ilovefuzz.com

I sold some pedals recently and I'd like to try a new texture, something different enough from these pedals that I don't feel like there's a lot of overlap.

Here's what I use:

Durham Crazy Horse - voltage controllable opamp driving a double fuzz face with a BMP tone knob, covers a shit ton of bases, my main squeeze
Resonant Electronics Acceleron - covers basic fuzz face/tone bender sounds
Dunlop Octavio - upper octave fuzz
MXR Blue Box - synthy low octave fuzz
EHX Germanium OD - inbetween fuzzy amplike overdrive sounds

Caveat: I don't care for Big Muffs and Tone Machines. Where should I start? Or should I be content in the wide swath of filthy sounds I can command from this phalanx of circuitry.

How do you like oscillating fuzzes? I'm hungover so all I can think of is the lal 88 atm, but the idea might be aight

Maybe look outside of dirt for different textures. What are your other regularly used pedals?

Yeah, the first thing that came to mind for me would be oscillating fuzzes or Tone Benders and Buzzarounds. For oscillating, I think of the Mountainking Frequency LSD, or the Rainger Dr. Freakenstein or the ol Fuzzhugger Ab-Synth. For Buzzarounds or 'Benders, anything by Ghost...

Also, you mention contrasting textures, which makes me think of low-gain fuzzes or stuff that's almost more filter-y...

Or the Basic Audio Fuzz Mutant - that seems to get pretty dang textural:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hugTWokUR4U[/youtube]

Other stuff I use is emulations of spring reverb, tape echo and BBD delay mostly, sometimes tremolo. I haven't found a truly cool modulation pedal. I set up my Vortex rack when I want weird stereo effects. I like flangers a lot but haven't really found one that's unique except for the Deco which is too pricey for me sadly. I was toying with the idea of getting another BF-2 because it may be pretty standard but at least it sounds good. I've been eyeing the TC Electronics Viscous Vibe that's coming out, because I like vibe effects and have never found one that actually sounds great and is affordable.

What's the story with Buzzarounds? I don't really know anything about that circuit. I'd prefer to steer clear of Tone Benders, because I think my Acceleron covers that type of sound fairly well.

I'll look into some oscillating ones, I think the only one I remember looking at once was the Red Witch Fuzz God

Put a Devi OK fuzz at the end of your chain and add new textures and stutters to the pedals you already have!

PumpkinPieces wrote:Put a Devi OK fuzz at the end of your chain and add new textures and stutters to the pedals you already have!

This is a pretty solid idea.

Look at Ampeg Scrambler clones or Fender Blenders if you want octave up crazy in spades.

How about a ring mod? Those can get you all kinds of crunchy, nasty, low-sputtering sounds.

friendship wrote:I like flangers a lot but haven't really found one that's unique except for the Deco which is too pricey for me sadly. I was toying with the idea of getting another BF-2 because it may be pretty standard but at least it sounds good.

BF-2 is great but a bit dark/dull which can be good or bad (it works better post-dirt than most stuff), if you're looking for something a bit more striking in comparison but still similar look for older Yamaha 4-knobber FL series flangers, they sound really nice and generally are MIT BF-2 price range for MIJ pedals. Also the Guyatone FL-3 is a bit limited but really vibrant-sounding so thats worth looking at too. There are so many good cheap older flangers out there so buying new ones is kind of pointless. The Deco is awesome but it doesn't really cop normal LFO flanger sounds so you have to be super into that fattening slightly-wobbly double-tracked sound, it is very unique but very specific.

But yeah, you need to fix this appalling flanger:fuzz ratio before you look at more fuzz pedals

Isn't the Dunlop Octavio kinda Tone Machine-ish?

And I'm not sure, but I don't think youy already have anything sililar to a superfuzz, right? You probably know there's a ton of nice clones out there. What you might not know though: The FZ-2 kicks all of their asses

I'm guessing the acceleron is too similar to a Fuzz Bear, right? Cause it'll oscillate and do weird shit too, but I suppose at heart it's kinda sorta a tonebender
The ClusterFuzz is a new one that caught my eye, but again, I'm not sure if it's different enough from what already have.

And I keep falling in and out of love with my Mastotron, but now I'm again at a point where I don't get why I would ever NOT love it to pieces.

Although not really a fuzz, another one I'm GASsing for: Dod Boneshaker. Doesn't look like you have anything that can do a high gain distortion/od, like say a Dr S. Elements.

Added to check-out list:

Basic Audio Fuzz Mutant
Devi Ever OK Fuzz
oscillating fuzzes
Buzzaround clones
Scrambler/Blender clones

voyager: actually the lack of typical LFO based flanging is what attracts me to the Deco, I think what I find a little dull about conventional flangers is the predictable oscillation. I mean I do like that sound but still. I agree I'll need a flanger again soon.

midgit: the Octavio and Tone Machine are both octave fuzzes but the textures are pretty different, the TM that I had was too much like a distortion to me and the octave was over the top. Love the Octavio, responds incredibly to changes in playing dynamic. Man, I've long wanted an FZ-2. Do people with Tychobrahe Octavia style pedals and Super Fuzzes find that they get very different sounds out of them? I've never played through a Super Fuzz circuit before.

I'm not particularly interested in regular high gain distortions, I spent so many of my earlier guitar playing years chasing that dragon that I think I burnt myself out on it.

tuj: I've always wanted a ring modulator! I've always put it on the back burner because I'm afraid of aping Omar Rodriguez-Lopez even harder than I probably already do.

Super Fuzz / FZ-2 is for sure way different than an Octavia, for one thing it's much heavier and more of a riff machine.
I'd also suggest a HM-2 if you want to go heavy, I actually dig that one even more than the Super Fuzz / FZ-2, it's quite fuzzy and nothing like a generic distortion.

Buzzaround / Dizzy Tone is a great choice if you don't like Muffs or regular high gain distortions and still want to get similar textures with a fuzzy edge, though a Pharaoh would be a great choice as well in my opinion.

For oscillating fuzzes I really dig the Wolf Computer and Super Sonic Fuzz Gun.

Or maybe a Moog MF Drive if you want to get your filtering on.
The Harmonic Percolator, Driving Notion, Rangemaster and FY-2 Companion Fuzz (EQD Terminal) rule as well.

If in the end you decide to go for a ringmod then check out the MF Ring.

Well, that's about all I can think of now.

Berhinger FZ2s clone is $23 dollars and super killer. Been playing mine all day and really like the chunkiness the fuzz has while still having awesome octave textutes.

jrmy wrote:Yeah, the first thing that came to mind for me would be oscillating fuzzes or Tone Benders and Buzzarounds. For oscillating, I think of the Mountainking Frequency LSD, or the Rainger Dr. Freakenstein or the ol Fuzzhugger Ab-Synth. For Buzzarounds or 'Benders, anything by Ghost...

Also, you mention contrasting textures, which makes me think of low-gain fuzzes or stuff that's almost more filter-y...

Or the Basic Audio Fuzz Mutant - that seems to get pretty dang textural:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hugTWokUR4U[/youtube]

Hey - that's my Fuzz Mutant!
Fuzz Mutant is awesome but really, you need a Rat. Everybody needs a Rat. Stack it with your fuzz boxes and enjoy.