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Well, I like my Rat but I'd like to try a different sound, more fuzzy. However, it's a totally new world for me and there are a bunch of fuzz pedals with different tones. I've quickly realized that I don't like the Big Muff Pi (too dark and muddy and the chords are muddled) and the Fuzz Factory. Anyway, I can't understand what kind of fuzz I like because there are several kinds; here some pedals that impressed me: Lovetone Big Cheese (I know, it's discontinued and too expensive but I would like to build my own), Bulk Fuzz (aka Bazz Fuss, both single knob and three knobs versions, I'll try to build one), Electro Harmonix Double Muff, Danelectro Cool Cat Fuzz, MXR Classic 108 Silicon Fuzz, Caline Puffer, Boss FZ-5, Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini (maybe the Germanium rather than the Silicon), Way Huge Swollen Pickle. So, as you can see, I like different kinds of fuzz; do they have anything in common? What is the parameter according to which I should choose the most suitable for me?

You consider Big Muffs dark and muddy, but not Fuzz Faces?

Really, I don't understand what those have in common, maybe mojo?

jesus

what type of sounds are you trying to get with the fuzz playing chords? that might help more that anything.

I find my big muff ok with chords depending on the guitar pickups and settings, its also a rams head clone. I also think the fuzz face & tone bender work well in a similar way.

The problem with fuzzes is that you find one you like and think that that's your fuzz sorted then a few months pass and you realise you've collected a dozen or so different fuzzes.

I really like the Fuzz Factory. It's a much more versatile and usable fuzz than just the crazy go nuts stuff that it does so well and has a reputation for.

Do either Turbo Rat or You Dirty Rat.

You could try going in the complete opposite direction to the 'normal' sounding fuzzes, look at stuff like Maestro and Shin-Ei clones. I found that for single note tonez I adore the octave setting on my Boss FZ-2.

You could try a Big Muff with Tone Wicker too.

Do you want crazy, not crazy or medium crazy
This most important question

Bacchus wrote:The problem with fuzzes is that you find one you like and think that that's your fuzz sorted then a few months pass and you realise you've collected a dozen or so different fuzzes.

Ah, the World of Fuzz.

Half the problem I had was the inconsistency of the circuit, germanium in particular. One Fuzz Face will sound great, then the next four will sound like shite.

Try a Tonebender, they have more clarity in my experience.

i like the sound of my behringer heavy metal, it sounds great for fuzzy chords with pretty decent note clarity, and it sounds good stacked with other dirt/fuzz pedals imo

I find the Rams head Muff perfect to cover most bases. It seems to have a bit more clarity than the others. Miek makes 'em too.

I like rams head for leads and bass. For chords it gets lost because of being scooped though.

I would (and did) build a Hot Chilicone Fuzz pedal. It has a fat switch to beef it or make it more trebly, a tone pot to dial in the bass pretty well, and a gain knob to control how wildly or mildly distorted it is. Probably my best fuzz when it comes to the range of sound it can do.

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Behringer Super Fuzz. One of these:

Fakir Mustache wrote:You consider Big Muffs dark and muddy, but not Fuzz Faces?

I'll try to explain why I said that the Big Muff Pi is dark and muddy, according to my feeling: when I got my Proco RAT2, I compared it to a Little Big Muff Pi (that was my second choice in that period and people say it's a smaller version of the Big Muff Pi standard) but it gave me a bad impression: the sound was totally nasal and dark compared to the RAT and the chords were a mass of muddled distortion (I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain with better words). What I know about fuzz is that it's a kind of distortion that cuts middle frequencies and emphasizes high and low frequencies: listening to some youtube demos, the Big Muff generally seems to privilege low frequencies rather than high ones while the Fuzz Face, both silicon and germanium version, has a more balanced sound (well, all this according to my personal impression). If I should get a Big Muff, the Russian version is probably the only one that I could get but I don't know what is the best version between the green and black one and there is no video comparison on youtube.

YuriK wrote:Do you want crazy, not crazy or medium crazy
This most important question

Well, I'd like to have something that goes from a Double Muff/108 Classic Fuzz sound to a Bulk Fuzz for the solos. The Big Cheese is the best one I've heard until now. Maybe I should try to build one so peace and love and good bye.

The trouble with Muffs is how different the different versions are, although it could be a quirk of your amp that it sounds really dark (I find RATs are dark-sounding in comparison to Muffs, but they're very midrangey). The EHX reissues are indeed choked and muddy, but if you try a clone of a Triangle or Ram's Head era circuit you'll find it's more crisp and transparent. But then, those Muffs sound more like a smooth scooped distortion that's fuzzy around the edges; not a 'proper' fuzz.

If you want trebly, the most cutting a riotous fuzz I've tried is the MASF Lavender Head - that has a really vicious top end that cuts through like a hot knife through butter. They're a bit hard to find though (I picked one up while on holiday in Japan last year).

Back in Europeland, you might be better off trying a Fuzz Face clone, such as a Magnetic Effects White Atom. Alongside a Muff, that lacks the Muffy muffledness but includes a tone knob (a useful control which traditional FFs don't have) and a 'texture' control that gives you the choice between a thick woolly fuzz and a gated splatty sound. It also doesn't suffer from the input impedance issue that traditional germanium fuzzes suffer from, so you can put it after buffered pedals in your chain with no issues. That might be worth looking into.

Try the Xotic effects AC booster with all settings maxed. It's very fuzzy yet perfectly clear with no mushiness. It tracks very well and is great for shred leads, too.

Boss HM-2...

dezb1 wrote:Boss HM-2...

seriously dude the heavy metal is exactly what youre looking for. if you arent too sure, get the behringer version and try it out, if you like it then congrats you found it, if you dont, you only lost $25 and you can always resell it. i use it almost all the time, it replaced my turbo rat to be honest.