Which fuzz on bass to avoid getting drowned in the mix

[K2000]

Muff is your problem, IMO. I agree with everybody who recommended a Super Fuzz variant (B:assmaster, etc).

If I were you, I would only audition pedals in the band room. Forget about what sounds right when jamming on your own.

If the drummer is drowning you out, then you may have issues with your amp, besides your fuzz. What is your amp?

[Lebowsky]

The drummer is only drowning my out when the pickle pie b is on, not the the rest of the time.. My amp is a GK 1001RB-II with a 2x10 and 1x15 cab. It's loud enough

I got back from work and checked out the earlier recommendations. Most of them are too big, the Katana really sounds great but is really too big. I didn't really like the sound on the TAFM.

However, I am really digging the sound of the Diabolik on the E string in that JMJ video. With my previous PPB experience I though I didn't like blends on fuzz, but here... wow. This might very well be by next try after the Dwarfcraft Baby Thundaa...

[D.o.S.]

You could also just turn up more.

[blindrabbit]

Team Awesome Fuzz Machine

[bigchiefbc]

The reason you're getting drowned out is that most Muff-based pedals have a fuckin YOOOOOG mid-scoop.

Scooping mids is the fastest way to being completely lost in a band mix, especially by a loud drummer. You see, drums are almost all super lows (bass drum) and treble (snare and cymbals). A bass rig doesn't have a lot of mids unless you have a drummer that does a lot of small tom work. So you're fighting your drummer for the lows and highs when you scoop your mids. You need mids.

I think the Swollen Pickle has a mids knob, not sure about the Pickle Pie. But if you have a mids knob, crank it the all the fucking way up. Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself. You will cut through the mix like a knife through butter. I had a Musket for a while, and had the mids knob cranked all the way up at all times, and I never had a problem cutting through the mix. Now I have an IC Muff clone with a tone bypass. The tone bypass really cranks the hell out of my mids, and it makes me very very present in the mix.

[D.o.S.]

Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself.

...Because you will also sound honky and awful with your band.

[Lebowsky]

The reason you're getting drowned out is that most Muff-based pedals have a fuckin YOOOOOG mid-scoop.

Scooping mids is the fastest way to being completely lost in a band mix, especially by a loud drummer. You see, drums are almost all super lows (bass drum) and treble (snare and cymbals). A bass rig doesn't have a lot of mids unless you have a drummer that does a lot of small tom work. So you're fighting your drummer for the lows and highs when you scoop your mids. You need mids.

I think the Swollen Pickle has a mids knob, not sure about the Pickle Pie. But if you have a mids knob, crank it the all the fucking way up. Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself. You will cut through the mix like a knife through butter. I had a Musket for a while, and had the mids knob cranked all the way up at all times, and I never had a problem cutting through the mix. Now I have an IC Muff clone with a tone bypass. The tone bypass really cranks the hell out of my mids, and it makes me very very present in the mix.

thanks, I'm getting it now. The Swollen Pickle was ok, but I found practically unusable, too complicated to find a nice tone when messing with those internal trimpots. The Pickle Pie B has no mid control, it's only supposed to be less mid-scooped and more voice for bass... but I guess it's just not enough.

What's IC? Awesome avatar, btw.

[WeHuntKings]

IC = Smashing Pumpkins muff. So, very raspy and grindy.

[bigchiefbc]

Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself.

...Because you will also sound honky and awful with your band.

I've always found that the way you sound on your own and the way you sound in a full rock band mix are almost completely unrelated to each other.

[theAntihero]

Try a Blakemore Dues Ex Machina, its got a clean blend knob that ive found works great on bass.

[bigchiefbc]

The reason you're getting drowned out is that most Muff-based pedals have a fuckin YOOOOOG mid-scoop.

Scooping mids is the fastest way to being completely lost in a band mix, especially by a loud drummer. You see, drums are almost all super lows (bass drum) and treble (snare and cymbals). A bass rig doesn't have a lot of mids unless you have a drummer that does a lot of small tom work. So you're fighting your drummer for the lows and highs when you scoop your mids. You need mids.

I think the Swollen Pickle has a mids knob, not sure about the Pickle Pie. But if you have a mids knob, crank it the all the fucking way up. Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself. You will cut through the mix like a knife through butter. I had a Musket for a while, and had the mids knob cranked all the way up at all times, and I never had a problem cutting through the mix. Now I have an IC Muff clone with a tone bypass. The tone bypass really cranks the hell out of my mids, and it makes me very very present in the mix.

thanks, I'm getting it now. The Swollen Pickle was ok, but I found practically unusable, too complicated to find a nice tone when messing with those internal trimpots. The Pickle Pie B has no mid control, it's only supposed to be less mid-scooped and more voice for bass... but I guess it's just not enough.

What's IC? Awesome avatar, btw.

Looking again at the Swollen Pickle, it doesn't have a mids knob, but it has a scoop knob. I guess you can only go from scooped to flat mids, no mid boost is available with it. If you want a Muff-based circuit with an actual mids boost, you should look for either a Musket or a Supercollider.

IC means integrated circuit, specifically op-amps. The Big Muff has almost always used 4 transistors for the gain stages in the circuit. For a few years in the late 70s, they changed over to using op-amps for the gain stages instead. It has a grindier, less creamy and smooth, less compressed sound to it than most Big Muffs. I tend to like my fuzzes more grindy and abrasive, and not smooth.

WHK is referring to the fact that it became more sought-after in the last 5-10 years when it came out that this was the Big Muff that Smashing Pumpkins used on the Siamese Dream album.

[D.o.S.]

Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself.

...Because you will also sound honky and awful with your band.

I've always found that the way you sound on your own and the way you sound in a full rock band mix are almost completely unrelated to each other.

Kind of.

I also hate "cutting through" in the super-midsy sense of the word, so YMMV.

[bigchiefbc]

Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself.

...Because you will also sound honky and awful with your band.

I've always found that the way you sound on your own and the way you sound in a full rock band mix are almost completely unrelated to each other.

Kind of.

I also hate "cutting through" in the super-midsy sense of the word, so YMMV.

Maybe I'm just scarred and snakebit from years of being drowned out of the mix by guitarists. Cranking mids was the only way I could actually be heard out on the floor.

[Uncle Grandfather]

check out just about anything from dwarfcraft, like the shiva. its an octave fuzz with some sub octave tendencies. small box too. most of their pedals sounds great with guitar and bass, and are high gain.

[D.o.S.]

Don't worry if you think it sounds honky and awful when you play by yourself.

...Because you will also sound honky and awful with your band.

I've always found that the way you sound on your own and the way you sound in a full rock band mix are almost completely unrelated to each other.

Kind of.

I also hate "cutting through" in the super-midsy sense of the word, so YMMV.

Maybe I'm just scarred and snakebit from years of being drowned out of the mix by guitarists. Cranking mids was the only way I could actually be heard out on the floor.

Yeah, I did that when I was playing louder stuff with a pair of guitarists. That super mids sound is something that works really well when I'm listening to it, but it doesn't gel with my playing style at all (phrasing, etc.)

It's like Stingrays. In other people's hands, they sound amazing. I just make them sound annoying.