Adding Fuzz

[charles_holmes]

Hello all! I'm considering adding a fuzz pedal to my rig and so far I like Twosome, Duality and the Clusterfuzz Anyone out there have any thoughts, recommendations or experience with any particular fuzz pedals?
Thanks!!!

[matthew90046]

I really like the 1991 Big Muff and Stomp Under foot make a great clone called the Civil War.  My friend has one on his board and let me try it out and loved it.  If you want something with a clean blend the Malekko B:Assmaster is a classic.  For something a little different I love the Devi Ever Ruiner.  I't a budget pedal that crushes, very synthy.

[tmoney61092]

Fuzzrocious Grey Stache with diode options. You won't be disappointed. It's a Civil War type fuzz and is so glorious in its sound
 
~Taylor

[jacko]

I've tried and been disappointed by the bass big muff, EBS multidrive and danelectro cool cat.  
I'm currently enjoying the Ashdown James LoMenzo hyperdrive like it so much I replaced the one that was stolen with the same model.
 
Graeme

[jalevinemd]

Charlie,
 
Dave (the founder and genius behind Function FX) is a friend of mine. The Clusterfuzz is a pretty amazing pedal capable of an unbelievable assortment of fuzz tones. It's a bit too 'tweakable' for me, though. He makes a much simpler silicone based fuzz pedal called the End of the World Fuzz exclusively for a shop in the Chicago Suburbs. It is my favorite fuzz of all time. It delivers such a thick, rich and organic tone that stacks up against the best from the 60's and 70's, but can be rolled back for a much more tame overdriven sound. I AB'd it against well over a dozen different fuzz pedals at Chicago Music Exchange and for me nothing even came close. My favorite prior to that was the Frantone Sweet, which they don't make anymore. I'm a guitarist, so clearly our needs are different. I gave one of the End of the World pedals to my son's bass instructor - a semi-professional player who teaches at our School of Rock. After trying a number of different pedals, he found this was far and away the best sounding fuzz for bass that he'd come across. It's also in a tiny enclosure the size of the Xotic EP Boost and SL Drive, so if space on your board is limited, it's perfect. Just my $0.02.

[hieronymous]

One thing to potentially be aware of is that fuzz is best as the first pedal in your effects change, but that they don't always play well with active electronics. If possible, take your bass and try it with the pedals you are considering.  
 
One example is the ZVEX Wooly Mammoth - doesn't play nicely with my Alembics, but fortunately he came out with the Mastotron that can be used with active basses.  
 
Might not be an issue with the pedals you are considering - I haven't used any of them. Do you particularly want FUZZ or would distortorion/overdrive be ok too?

[rv_bass]

I sometimes use a ROSS distortion pedal that I purchased in the late '70s (and it still works!) for brief texture effects, it has more of that fat fuzz sound rather than sharper distortion.

[mavnet]

One of the best fuzz sounds I've ever heard was when my alembic's batteries were nearly out of juice - the smoothest, most musical fuzz in the world. I've considered seeing if i could duplicate that with some resistors...

[charles_holmes]

Thanks guys! Matt, I'm going to look at all of the pedals you all mentioned (hopefully they are on YouTube)Thanks for the heads up on the Wooly Mammoth Harry and where Fuzz should go in the chain of effects, I use the TC G-system & I'll put it in the 1st loop. Aurally speaking, the overdrive sounds the same as fuzz to me. Taylor, & Graeme I'll look into your suggestions. Jon (You're lucky guy being the friend of Dave) If you have a Series, how did the Cluster sound? I'm going to use whatever pedal I choose exclusively for the bridge pickup and keep the neck clean or in combination with my Great Divide Pedal (By Godlyke)which cranks out massive lows, has superb tracking and sustain & IMHO much better than the Octave pedals on the market that I've tried. (Sorry, I went off track) Well, On to YouTube to check out the suggestions> Thanks again guys!!!!!!!!!!

[dlbydgtl]

Wren & Cuff Pickle Pi Bass Fuzz is a fun pedal..

[pauldo]

I agree with Mark,  when that battery starts to fade the snarl is delicious.  Albeit for a rather short time. . .

[charles_holmes]

Hey Pauldo!!!!!!!
I agree about the snarl (it happened once or twice )but since I purchased the DSM I never run out of power now!

[gearhed289]

I've used many over the years. I tend to lean toward Tube Screamer based circuits. My current favorite is the HBE Hematoma. It really does it right without losing low end. It does not have a blend knob, but rather simply passes part of the unaffected signal through, along with the overdriven sound. They seem to have it dialed in just right, and I'm never second-guessing myself on where to set the blend. I ordered mine with the optional additional JRC4558 chip. It's also got a footswitchable variable clean boost that can be used with or without the overdrive. Really great pedal!

[hieronymous]

I personally think that fuzz and distortion are pretty distinct - fuzz is more extreme, more intense, while distortion can go from mild overdrive to full-on buzz-saw. I've also got a Hematoma, but I prefer my early Fulltone Bass Drive. I find that the Bass Drive loses a bit of low end though, so I'm always contemplating using something else. I don't think I would ever get rid of my Bass Drive though - I love it with my Rickenbackers!
 
The only fuzz I've used on basslines is my Woolly Mammoth,but I don't really play in a manner that I need that level of bite that much anymore.  
 
Another application of distortion is just to pure some fur on some notes, possibly trying to emulate a tube amp, but I haven't had much chance to experiment in this area - I tend towards either clean or very distorted...

[stout71]

I just bought a Fuzzrocious Grey Stache, thanks to some of the posts here.  A couple of YouTube videos sealed the deal and I'll have it Tuesday!  Woo hoo!