Fender Blender

[miketheman]

Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dreams in a nut(pedal)shell. A fuzz pedal with a subtle octave effect in it, strike two or more notes at the same time and it behaves more as ring modulation and sounds more as a harmonic overtone. For you who have the Siamese dream record, listen to the intro of Rocket (track 5). It sounds like there´s a fuzzy drone note above the whole intro figure, that´s the Fender Blender (it can get more chaotic/extreme if you want it). Maybe it doesn´t sound so interesting or special when reading about it here, but this effect is really something extra when you try it.

/Mike

 

[scarr]

Are you sure about your source? I haven't seen anything that suggests the Blender was used before Mellon Collie. As this site cites, Corgan referred to the sound of the Blender as "the end of the world". It's a horrific sounding pedal and I doubt it would've been used for something subtle/normal like that.

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

BC said in an interview that he used the EH Micro synth heavily on Siamese Dream, so that is most likely what that sound is.

I have a wish for that particular effect already too.

 

[scarr]

BC said in an interview that he used the EH Micro synth heavily on Siamese Dream, so that is most likely what that sound is.

I have a wish for that particular effect already too.

I'd still guess the standard Big Muff/800 pair used on the majority of that album.

 

[VegaBaby]

That doesn't sound like a Blender to me unless the balance is way down, but then you'd get more of the amp sound. I've played Blenders quite a bit, own an Ampeg Scrambler and a Shin-Ei SuperFuzz which both are very similar to the Blender. Especially the Scrambler. The Scrambler and the Blender are far more metallic sounding. Think 'smashing a metal door shut'. Could really be a BigMuff there, but it still gets my vote (for obvious reasons) .

 

[miketheman]

I have never achieved that "drone"-like sound with a Big Muff into any amp, however that could also depend of lousy playing by me :lol:

When I tested the Fender Blender in the music store where I work (sweden), I was really chocked/stunned when playing that intro figure of Rocket. It wasn´t just close, it was "exactly" the same. But I´m aware of what guitar and what amp you´re using counts too, and I can´t remember any of those which I tried the setup with. I´ve also heard that the reissue ain´t the same as the real old ones and that they can vary a bit, so maybe I´ve tried a good reissue unit.

I´ve also read (in Guitar World I believe) that a Big Muff PI where used much on Siamese Dreams into a Marshall head (JCM800?) and Marshall 4x12. So maybe I should try that setup again/first (when the Ultra arrives) before making wishes of this and that...

 

[scarr]

There's nothing wrong with asking for it. I just want to be sure you (and others) know what you're asking for. It's a monster! (I have an original.)

 

[VegaBaby]

There's nothing wrong with asking for it. I just want to be sure you (and others) know what you're asking for. It's a monster! (I have an original.)

Love that thing, too .... still on my wishlist ! Have you ever tried a Scrambler ? IMO it eats the Blender for breakfast if you'd judge it on a 'monster scale' :lol:

 

[scarr]

There's nothing wrong with asking for it. I just want to be sure you (and others) know what you're asking for. It's a monster! (I have an original.)

Love that thing, too .... still on my wishlist ! Have you ever tried a Scrambler ? IMO it eats the Blender for breakfast if you'd judge it on a 'monster scale' :lol:

Not an original, but I have a Scrambler clone (called the Egg Beater, if I recall correctly). It's a different sound, but very cool. Although possibly more awful, I think it's somehow more musical than the Blender. It might rip your ears off (or make you want to rip your own off :shock: ), but it won't turn things to mud the way the Blender easily can.

 

[miketheman]

There's nothing wrong with asking for it. I just want to be sure you (and others) know what you're asking for. It's a monster! (I have an original.)

Love that thing, too .... still on my wishlist ! Have you ever tried a Scrambler ? IMO it eats the Blender for breakfast if you'd judge it on a 'monster scale' :lol:

No I haven´t tried it, but I really want to, I realize that it is something really special. Remember reading somewhere that the Edge uses it somewhere on ATYCLB I believe (perhaps elevation???). If Scrambler is more musical/monster I´d probably vote for that instead of the Blender ´cause I want to have monsters as well as the good ol´ overdrives and amps. I liked the Blender I tested ´cause of it behaviour close to "ringmodulating", but yet not flipping over totally into ringmodulation. Which I found musical in the sense of using something you´re not used to, to push you into a creative mindstate.

Any of you who would like to post a clean and dry Axe clip with the Scrambler added-on later?

/Mike

 

[VegaBaby]

There's nothing wrong with asking for it. I just want to be sure you (and others) know what you're asking for. It's a monster! (I have an original.)

Love that thing, too .... still on my wishlist ! Have you ever tried a Scrambler ? IMO it eats the Blender for breakfast if you'd judge it on a 'monster scale' :lol:

No I haven´t tried it, but I really want to, I realize that it is something really special. Remember reading somewhere that the Edge uses it somewhere on ATYCLB I believe (perhaps elevation???). If Scrambler is more musical/monster I´d probably vote for that instead of the Blender ´cause I want to have monsters as well as the good ol´ overdrives and amps. I liked the Blender I tested ´cause of it behaviour close to "ringmodulating", but yet not flipping over totally into ringmodulation. Which I found musical in the sense of using something you´re not used to, to push you into a creative mindstate.

Any of you who would like to post a clean and dry Axe clip with the Scrambler added-on later?

/Mike

Sorry, don't have much time at the moment to record clips since I'm way behind on two productions at the moment thanks to my Ultra which arrived 3 months ago (good because it sounds awesome, bad because I spent way too much time learning, programming and creating sounds since I got it).

But you're correct, Edge has one of the few originals and anything on U2 songs that sounds like ringmod fuzz is the Scrambler (Elevation for example). I think they only made around 2000 of these back in 69 and not many more of the reissue a few years back (an original costs as much as an Ultra on a bad day) . It's so special in sound no one wants it :lol: . I actually very often use it as a 'sort of' overdrive or to blast a Marshall into oblivion :lol: ...

Just go and buy a real Blender. They won't make them for long and will at some point fetch almost as much as the old ones probably...

 

[danielodland]

On Siamese Dream, Billy's setup is old big muff into JCM 800 modded for KT88. There is quite a bit of effects (EH synth thing was used on Cherub Rock solo) on the record too..mostly old pedals. Phasers were used on several songs (small stone).
On MCIS, he mainly used JMP-1 for rhythm and JCM 800 for leads, I think. He used a variety on Machina, and on Gish he mainly used a ADA preamp.


The Blender was NOT used heavily on this record. However, it was used before MCIS, primarily heard on "Slunk" off of "Lull".

The pedal is CRAZY. It is not Pumpkins in a nutshell, it's used on a very small part of MCIS (most audible on the bridge thing on Bullet).



Hope this clears up a few things =)

Can't you get close to some of the Blender sounds with Octfuzz and eq?

 

[danielodland]

On rocket, isn't there a flanger or phaser or somthing in the intro?

 

[jcoriha]

He used a BOSS flanger on Rocket live, but on the album Butch said it was a ring mod, Billy said an octave box.