Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Clark Rowden on November 2, 2015 at 12:49am

How about the Bazz Fuss (sound demo starts @ about 2:50):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0PDQ6zMU4g

I don't know if it's available fully assembled, you'd have to contact the guy. It is a super simple DIY project (many distortion  pedals are some of the most simple electronics circuits to be found).

If you're into DYI, the evolution of this circuit started here:

http://home-wrecker.com/bazz.html

Also, tho I haven't tried it, you could probably put an "AMZ Unbuffer" following a piezo so that any pedal will "see" it as a regular guitar pickup:

http://www.muzique.com/news/amz-un-buffer/

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on November 7, 2015 at 9:35am

Awesome links Clark! The sounds he can get just by mix and matching different diodes and transistors. To think, there's companies out there selling that simple design for hundreds of bucks. Like most I have no DIY skills when it comes to active electronics. Still be a fun thing to try. Thanks for the links. The AMZ buffer sounds interesting. Wonder if it would work on the high impedance of a piezo. If the AMZ works it would be the answer to making most fuzzes work with a piezo. 

The only part of his demo I have questions about is the use of a booster. If he's just boosting the pedal thats fine. However if he's boosting the front end of an amp you can't call it a pure pedal review. Your hearing the amps distortion as well.  He sound have used the booster by itself to give a reference to it's effect on the amp. As far as real pedal reviews goes. This guy knows his stuff. Letting you hear the difference between the boosted and none boosted sound. Wish everyone would do that.

My pedal reviewer rant........

It's the fist thing I watch for when someone is doing a distortion or fuzz pedal review on Youtube. Where they have the pedal's volume. If they have the volume up past unity gain they're relying on the amp to make the pedal sound good. There's a big difference in different amps distortions. A Fender. Marshal, Orange, Mesa Boogie or any solid state amp will not have the same distortion wave form. The best reviews to watch are by people who are not selling you anything. The best thing you can do is try one out yourself. Threw your amp. With your guitar. 

I have a new monster coming! "Bitch Legend' by Fuzz Goddess. Devi Ever has started a new company. She's not only coming out with new stuff, Atomizer, Fathom and Mig Buff, she's hand making her old stuff under new names. May be two weeks before I see this thing. But well worth the wait! 

Good review on this pedal,

Legend of fuzz. Devi Ever.

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Permalink Reply by Clark Rowden on November 7, 2015 at 1:09pm

The boutique distortion pedals that cost hundreds may seem like a ripoff at first glance but, unless they have just copy/pasted the circuit from someone else you have to remember that they spent a lot of time and effort developing and tuning the circuit for best performance. It took time and money to acquire the knowledge, equipment and inventory of parts to do these things.

It's one thing for a know-nothing simpleton such as myself to read a circuit diagram, buy just the parts I need, populate a board, solder it up and put it in a box and something completely different to actually know the science behind it. That and a lot of these makers are one man/woman shows and it has to be worth they're time and effort. I applaud them.

But, I also applaud the many that share there creations and knowledge for free!

If you decide to take a go at DIY, here are a few links that offer a good start:

Premier Guitar's Build Your Own Stompbox!
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21291-build-your-own-stompbox
a kit for it...
http://www.mammothelectronics.com/PG-Distortion-Pedal-Kit-p/kit-tnf...

Premier Guitar's project is actually based on the Tonefiend DIY Club: Project 1.

And if you get past that, try some truly unique circuits by Tim Escobedo. Be sure to check out the sound samples for the T.M.K*, PWM, Uglyface and Jawari.
http://www.jiggawoo.eclipse.co.uk/guitarhq/Circuitsnippets/snippets...

Happy NPD in advance! "...kind of an angry pedal" that's an understatement!

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on November 7, 2015 at 3:59pm

In a perfect world that would be the case. Unfortunately you can't patent a circuit board. Most of those high end 'boutique' pedals are direct copies of someone else's work. Recently there was a case of complete fraud. A well known pedal maker was caught  repackaging another makers product. Then selling them for hundreds more. The original Tub Screamer and Big Muff Pi are the most copied pedals out there. The Rat is a close second. Yes, there are a few companies out there coming out with new things. Or real improvements on old ones. Then there's the high price gimmicks. You can get a Wampler Velvet fuzz for around $200. It sounds like an old fuzz ran into an overdriven amp. OR you could buy a fuzz for around $100 and run it into your overdriven amp. Same sound. Not knocking Wampler. They make some great pedals. I own their 'Tweed' 57".  Nice sounding box. Don't understand the gimmick.

Theres hundreds of boutique builders out there. There's only a hand full of different sounds between overdrive, distortion and fuzz. Add tone. Or in reality, take away tone. Unless the pedal has active tone controls it works just like your guitars tone. Add active tone controls. These add or take away tone. Then theres the 'transparent' bs that corksniffers pay hundreds for. By the way. That pedal in the vid you shared is a transparent pedal. It doesn't add or take away from the tone of the guitar. There's no tone controls on it. Put it in a box. Add graphics. Then sell it for $100 to $500. For the VERY same thing. Unfortunately that is the real world. 

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on November 7, 2015 at 4:13pm

Just wanted to add for your DIY pleasure 

http://www.generalguitargadgets.com

http://pedalpartsplus.com

http://madbeanpedals.com

http://www.mammothelectronics.com/Guitar-Effect-Pedal-Kit-s/117.htm

http://smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com

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Permalink Reply by uncle Lou on November 7, 2015 at 4:41pm

I have found the super fuzz and the big muff  do a great job.  listen to Mudhoney.

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Permalink Reply by Sean on November 9, 2015 at 7:13am

I wish I would have bought a Superfuzz (or related) many years ago. And I was a Mudhoney fan from the first 7". Big Muffs were just so much easier to find. I have an Ibanez Standard Fuzz clone now (a 'Fuzz Master' from Out Sound) that is so dirty and mean. Easy to get Mudhoney or  biker-psych tones, or Electric Wizard with downtuning.

I like the Fuzzrite clone I have better for slide-CBG, more variation in sound.

Foxx Tone Machine would be another cool octave fuzz for CBG. 

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on November 8, 2015 at 5:42am

Uncle Lou, Gave the album a listen. Ya, that's the sound of a Big Muff Pi alright. I played with a guitar player back in the early 80's who had a 1978 Big Muff. He'd play it with every knob on it all the way up threw an amp with the mids and bass all the way down. Like the sound of water running threw a tin faucet. The song 'Touch me I'm sick' is a perfect match for what he sounded like. Totally dig Mudhoney. Thanks for the link! Don't know how this band got past my radar. 

Uncle Lou. Do you use piezos or mags when playing thew a Super Fuzz or Big Muff? 

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Permalink Reply by uncle Lou on November 9, 2015 at 8:09am

Cause the Blue rat , I use piezos when playin thru the super fuzz an big muff. Me, I put the sustain all the way up and the tone all the way down on the big muff  and of course volume all the way up

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on November 9, 2015 at 11:12am

 That's cool to know Uncle Lou! Guess on the simpler fuzz circuits you have less feedback. On the high end stuff. or the real off the wall stuff, I get more squalling than a room full of hungry pigs. 

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