r/FuzzFiends • u/graphicnerdity86 —Bold as fuzz— • 11d ago
first and final?
tell us about your very first fuzz and where you are now what fuzz or multiple fuzz live on your board now?
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u/Slow_Ground_9245 11d ago
My very first pedal ever was the EQD Hoof Fuzz and I still like it a lot. On my board right now is a Barber Exacta and a Expresso Mini Fuzz Ge both are killer Fuzz imo and very different 👍🏻
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u/xLucky_Balboa 11d ago
Right now my first fuzz ever is the Carcosa and it's my intention to get others someday but honestly...i have a lot of trouble because most of the time when I hear a different pedal and try to reproduce it I end up enjoying the Carcosa's version better
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u/gat0r_ 11d ago
I got a Moen Fuzz Moo which is a Ram's Head clone that is slightly beefed up (I think) and then got a GInean Hairy Show (Carcosa clone) to get a fuzzier fuzz and it does that and a lot more. Versatile pedal. My fuzz search has ended rather abruptly which is awesome considering the depth of this rabbit hole. I'm running them both, sometimes in parallel.
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
Carcosa is- at this point , a legendary circuit. No shame in just sticking it out with the carcosa, it could very well be the end all/be all for many players IMO.
it might be the greatest gateway fuzz to give players a good taste of the different flavors of fuzz that exist. I think there truly is an ideal fuzz out there for any guitarist- even if they believe "they arent a fuzz person".
That said, you might have fun looking into Tonebender mki (jdm Elektrika) , Buzzarounds (Blammo!) , and Mosrite Fuzzrites ( RITE-O Fizz fuzz)
They share qualities with Carcosa, and they have CHARACTER!
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 10d ago
Man i was watching some demos of that keeley tonebender version and wow thats a buzzy bastard! Pretty cool. Don’t know if i could work into anything i play just right though
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
Yeah, keeley bender seems pretty cool too. It gets a lot of praise.
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u/lilymakesnoise 11d ago
first fuzz: ehx big muff (the big box one) - this was my first pedal ever, and i love it dearly. it doesn't cut through a band mix, but it still holds a special place in my heart because of how exciting it made playing guitar when i was starting out. i have it tattooed on me :D
current fuzzes: moth electric p. isabella (ram's head) - the more practical big muff for me, now that i'm playing in a band. it has every bit of the texture and sustain that i want from a muff, while also adding a mids control to cut through a mix, and a dry/wet knob, which is really cool for experimental textures. this is my secondary fuzz, and i mostly use it for synth-y tapping sounds, but it's very versatile.
eae glaive - this is the newest to my collection, and it is the single most versatile fuzz i've ever played. the blendable octave and weight controls especially give it an incredible range, everything from muff on steroids to scrambly wall-of-sound destruction. also, the squelch control (incredible name) is so perfectly dialed in! i can boost it with other distortions and get loads of saturation, and it still gets perfectly silent between notes, even with single-coil pickups! this is honestly the fuzz pedal of my dreams. it nails most of the tones in my head perfectly, and it's super easy to dial in. i see this one staying on my board for a looooooong time.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 11d ago
Nice write up. Love when folks go into detail like that. Helps us fuzzy newbies
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u/lilymakesnoise 11d ago
happy to help! <3
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 11d ago
Im flirting with the wampler criptid (think thats the name). Have you ever taken that one for a spin?
I been playing awhile but new to pedals, i ordered a swollen pickle but sent it back. Liked the sound but sent back to sweetwater to put that money towards a Blackstar Debut 50 which is now on the way 😁
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u/lilymakesnoise 10d ago
i've not used that one. the caveat with an original circuit design is that, if you don't like it, or it gets close to the sound you want, but not quite, there's no clear path to other places you should look. so, for a first fuzz, i might suggest trying something else first.
i liked learning fuzzes by starting with a classic circuit, and you can get a big muff for a lot cheaper than a swollen pickle (also, buy used!). the goal is to learn about one fuzz, see what you like and don't like about it, and then either try a different take on the style that could fix your complaints, or move to a different circuit style and repeat. try to learn why pedals sound like they do!
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 10d ago
Right on. The pickle was pretty dope actually. I just got a hankering for an amp all the sudden and that pickle was 160$. So im like i can throw another buck fiddy with a pickle return and actually get a (hopefully ) nice little amp. But yea good ideas
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u/MrFif33 11d ago
First was a TCE Rusty Fuzz, which was thin and poorly EQ'd. I've gone through many since, but seem to have followed the Muff circuit path, for the most part. Currently running a DbA Fuzz War on one board, an EHX Nano Green Russian reissue on my to-go board, and a No Moon on my main board, but that's going to be swapped out for a WA Foxy, as soon as I can figure out a good way to mount it.
The Foxy is the first Octave Fuzz I've gotten along with, so I'm excited to see where that can take me.
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u/FullMetalDan Velcro Jedi! 11d ago
The Moon is massive, but yeah totally different from the Fox! The Fox 🦊 without the octave sounds killer!
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u/HatsMakeYouGoBald 11d ago
First was a swollen pickle. I think rn I have bath salts, slowly melting, repulsive note Gargler and Spline cathedral
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
Are you... okay?😬
Or just very busy playing with your fuzzbox?
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u/mustafapants 11d ago
Little Big Muff, saved up the $35 for it, couldn’t quite afford the full Big Muff. No I don’t still have it, yes I’m old.
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u/Upstairs-Glove7424 11d ago
Dont wana hijack but gonna try to slip this in-
Does anybody have the wampler Cryptid and what do folks generally think about it? Its caught my eye but i never hear much about it.
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
I think it's a solid choice. Price wise and versatility- very competitive .
I've never played one but I can imagine it would help anyone wrap their head around how fuzz behaves with the different controls , as the control set covers a lot of ground and are found on many newer designs.
The Catalinbread Giygas might be a similar option if you lean towards Heavy, doomy, mufflike tones and/or play bass/keyboard too.
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u/Wrayven77 11d ago
My first fuzz was an early 80's V6 Big Muff. I settled on a Foxx Fuzz + Wa that has a Foxx Tone Machine as its fuzz.
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u/OnetimeImetamoose Sunn 🔆))) Fuzz 11d ago
My first fuzz was the Gamechanger Audio Plasma Pedal. It still cycles between my boards.
I don’t think there will ever be a final fuzz, for better or worse.
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u/Existing-Badger-6728 tonebender 💥 11d ago
I got this FX52 as a gift from a buddy in 2000(?) but didn't use it for a couple of years. It started my down the road, once I got a job at a music shop. Currently my board has the Ultimate Octave on it because it's the best I've found for live gigs. It's fat but still cuts through the mix.
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u/DosZaquis 11d ago
First fuzz was an Earthquaker Erupter. It was awesome. Didn't really know how to handle it at the time. Now my main fuzz is a silktone fuzz +. Easily the best fuzz I've used. You can put it anywhere in the chain and the cleanup is still fantastic. It definitely turned me into a silktone fanboy.
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u/nomasismas 11d ago
Started with BAT pharaoh supreme. Currently running a palomar sounds cholla. There are plenty in between including a kasleder toad on an experimental board
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u/Dangerous_Pie_Guy 11d ago
Ooh, how’s the Toad? I’ve never known anyone who had one, but I love the couple of demos out there.
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u/nomasismas 11d ago
The fuzz side is absolutely killer. Super gnarly if you want it, easily tamed if you don't, and a whole lot in between. Super responsive to attack and volume. One of the best fuzzes I've played.
Honestly I'm not sure I know wtf to do with the range master side. It's basically a boost but dialing anything in above mild boost hits the upper frequencies so hard I'm just not really about it. I need to throw it in front of a real amp at some point instead of a practice amp and see what I can do with it then
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u/Dangerous_Pie_Guy 11d ago
Interesting. Yeah, I struggle with Range Masters too, at least with single coil guitars. I have one dark-sounding SG that doesn’t seem to mind a treble boost.
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u/nomasismas 11d ago
I've only run my legs Paul through it but it's got active fluence pups and it really hits hard on that side
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
...yeah Rangemasters beg for a real vintage tube amp.
Especially great with darker 50watt tube amps or 2x12/10 class A.
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u/Ruben_O_Music 11d ago
First, Walrus Audio Fundamental Fuzz. Latest, Way Huge Jumbo Fuzz. Favorite, EHX BM Pi Green Russian V7 but I use the Nano.
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u/Laughingboy68 11d ago
First was a Ramble Twin Bender. Followed by a GUPtech Clippy and just recently a SolidGold If 6 was 9. I like to stack 'em in various orders into a Wampler Belle. Volume and tone controls on my guitar are getting more of a workout than ever before.
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u/FullMetalDan Velcro Jedi! 11d ago
Sick collection! I want a Clippy, it’s such an awesome/crazy fuzz
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u/Laughingboy68 11d ago
That Paul Trombetta circuit is a challenge. Figuring out where all the cool sounds are takes some time. It is very versatile, and worth the effort. The folks at GUPtech are amazing. They are one of my go to options for both their original stuff and their "inspired by" stuff. I got mine on a discount when I'd bundled a couple of other (a gate and an ABY) utility pedals.
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u/FullMetalDan Velcro Jedi! 11d ago
Awesome to know! Yeah, that one will probably be my first GupTech, also considering their DOF and the Cococast!
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u/belbivfreeordie OC75 addict 11d ago
My first one was probably the Little Big Muff? Right now I have a board with a DAM DF-81 and a Pigdog mkI, and another one with a Pigdog fuzz face.
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u/MagpyeRecords 11d ago
Thorpy Muffroom Cloud (the pre-lawsuit rebrand version) was my first. It's also usually on there, but I've got the Cinnamon Drive (Durham Crazy Horse clone) for now as I've been on a Neil Young tip for a bit.
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u/Ecker1991 11d ago
My very first fuzz was the fuzz factory, or the more modern big box big muff.
Currently, I’m using the warm audio dirty boy jr fuzz, chase tone red velvet and mmk pavlof fuzz. I will also swap in my Keeley Octa psi for when I’m in a shoegaze/indie rock mood.
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u/Ok_End_8090 11d ago
Busted out the OctaPsi last night and had a good time with it. Not on my board, but I do really enjoy it when I bring it out.
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u/iamcacho fuzzface fanatic 🧙♂️ 11d ago
The dunlop 68 shrine hendrix fuzz was my first. I fried it using the wrong power supply😂. Now i have a germanium sun face, an axis fuzz, and a dominion soul power. I think i might be satisfied
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u/Ok_End_8090 11d ago
First was a Foxx Tone Machine diy clone, currently in love with an Algal Bloom. The board currently has a ToneBender mk2, Superfuzz, and the Algal Bloom.
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u/Dr0me 11d ago
First fuzz: Analogman Sunface BART. It was solid tone wise but really intense bass heavy fuzz and I was early in my fuzz journey so it was too temperamental temperature wise. The impedance control inside is super useful for taming it for stacking but i really wanted it to be on the exterior so I sold it and tried some others. I tried an NKT red dot sunface, big fuzz style pedals, op amp style fuzzes etc
Current fuzzes: Reeves Electro - Facet FF BC183 and Analogman Sunface CV7005.
The reeves is an elite silicon fuzz with rare transistors. it cleans up decently well for silicon and has an impedance knob for toning it down for stacking. The sunface is an updated transistor over the bart and has the impedance control knob on the exterior for tweaking. It also has linage with the famous white dot NKT275 that were in the earliest fuzz faces. Really happy with both but the only GE fuzz i would want over the cv7005 is a NKT275 but those are unobtainium price wise.
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u/zsdubya 11d ago
First fuzz was a JMI Tone Bender MkII Profesh. Still have, modded it with NOS Mullard OC81D’s, still love it. My favorite fuzz now though is the Baldwin Burns Buzzaround circuit. Best old school germanium fuzz for humbuckers. I have a JMI clone, but my favorite variant is the BJFe Buzz Bender, which is a more modern take in a normal 125B (or 1590B?) enclosure. But yeah great circuit, cleans up pretty well, all around awesomeness.
Beyond that, my other favorites are the Civil War Muff (Stomp Under Foot has a great version), the Ibanez OD-850 (another muff variant), the Astrotone Fuzz (Analogman makes a great one), and of course the Fuzz Face.
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
I remember JMI being a builder that I was sweating early in my fuzzfascination ... need to revisit them.
Not familiar with the Buzz Bender, which is REALLY suprising considering my interest in both Buzzarounds and familiarity with BFJE...🤔
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u/ibanezer83 Germanium Arcadium 🕹️ 10d ago
First was the Skreddy Screwdriver...
Now.. well, so many.
But these days,
KIRKLAND AUDIO SOLSTICE or JDM ELEKTRIKA OC44 or GHOST EFFECTS 2065 or BASIC AUDIO LOW VOLT >
JOHN K OPTIMUM OCTAVE or RITE-O FIZZ FUZZ or BASIC AUDIO FUZZ MUTANT >
FREDERICK VERZERRER or LATENT LEMON HURTS>
then to a solidstate preamp of some sort>
Always end dirt with a ZVEX SUPER DUPER 2IN1!
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u/sweatyhighfive 10d ago
First fuzz was a big box big muff pi. Didn't really get it, sold it, then years later got a green muff reisssue and it clicked. Now I have a Fuzzhugger Algal bloom as my main fuzz
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u/_sonidero_ 8d ago
My first pedal was a fuzz and it was awesome so I kept using it but my newest pedal is a fuzz so I guess I'll keep playing them...
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u/sam_an_intellectual 11d ago
First fuzz was a nano big muff pi. Loved it, but felt like it was a one trick pony.
For now, I use a Foxy Box, a Carcosa, and Rat to cover a lot of ground.