Genghis
Power User
OK, so my first ever dirt box when I was about 15 was a EHX Big Muff. I liked it OK, just didn't know what I wanted at the time. As I progressed in playing I became more of a metal player and have a had a variety of overdrives and distortions since then, and used amp distortion, and just about everything but Fuzz. Along came the Axe-FX and I started messing with Fuzz a bit, sometimes using just a little Fuzz before an already gained out amp to add a little thickness and hair.
I still love the Axe-FX and it ain't going nowhere, but I decided to put together a simple setup for quick jams; no more than 4 or 5 pedals max, going into my old Laney 30-watt combo. I figured I need a clean sound, a distortion sound, and a delay that will also boost to kick in for solos. I thought maybe a Fuzz would be cool for that certain lead sound you can get that no distortion pedal will quite do. For my main dirt I settled on a Wampler Sovereign and was delighted to find that GC had them on sale for the 4th. Found a used Lovepedal GEN5 delay with a boost, so I had the basic needs covered. Next up was fuzz. Not a necessity, but I was curious if I could fit one into my core tones. Tried a Swollen Pickle because the videos made it seem like you could tweak them for any sound you want. Took it back after about an hour, as nothing it did really sounded that good.
One of the two guys at the local Sam Ash that I've known for years suggested I try the Sam Ash fuzz pedal and I took it over to hook it up and see how it would work. In the meantime the other one came up to me with two Fuzz Face minis, the red germanium and the blue silicone. He said these are the two you gotta check out and he hooked them up so I could take them for a spin. He had the internal trim pot on the red one dialed in for some really sweet singing sustain, and the way it interacted with the volume control was amazing to say the least. I ended up choosing that one and took it home.
Now, here's where the metal guy took over. I tried it and it sounded cool with my rig and the volume knob on my guitars worked great with it, but I thought I'd try something else. I dialed back the gain on my Sovereign just a bit and ran the red Fuzz Face into it with the Fuzz up about half-way. Volume on the guitar around 7-8 sounds almost like the fuzz is off, nice and tight with a great rhythm guitar tone. Roll it up to 9 and it starts to thicken up. Put it on 10 and it's smooth and thick and sustains for days. You could go out and have a bite if you want. So basically I've got my main distorted rhythm sound and I can just work the volume control and switch on the delay to get a pretty decent range of lead tones, from the same tight tone I have for rhythm, on up to that huge, thick fuzz sound. And of course if I want to be a bit more traditional I can turn off the distortion box and crank the fuzz up all the way and the volume knob trick is just as effective, only in a more green tinted 60s kind of way.
It's hard to believe I've been playing for over 35 years and never REALLY knew what I was missing. Damn, if my little backup/quick jam rig doesn't put a smile on my face, and surprisingly doesn't require any tap dancing.
I still love the Axe-FX and it ain't going nowhere, but I decided to put together a simple setup for quick jams; no more than 4 or 5 pedals max, going into my old Laney 30-watt combo. I figured I need a clean sound, a distortion sound, and a delay that will also boost to kick in for solos. I thought maybe a Fuzz would be cool for that certain lead sound you can get that no distortion pedal will quite do. For my main dirt I settled on a Wampler Sovereign and was delighted to find that GC had them on sale for the 4th. Found a used Lovepedal GEN5 delay with a boost, so I had the basic needs covered. Next up was fuzz. Not a necessity, but I was curious if I could fit one into my core tones. Tried a Swollen Pickle because the videos made it seem like you could tweak them for any sound you want. Took it back after about an hour, as nothing it did really sounded that good.
One of the two guys at the local Sam Ash that I've known for years suggested I try the Sam Ash fuzz pedal and I took it over to hook it up and see how it would work. In the meantime the other one came up to me with two Fuzz Face minis, the red germanium and the blue silicone. He said these are the two you gotta check out and he hooked them up so I could take them for a spin. He had the internal trim pot on the red one dialed in for some really sweet singing sustain, and the way it interacted with the volume control was amazing to say the least. I ended up choosing that one and took it home.
Now, here's where the metal guy took over. I tried it and it sounded cool with my rig and the volume knob on my guitars worked great with it, but I thought I'd try something else. I dialed back the gain on my Sovereign just a bit and ran the red Fuzz Face into it with the Fuzz up about half-way. Volume on the guitar around 7-8 sounds almost like the fuzz is off, nice and tight with a great rhythm guitar tone. Roll it up to 9 and it starts to thicken up. Put it on 10 and it's smooth and thick and sustains for days. You could go out and have a bite if you want. So basically I've got my main distorted rhythm sound and I can just work the volume control and switch on the delay to get a pretty decent range of lead tones, from the same tight tone I have for rhythm, on up to that huge, thick fuzz sound. And of course if I want to be a bit more traditional I can turn off the distortion box and crank the fuzz up all the way and the volume knob trick is just as effective, only in a more green tinted 60s kind of way.
It's hard to believe I've been playing for over 35 years and never REALLY knew what I was missing. Damn, if my little backup/quick jam rig doesn't put a smile on my face, and surprisingly doesn't require any tap dancing.