Hep me on my quest for 2 new dirt pedals...

[JamesSGBrown]

Yo!

So, that time's come where I've realised that my board hasn't changed in over a year. Gasp!

I want a couple of new drive pedals- one low gain and one mid-high. I've been using a Boss SD-1 and a VFE Alpha Dog for over 2 years now, and they're serving me fantastically, but I'd like a couple of other flavours! I've been through more Big Muffs than I care to remember- boutique and vintage and current- and they aren't for me, at all! I've also had a couple of Fuzz Factory's and Harmonic Percolators- I liked FF's for recording but live they didn't cut it. I found the Perc's too harsh (the Germanium setting on the Alpha Dog cops all the compressed, velcro tones tbh).

I'd like a couple that stack well together and also have their own thing going on. So far I've been mainly looking at the Hungry Robot Overdrive for low-gain (I like that it can go from clean boost to Supro style tones- seems super versatile) and I'm looking at possibly a SS/BS Fuck or Mini for higher gain. But then I've heard that the low gain of the two latter pedals is also pretty great- and I was looking at the Buzzz too...

I play tele's, Jaguars and a Musicmaster into a 68 Princeton Reverb and a Musicman RP65! Get at me with your suggestions!

[tremolo3]

Get an EQ pedal and make that FF or any other fuzz pedal usable everywhere. That was the revelation of the year to me and I can finally enjoy fuzz pedals with guitars.
I'm using a Meathead clone which is basically a FF.

EQD Talons will cover a lot of stuff too, it shines as a mid-high gain IMO.

For low gain I use a Boss OD3, it's fucking perfect for rhythm playing and it loves single coils. Think of an OCD that doesn't sound like a 4x10 closed cab.


What kind of music do you play?

[JamesSGBrown]

I've thought about doing that, but I like the Fuzz Factory for what it is, and I use it to record here and there, but it's way too saturated for live use, even if I do boost the top-end.

Genre wise? We're into Mission Of Burma, Women, Sonic Youth, The Men etc! mutesuk.bandcamp.com if you're interested...

[CyaNitrate]

I've got a Black Forest in B/S/T

[neonblack]

You are right to consider the Mini. I play some Sonic Youth type stuff and its great at lower gain and lower bias for some of those crumbly Lo Fi tones.

Honestly for max versatility I would go with Mini and Buzzz. But Fuck and Mini is what I'm rolling with. Fuck for lower gain, more trebly stuff, and Mini for woolier growly stuff.

I like to run the Fuck first and then the Mini. I keep them both at fairly low gain so that when I stack them its the perfect amount of mid range gain for me.

[scienceman]

My only two dirt pedals atm are a buzzz and a mini and I can confirm they are amazing and super versatile.

[D Rock]

My only two dirt pedals atm are a buzzz and a mini and I can confirm they are amazing and super versatile.

Damn you man that is my dream setup. Right now I have a doom bloom and a Rat, but I am getting a buzzz next for sure.

[frigid midget]

Aside from the usual ss/bs suggestions...
I'd say that a Red Witch FGII is sort of like an improved, somewhat more musical fuzz factory...
It covers more ground, and though it can still squeel like a mother, there's more conservative tones inthere, going from low scratchy nasal tones to high gain raspy fuzzyness...

[fcknoise]

Never played a fuck/mini or buzzz, but I believe they're awesome based on everyone else mostly.

I'd like to recommend a few other pedals who are maybe worth checking out:
Favorite fuzz like ever: Fuzzhugger Suneater. It just sounds so textured and awesome. Anytime I turn it on I can't help but jam out to only it for a long ass time. Love it to bits. Check out Goroths Tom Waitsy demo of it, it rocks for lowgainish tones as well.

The classic HM-2, which you probably know. Fuzzy distortion that has awesome range on the EQ. I think it excels as dirt after reverb and dirt tones on the bassier side of things.

Zoom UF-1. Another Fuzz factory-ish fuzz which cops a LOT of different sounds. Low gain shit, oscillating madness shit (which also is super sensitive to your volume knob!), gated shit, endless sustaining stuff. I got mine for about 80€, which is an alright price in todays market I think.

Low gain OD, w/ clean boost and all that: Barber LTD SR. My fav OD. Doesn't get super gainy, and the words I'd like to describe it with sounds too tgp-ish. I really like it for getting a little bit of overdrive in shit. Really flat EQ so when you turn it on whatever sound you had before stays but it gets a wee bit dirty.

[JamesSGBrown]

You are right to consider the Mini. I play some Sonic Youth type stuff and its great at lower gain and lower bias for some of those crumbly Lo Fi tones.

Honestly for max versatility I would go with Mini and Buzzz. But Fuck and Mini is what I'm rolling with. Fuck for lower gain, more trebly stuff, and Mini for woolier growly stuff.

I like to run the Fuck first and then the Mini. I keep them both at fairly low gain so that when I stack them its the perfect amount of mid range gain for me.

I was considering the Fuck and the Mini...the Buzzz looks awesome too though- seems like it can handle chords. The Mini can get pretty fuzzy too, right!

Re: Fuzz God and the Zoom Ultra Fuzz- I've had both and vastly preferred the Fuzz Factory

[tuj]

low = the Fuck.
high = hmm... Sonic Shroom?

[Iommic Pope]

I've got a Black Forest in B/S/T

Get it.

[ThurberMingus]

I've got a Black Forest in B/S/T

Get it.

Got'd!

I'm running Klone into Fuck for my dirt section. I'm gonna run Fuck into Black Forest next week. I'll let you all know how they stack up!

[phantasmagorovich]

Oh my, there are so many options!

Like D.O.S. I would think you should probably go with something crackley for the lower gain. A Fuck or Mini would be perfect as is the Demo Tape by Mid-fi. The Dr. Scientist Frazz would be an alternative or even the Buzzz. Dark Axel has made a demo that features the Buzz on very low gain as a sort of fucked up OD and those tones are LOVELY!! (The demo is from his pedal company, East Stomp Boutique)
The higher gain is a little tricky I think. It's not getting the hype it used to get, but I am very fond of the TeamAwesomeFuzzMachine. In the gated mode it serves me very well for bursting lines of Edwyn Collins type. But now I'm listening to you band (loving it by the way!) and that seems like a different sound than what you are going for. So it seems like either you need some Octave Fuzz which would bring us back to the Buzzz or maybe some Ibanez Standard Fuzz clone. The Roland Bee Baa is my go-to fuzz when I want that Big Muff sound in my head, that a Big Muff won't spit out. There are some new clones of it flying about, the Acid Age Pale Mare had my interest. I could do some SY-esque stuff with my Bee Baa. I've never tried one, but from the way people talk about it, the Burns Buzzaround might also be a Muff without the defects. One thing that I never got to sound quite right, but I loved every demo of it and I still think it was my fault: Basic Audio Squarewave +, a modern version of the Univox Squarewave.

TL;DR:

take a pick:

suggestion du chef:
Demo Tape & Pale Mare (or Squarewave+)

max versatility:
Mini & Buzzz

[JamesSGBrown]

So the Mini and Buzzz combo seems to be getting the most love...it looks like they'd be a lot of fun together!!