I'm a fan of the Way Huge Swollen Pickle. It's quiet, it's versatile and it's controllable.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
New to pedals... Help me pick out a fuzz!
- Thread starter BassGeekJack
- Start date
The new ehx/sovtek Russian big muff deluxe is really really good, and it's really cheap compared to similar pedals. Bumped my green Russian reissue right off the board!
Edit: it has pretty much everything mod wise done to the big muff. Tone wicker, blend, noise gate, separate mid footswitch, mid boost and cut, along with high or low q. It's incredible what they put into that pedal for $150 the pedal is on the bigger side, but looks really cool and has the goods
Edit: it has pretty much everything mod wise done to the big muff. Tone wicker, blend, noise gate, separate mid footswitch, mid boost and cut, along with high or low q. It's incredible what they put into that pedal for $150 the pedal is on the bigger side, but looks really cool and has the goods
Last edited:
Off topic, but have you tried putting the SubnUp after the fuzz? cleaner sub and less overloading of the fuzz. IMO of course it's a matter of taste.
Wouldn’t that have a negative impact on tracking with the octaver?
The wooly mammoth is very good. Also I recently heard a demo of the Mooer Bass Fog, which is supposed to be a Mammoth clone. Very impressive, also cheap and tiny.
I'll also second the EBS Fuzzmo. They were blowing them out at $40 not too long ago and you can still find them fairly cheaply. Very versatile fuzz.
I'll also second the EBS Fuzzmo. They were blowing them out at $40 not too long ago and you can still find them fairly cheaply. Very versatile fuzz.
My (Muse oriented) bass dirt pedal review might help you, check here: Muse Bass Sound .
Bottom line: I would highly recommend a pedal with clean blend (to preserve the bottom end). Otherwise, you will need to blend the clean signal yourself, which leads to complicated pedalboards.
Bottom line: I would highly recommend a pedal with clean blend (to preserve the bottom end). Otherwise, you will need to blend the clean signal yourself, which leads to complicated pedalboards.
I’m a big fan of the Spruce Old Growth Fuzz!!! Not only can it dial up outrageous fuzz, it behaves when you want it to. I’ve had many other fuzzes that are uncontrollable... just put the gain barely up and you are waaaaay past reasonable volume.
Not the Old Growth. Mind you, it can definitely push with the best of them. But it seems most of the others must use pots that have a drastic curve, while Spruce uses very well tapered electronics.
Not the Old Growth. Mind you, it can definitely push with the best of them. But it seems most of the others must use pots that have a drastic curve, while Spruce uses very well tapered electronics.
Oh and whichever fuzz pedal on which you decide, depending on your bass guitar, be prepared to possibly need a noise gate. I have an Ibanez Sound Gear with active pickups. When I turn the gain up to a certain point, I can really hear every finger movement. Possibly switching to flatwounds would fix the issue also, but the “noise” only exists when the gain gets to a certain level.
I recently purchased one. Lots of usable sounds in a band context. I’m using it in a Stoner/doom/sludge type band, btw. I haven’t yet dig into the editing options, but it is already worth the money.
I've experimented with a few, here's my quick experience
Source Audio Aftershock
This thing does it all.
Way Huge Swollen Pickle
Classic. Massive.
Zvex Mastotron
Synth Heaven, one trick pony (I can get pretty close with the aftershock)
DOD Bonecrusher
Sounds nearly identical to the swollen pickle to me, but definitely the lesser of the two.
EHX Bass big muff
My first fuzz. I wish someone told me to skip this one. Thin and yucky.
Source Audio Aftershock
This thing does it all.
Way Huge Swollen Pickle
Classic. Massive.
Zvex Mastotron
Synth Heaven, one trick pony (I can get pretty close with the aftershock)
DOD Bonecrusher
Sounds nearly identical to the swollen pickle to me, but definitely the lesser of the two.
EHX Bass big muff
My first fuzz. I wish someone told me to skip this one. Thin and yucky.
I would say Source Audio Aftershock Because it lets you pick the fuzz then tune it to your taste. Also check out the Zevex Mastotron
I turned a Boss DS-1 into a badass fuzz for under 30 bucks (pedal and components combined). If you're into DIY that's always an option.
That's just because I'm a fuzz amateur... that pedal sounds really good though. High up on my list now.
I love the TAFM! too , but don't overlook Buzzz. That thing can get HUGE!
No, because the SubnUp is polyphonic. Another advantage to fuzz-first is that the octaver benefits from the sustain of the fuzz; otherwise the octaver will drop out early on extended notes.
I actually find monophonic subs (like Meatbox) to work better this way as well. So long as you are not trying to play chords (which don't work well even without fuzz), it's all good. The harmonic content from the fuzz doesn't seem to cause a problem with tracking.
My first thought as well. That sucker is two fuzz pedals in one (gate switch). Super versatile.
EQD Dirt Transmitter. Very wide range of quality fuzz tones. I've had that one and the EQD Hoof, they're quite different.
DT will be on my eternal pedalboard.
DT will be on my eternal pedalboard.
Watch this and do not let anyone tell you that price makes miracles. Electronics are cheap to make.
