High-end fuzz/OD pedals for bass and analog synth

[BastonDistortion]

Hello freaks,

Well first post there what a shame !!!
For a fuzz lover as i am this is crazy shit i didn't paid attention to this website earlier.

Here we go. I'm playing bass and synth in a band which sounds more doomish, loud, retro and futurist rather than mellow pop. Sorry if it's confusing but it's hard to describe as we are doing our best to not fit into a particular trend and just try to make what we like. The sound aesthetic might sound like on some bands that are on neurot recordings but thing broader.

We are really fuzz lovers, and we put fuzz on everything we play. Guitars, synths, bass and more. Actually i do own a rusty box, a diy mod of a wooly mamooth, a vintage rat moded for bass guitar, a diy russian fuzz. But i'd like to have more choice in term of fuzz sound and distortion as well as being able to try it on my bass guitar (which is an active warwick thumb bass) and the synth i do own (which are all analog with lot of punch, think about the good names out there, like moog, oberheim, sequencial circuits and the like.

So do you guys have any suggestions about fuzz or overdrive pedals i should consider which could fit my needs ? That says huge sound, really good quality (no matter the price, i'm not interested in first budget fuzz pedals) and well would give an amazing sound on the EP we'll record in a few month.

Thanks all,
And if any questions you might have, just ask.

regards

[Rob Fossil]

Welcome to the board, I highly recommend the 3xFx Fatman as an alternative to muff-style bass fuzz (which is also a must have, but more common). I have the V2 model with photo-eye and oscillation which ups the aural insanity. I like the MXR Bluebox or other octave down fuzz (Robot Devil, Perseus, etc.) to thicken up the sound of a synth.

[BastonDistortion]

Welcome to the board, I highly recommend the 3xFx Fatman as an alternative to muff-style bass fuzz (which is also a must have, but more common). I have the V2 model with photo-eye and oscillation which ups the aural insanity. I like the MXR Bluebox or other octave down fuzz (Robot Devil, Perseus, etc.) to thicken up the sound of a synth.

Hi rob, thanks for your answer.

I wasn't aware about 3xFx, and that seems really nice. That was that kind of suggestions i was expecting. So thanks a lot for that. Does anyone tried monolith loudspekers techtonic shift or verellen big spider ?

[Deltaphoenix]

IE Oxide has a couple of great sounds (1/2 of it is based of Brassmaster the other half is a gated fuzz). ss/bs TAFM is a great original fuzz that can have a gated switch added, it gets doomy.

[jrmy]

Welcome! Always good to have more fuzz lovers here, especially of the bass variety.

For bass fuzz, my standard suggestions are (in no particular order):

Blackout Musket
Dwarfcraft Eau Claire Thunder
Earthquaker Dirt Transmitter or Hoof
Smallsound/Bigsound Team Awesome Fuzz Machine
Smallsound/Bigsound Fuck Overdrive
McSpunckle Gnomeratron VTF (he's in the Shark Tank, a subforum of our Buy / Sell / Trade)
Dr. Scientist Elements (more on the OD/distortion side than fuzz, but there are so many gain & tone-shaping options in there, it's a must)
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler
Fuzzhugger Fuzz Huger
Malekko B:assmaster
Basic Audio Squarewave (he's also in the Shark Tank)
Foxx Tone Machine (or a clone - there are a few builders here who will do those)

Long list, I know, but they all offer different sounds and tonal potentials. If I could, I'd have a board with every single one of them... as it is, I think my live board will have at least three or four. If you're looking for the ones that are the most typically "muff-ish" or "doomy," I'd say try the Musket (great options for focused mids - unusual in a Muff), Eau Claire Thunder (tons of tonal options, plus a tone bypass option for all-out balls-out, AND a momentary feedback switch for melting faces), Earthquaker Hoof, ss/BS TAFM (not strictly a Muff, but it can cop those tones and offers a clean blend), Gnomeratron VTF (again, not strictly a muff, but can get those sounds).

Hope that list isn't too long - as always, I suggest poking around, checking out demo vids and trying out whatever you can get your hands on. Buy / Sell / Trade will be your friend when it comes to this!

[Achtane]

Welcome to the board, I highly recommend the 3xFx Fatman as an alternative to muff-style bass fuzz (which is also a must have, but more common). I have the V2 model with photo-eye and oscillation which ups the aural insanity. I like the MXR Bluebox or other octave down fuzz (Robot Devil, Perseus, etc.) to thicken up the sound of a synth.

Hi rob, thanks for your answer.

I wasn't aware about 3xFx, and that seems really nice. That was that kind of suggestions i was expecting. So thanks a lot for that. Does anyone tried monolith loudspekers techtonic shift or verellen big spider ?

I have and love the Big Spider, but if you are searching for a super-versatile pedal you might wanna look around some more. The first mode can sound glorious, but it is ultra mid-scooped. I dunno if that would be a negative thing with your setup/music. I usually play around with the mid-boost engaged. It is a great doomy sound, absolutely THE doomy sound I was looking for...however, it does scoop, it does brick wall of mids, and that's mainly it. Chords get messed up in a really cool way.

The main complaint I have with it is that unity volume is fairly high on the pot, at least in the scooped mode. The mid-boost is louder, but it doesn't get crazy loud like a Devi fuzz or something.

By the way, it's nearly the same thing as an Ace-Tone FM2.

[kbit]

Dwarfcraft Eau Claire Thunder on bass. Will make shit shake.

[Narwhal-Industries]

Check out our Fuzz the Barnacle. We specifically designed it to have a flat frequency response then added an active EQ. I'd love to hear someone out there using it with synth.

[D.o.S.]

Muff clones, dude.

[Phosphene Audio]

I have lurked here for a while and this is my first post. You mention that you have a diy Wooly Mammoth. You might try adding a push/relax knob a la the Mastotron to make it more amenable to use with synths or active pickups. If I remember correctly, it is pretty much a 100k pot wired as a variable resistor in series with the input cap.

[MSUsousaphone]

Some sweet ass high end Tube Overdrive that can get into the fuzz realm. This is what's been getting me moist of late:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0uPp0OYtlM[/youtube]

[MEC]

Mountainking Megalith or Magnetar and Earthbound Supercollider or Beast all sound awesome on bass.
smallsound/bigsound Brian plays some synths, I'm sure if you let him know what you were working with and going for he could set you up too.

[Zander]

http://damagecontrolusa.com/products/demonizer/
I have both the Demonizer and the Womanizer.

They're no longer in production. I got both of mine on SleezeBay. I was able to snag the Demonizer for $100.00 Poor guy must have been disappointed. The Womanizer cost me $250 if I remember. The difference between the two, as I understand it, is in the tone controls - Womanizer is passive (cut) tone controls, Demonizer is active (boosted) tone controls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7lcOSQyMrw

[Fuzz_Pi]

For something that sounds equally as good on synth and bass

Malekko Assmaster, definatly the silicon version

[Jwar]

Welcome to the forum! My suggestion is going to be the following, Woolly Mammoth clone, Prescription Electronics Depth Charge, Smallsound/Bigsound TAFM, or Wren and Cuff Pickle Pie B. I have tried a LOT of fuzz, and those are the ones I really dug. All of them but the Woolly sound good with both active and passive bass. The Depth Charge has got to be the best in my book right now. I'm sure that will be challenged at a later date, but as it stands, that's the top of the list for me.