the FUCK exceeds at my favorite sound: surfy, post-punky bright clang, but with awesome low-end retention. I would like to get another Mini because they absolutely slay when stacked.

[Ev_O)))]

Now this demo rules

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-pegj1yMY[/youtube]

I want an interesting and versatile overdrive, fromboost to fuzz. I could afford a Mini, but the Fuck is a bit pricey...does the mini cover most of the same ground besides the crackle?

Aye, and then some with the more versatile EQ. I havent gassed for drive since I bought mine nearly 2 years ago

[ThorZ]

I pretty much only use my Fuck coupled with the Fuzzhugger Doom Bloom. It just works SO well.

Other than that it offers me a good middle ground between balls out distortion of the Dr Scientist Elements and my understated OD of the Dopefx Black Lotus. I think it sounds rather sexy but not as sexy as when put with the Doom Bloom.

[Adelbatross]

Fuck stacks well with pretty much anything.

Fuck 'crackle' + delay = Jizz in pants

Fuck + Fuzz = Radtacular Radness

Fuck + verb = Post Surf

Fuck + delay + fuzz + verb = badass pedalboard.

The mini is a beast all its own. Definitely more saturated, saggy tone and doesn't have the crackle function which not everyone likes. You could definitely have a fuck and a mini on your board be pretty damn happy. I've thought about getting a mini many times and just missed out on the Black Friday sale Brian was running. That's another thing, SS/BS is a one man show and though I'm pretty new to ILF people around here really support the smaller builders doing unique stuff vs companies trying to copy the same shit over and over again and call it 'new' re: anything by JHS.

What's also refreshing is that's it's NOT another fucking tubescreamer/klon/whatever is popular on TGP these days. Hence the name fuck overdrive.

[goroth]

and tbh I didnt think the Knobs video was great- didn't seem that the playing suited the pedal.

Nothing against knobs demos, I do enjoy some of their videos, but that one just plain sucks indeed.
I would love to see another demo and see if I finally get one of those SSBS.

A couple of questions for owners:

What is it based on?
Is that "crackle" knob just a voltage sag?

It is not based on anything.
The circuit consists of three JFET gain stages. The gain knob adjusts the gain of the first two gain stages simultaneously. The third gain stage is a different sort of JFET. The crackle is modulating the voltage on the third JFET stage, and it is modulated by an envelope follower.

The Mini does away with the envelope follower, allowing only a static adjustment of the voltage on the third gain stage. It also swaps out the high cut knob for a two band EQ.

They are both fucking killer pedals. You can do a very clean boost (and by clean I mean not only undistorted, but also uncoloured), you can do chimey overdrives, you can do more crumbly overdrive, you can do splatty shit overdrive. You can do medium gain stuff that gets into a sort of AC/DC like overdrive/distortion zone, or you can get blown out fuzz. They can be used to boost other pedals or you can boost them and get different sounds.

They are different enough that you can easily have both on your board, and they are popular enough that you can flip them and not lose too much cash if they don't do your thing. I have a mini on my board, and had a fuck on my board (post delay, best spot for dem cracklez) but ended up needing to bump it off because I needed a switchable clean boost (for teh shredz) and a low gain drive thing to muddy up the delay. So my Fuck became a Zvex Box of Rock. Which is nice and all, but I really miss the crackle and that wonderful fidelity loss you can dial in. When my bank account doesn't hate me I'll get a custom dual footswitch. Crackle always on, but the switch will switch between two different thresholds.

Tl;dr. Good pedals. Both of em.

[coldbrightsunlight]

What goroth said, basically.

They're both nice sounding overdrives for guitar and bass with other features. Fuck has the crackle which can sound broken and interesting, and the mini has more EQ control and gets pretty fuzzy.

[neonblack]

I have a high gain modded Mini that doesn't get clean anymore but can get super saturated and fuzzy. Then turn the bias down and its gross and abrasive with lots of cool artifacts on the decay. Crackly sputtery stuff.

I like to keep the gain lower and hit it with a Fuck though. It gets just as gnarly but a little less compressed.

So yeah. Either one would be badass