FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

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mynar7
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FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by mynar7 »

It's really good.




Ok, some details: My first instinct was to just crank the gain, drop the starve and crank the fuzz and see what happened, and I got a really solid, chunky fuzz tone. Then I had some less than successful trial settings for awhile until I learned the knobs and learned what the choke switch does. At first I was suspect of the lack of a tone knob, as I tend to dial in highs/mids and play licks over power chords like an ass, but I realized how really great the bloom, gain, and starve knobs are at cleaning up and shaping the sound. I can dial in great lead and chord settings that can be clean enough to articulate, but fuzzy enough to saturate. It takes a bit to understand what the knobs do, but once I started to get the hang of it I was very impressed.

Sometimes I use my hoof with an overdrive in front to make a sort of scooped, fuzzy metal sound for squealing leads and what not, so I tried an OCD in front of the AB. This didn't really do anything, but I could get good pinch harmonics and decent squeals with just the gain knob. The hoof is also garbage (like most fuzz) with a wah pedal, so naturally I had to try that also. To my complete surprise and delight, the AB takes a wah pedal--a standard crybaby--perfectly (again, I suspect, because of the gain stage).

I don't think I'll be flipping it anytime soon, unless it's for another AB with different artwork. I haven't used it in a full band setting or at band volume, though. However, just the wah capability alone makes it golden. My only complaint is that the LED bulb cover is orange, but when you switch it on it's yellow, which looks sorta shitty with the blue artwork. I may ask tom for a purple plastic bulb or something if I can't get over it. :idk:

If Tom has other pedals that are of AB quality please let me know. I tried an Arc Flash that I liked a lot but didn't love and flipped it months ago. (I might get another anyway though for the bacon graphic)
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by proroby »

Shhhh....









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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by sonidero »

:erm: :poke:
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by mynar7 »

^Really? I'm torn on whether it's all hype or not still. Plus it's expensive and I'm poor/cheap. What's it like?
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by elbandito »

Definitely not just hype. Burg's vid of the snowdrift on YouTube is pretty excellent and shows off much of the dynamic fuzz tones of the pedal. It's not like the algal bloom at all... It can oscillate, squeal and go crazy but can also get real nice and sexy like as well as get realyl heavy and chewy. I say give it a try! There's one in b/s/t right now and if you decide you don't like it (which means that you're probably broken), you can flip it pretty easily.
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by sonidero »

elbandito wrote:Definitely not just hype. Burg's vid of the snowdrift on YouTube is pretty excellent and shows off much of the dynamic fuzz tones of the pedal. It's not like the algal bloom at all... It can oscillate, squeal and go crazy but can also get real nice and sexy like as well as get realyl heavy and chewy. I say give it a try! There's one in b/s/t right now and if you decide you don't like it (which means that you're probably broken), you can flip it pretty easily.


:thumb: No hype man, this is soooo good... Especially after the Algal Bloom which you can hear on both channels real well... Heavy and chewy is what I've been talkin about all day at work... Crazy and Sexy like every woman I've ever known... :love:
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by tchen »

[/quote]:thumb: No hype man, this is soooo good... Especially after the Algal Bloom which you can hear on both channels real well... Heavy and chewy is what I've been talkin about all day at work... Crazy and Sexy like every woman I've ever known... :love:[/quote]

do you mean when you have them stacked... you can hear the algal bloom well through both modes of the snowdrift?

also, i love the paintjob on yours. if you ever get bored with it, let me know. here's mine:
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by Fuzzy Picklez »

On the topic of the Algal Bloom, I think it sound faaarrrr better with a band then by itself.
I use it for songs with organ, bass, and drums, and it fucking rips! :omg:
It sits in the mix perfectly for me.

I also find it to be a very nice a touch sensitive fuzz on lower gain settings.
In one song, I don't change the volume at all to go from quite rhythm to screaming lead.
The playing of course affects this, but man, I dig this thing.
I have bought a lot of fuzzes over the past couple of years, and this might just be my favourite. :thumb:
I've had very little fuzz gas since I bought it. Just an AB Synth which is now on the way. :yay:

Well done Tom. :)*
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by sonidero »

tchen wrote:do you mean when you have them stacked... you can hear the algal bloom well through both modes of the snowdrift?
also, i love the paintjob on yours. if you ever get bored with it, let me know. here's mine:
Image


Yes the Algal Bloom is in front of the Snowdrift, all my stuff is in one line... I was thinking when I turned the Algal Bloom on and the Drift was already in dual mode I wouldn't really be able to hear much of a difference... Wrong... The Bloom works great on both modes to spice it up as it were... I play the Bloom at with all knobs at 12 and the starve all the way up... It adds a nice boost to the first stage and can thicken up and fuzz out the dual stage... I'm also playing the Great Wall 3 knob after it set the same way as the Bloom and it KILLS when they're all on... :!!!:
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Re: FH Algal Bloom: Thoughts

Post by phantasmagorovich »

sonidero wrote:Yes the Algal Bloom is in front of the Snowdrift, all my stuff is in one line... I was thinking when I turned the Algal Bloom on and the Drift was already in dual mode I wouldn't really be able to hear much of a difference... Wrong... The Bloom works great on both modes to spice it up as it were... I play the Bloom at with all knobs at 12 and the starve all the way up... It adds a nice boost to the first stage and can thicken up and fuzz out the dual stage... I'm also playing the Great Wall 3 knob after it set the same way as the Bloom and it KILLS when they're all on... :!!!:



:!!!:

Sounds like a case for this:
http://www.ilovefuzz.com/viewtopic.php?f=149&t=9589

Oh and by the way I'm selling my Algal Bloom over in the b/s/t...
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