Distortion, overdrive, Fuzz how many is too many?

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:21 pm

I have many distortions and a couple boost/overdrive and fuzz pedals. I like noise and I like to fool around with ways of changing a clean signal. I don't think you can have too many.

mixtape · Post by **mixtape** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:12 am

I'm currently just working with a multi-effects pedal, which gets the job done when all I do is record bedroom tracks. If I were gigging, though, I'd probably use that as an excuse to go a little pedal crazy. But as to the original question, I say that if they all give you different sounds, the sky's the limit.

MrJamesBrown · Post by **MrJamesBrown** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:37 am

Currently:

Blackout Effectors Twosome (which is both the Fix'd Fuzz Deluxe and Musket in 1)
VFE Alpha Dog (Rat-based with 6 clipping options and a Bass Boost)
Boss SD-1.

I tend to go for tweakable stuff. However, I'm really into the idea of having loads of different dirt options- new sounds are awesome!

frettedlefty · Post by **frettedlefty** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:39 am

You can never have too many, don't kid yourself

I use my big muff and sd1 regularly. My others are just toys. Can't complain. Hold onto the HM pedal though. The one I messed with was killer. Totally going to pick one up one of these days.

wwrrss · Post by **wwrrss** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:35 am

That's all I can remember off the top of my head, I've also had 3 Fender Blenders and a tonne of Boss pedals and loads of other shite...

MBM Machine
MBM IC Big Muff
Dwarfcraft Eau Claire Thunder
Dwarfcraft The Great Destroyer
Boss Bass Overdrive
Boss Heavy Metal
Ghost Effects Mind Rocker
BYOC Fuzz Factory
McSpunkle Gnomeratron VTF
Fredric Wolf Puppet Boost
Misc SHO Clone

I've gigged with about 8 dirts on my board in the past, now I use about 3, I do do noise/noise rock bullshit though.

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:50 am

Always worth having a few options to choose from, I don't think you need more than 3 on a pedal board though ie a /fuzz/dist/od will give you plenty of options/combinations.

I have

Cornell 1st Fuzz
MBM IC Muff

HM-2
Rat

Hotcake
TS clone

At the moment I run the Hotcake as a boost & my amps drive channel as my OD. I use either the Rat or HM-2 for distortion. Not really using fuzz much at the mo but we use the IC Muff for the bass in the band.

moogmusic · Post by **moogmusic** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:52 am

I'm using a ZVex Fuzz Probe and MBM Dream Box mixed in parallel using an LS-2 with a clean boost out front.

dezb1 · Post by **dezb1** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:43 pm

frettedlefty wrote:You can never have too many, don't kid yourself

I use my big muff and sd1 regularly. My others are just toys. Can't complain. Hold onto the HM pedal though. The one I messed with was killer. Totally going to pick one up one of these days.

The HM-2 is going nowhere that and the cool cat drive are the two I always have on my board, it's a very versatile pedal got a lot of good sounds in it... but strangely none of those sounds are teh heavy-metal.

Noisy Cat · Post by **Noisy Cat** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:47 pm

Me:

OCD for overdrive
Muff for fuzz
LPB-1 for boost

That covers everything I need. I've tried adding a RAT and a Tubescreamer clone but found they were surplus to requirements and promptly sold them.

71Smallbox · Post by **71Smallbox** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:05 pm

I have:
Boss DS-1
Boss OD-2
Boss HM-2
Marshall Shredmaster MKI
Pro Co Rat II
Ibanez TS-9(self modded 808)
Green Sovtek Big Muff
Guyatone TZ-2
Z-Vex Fuzz Factory

I'll probably sell the DS-1 as it's a silver screw and goes for mad money on evil bay, and someday pick up an earlier taiwan with the same op-amp. I somehow feel like I always need 5 of these on my board, probably from cascading dirt/od pedals into each other or into fuzz for nice variations of sounds.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:05 pm

I've got:

MBM Dream box
MBM Fender Blender
MBM Fuzz Face
Fredric Effects Liquid Fox
Fredric Effects Grumbly Wolf
Danelectro Fab Tone
Boss Metalzone x2
Boss OD/Distortion
Boss Power Driver

I think that's it...

SGJarrod · Post by **SGJarrod** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:14 pm

OCD
Hoof
Silver Kiss MKII AE Edition
Black Russian Muff
Dirty Little Secret Clone
Hyper Pak Clone
Triangle Muff Clone
Violet Rams Head Muff Clone
IC Muff Clone
Ruby Red Booster Clone
Stone Grey Distortion Clone
Meathead Clone (SS FF)
Germanium Fuzz Face Clone
Boiling Point Clone

right now I only have the SilverKiss and the Triangle Muff on my board.... I usually only use a OD/Boost and a Fuzz with my main amp.... but I like to rotate out which ones I use alot and mess with them all.

Looking at it typed out it seems like alot but since I built most of these myself it was not a huge monetary investment

Concretebadger · Post by **Concretebadger** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:56 pm

I've been tempted by the Fender Blender for ages, but always thought that as long as I have a Muff on my board it would be a bit redundant. Do they sound similar to other fuzzes (e.g. Germanium Fuzz Faces) or is it a different beast altogether?

aen · Post by **aen** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:21 pm

laterallateral wrote:no many

George · Post by **George** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:55 pm

Concretebadger wrote:I've been tempted by the Fender Blender for ages, but always thought that as long as I have a Muff on my board it would be a bit redundant. Do they sound similar to other fuzzes (e.g. Germanium Fuzz Faces) or is it a different beast altogether?

Very different. 90% of dial-able tones are a clangy dissonant mess. Most chords just don't work but it handles major 3rds, 4ths and perfect 5ths. There is a sweet spot for a great synthy octave fuzz that is fantastic on single notes. It is hard to tame - definitely a "character" pedal, which you will use rarely and probably sit on your shelf.

Ben79 · Post by **Ben79** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:14 pm

Fredric Grumbly Wolf
Fredric Unpleasant Companion
Fredric Blue Harmonic Percolator
Fredric Demon Fuzz
Shin-ei Super Fuzz
BYOC Super Fuzz
Boss DS1
Hofner onboard guitar fuzz circuit
Morley Power Wah Fuzz
2N404 Germanium Fuzz Face
NKT275 Germanium Fuzz Face
MXR Blue Box

On the way...
Ghost Effects Mind Rocker plus building a Marshall Supa Fuzz and a Rangemaster Treble Booster

I love them. They all make me play differently and I need that.

luciguci · Post by **luciguci** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:21 pm

Concretebadger wrote:I've been tempted by the Fender Blender for ages, but always thought that as long as I have a Muff on my board it would be a bit redundant. Do they sound similar to other fuzzes (e.g. Germanium Fuzz Faces) or is it a different beast altogether?

I think Mike's demo of his '76 clone shows it best, but basically, not really like a Muff at all. Kinda gets that dissonant Superfuzz or Scrambler sound when chords are played through it.
[youtube][/youtube]

71Smallbox · Post by **71Smallbox** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:22 pm

oops, I forgot 2 more that I have:
MXR Distortion+
Boss HM-3

johnnyseven · Post by **johnnyseven** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 8:03 pm

George wrote:
Concretebadger wrote:I've been tempted by the Fender Blender for ages, but always thought that as long as I have a Muff on my board it would be a bit redundant. Do they sound similar to other fuzzes (e.g. Germanium Fuzz Faces) or is it a different beast altogether?
Very different. 90% of dial-able tones are a clangy dissonant mess. Most chords just don't work but it handles major 3rds, 4ths and perfect 5ths. There is a sweet spot for a great synthy octave fuzz that is fantastic on single notes. It is hard to tame - definitely a "character" pedal, which you will use rarely and probably sit on your shelf.

For someone with very little music theory knowledge, could you explain how I would play a major 3rd, 4th and perfect 5th. I probably already know, just don't know what they are called.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 8:07 pm

johnnyseven wrote:
George wrote:
Concretebadger wrote:I've been tempted by the Fender Blender for ages, but always thought that as long as I have a Muff on my board it would be a bit redundant. Do they sound similar to other fuzzes (e.g. Germanium Fuzz Faces) or is it a different beast altogether?
Very different. 90% of dial-able tones are a clangy dissonant mess. Most chords just don't work but it handles major 3rds, 4ths and perfect 5ths. There is a sweet spot for a great synthy octave fuzz that is fantastic on single notes. It is hard to tame - definitely a "character" pedal, which you will use rarely and probably sit on your shelf.
For someone with very little music theory knowledge, could you explain how I would play a major 3rd, 4th and perfect 5th. I probably already know, just don't know what they are called.

Major third: play a note, play another one string up and one fret down (like at the bottom of a G chord)
Fourth: Play two notes on consecutive strings on the same fret, like the top half of a power chord.
Fifth: Play a note, play another one string up and two frets up (like at the bottom of a power (or 5th) chord).

As you can see, the distance between the notes gets bigger as you go from third to fourth to fifth.

EDIT: Obviously this won't work if the strings are the G and B strings, because those are a different distance apart.