Playing Vintage Fuzz

KreepyTeach

KreepyTeach

Gretschie
May 27, 2018
120
Brooklyn, Ny
After watching about 5 different auctions for a Super Fuzz that ended up in crazy prices, I think I'm done looking for one.

I've had fuzzes with NOS Ge Diodes, and they have been inconsistent. I even remember seeing articles that artists back in the day would try out every available fuzz in stock before choosing the best one.

That makes me think any really nasty variations are hidden away, not being sold. It seems crazy to me to buy a vintage pedal unable to compare it to another.

We have no idea how the specific pedal sounds, which means they are just gambles, best case getting a grail, worst case being bought for shelf display?

I think what I really love about old FX, was the size of the enclosure. I think I just like big enclosures!
 
hcsterg

hcsterg

Friend of Fred
Feb 13, 2012
6,390
France
In the past, I made a SuperFuzz :

9ARmNb-IMG-4403.jpg


9ARmNb-IMG-4407.jpg


I do not have it anymore, but I must tell you that it is a crazy device ! I compared it with an original Shin-Ei / Hohner SuperFuzz, and the tone character was very comparable.

One day, I'll built a Wah-SuperFuzz combo pedal, for an amazing 70s tone...

A+!
 
Waxhead

Waxhead

Friend of Fred
Aug 30, 2014
5,186
Australia
KreepyTeach said:
After watching about 5 different auctions for a Super Fuzz that ended up in crazy prices, I think I'm done looking for one.

I've had fuzzes with NOS Ge Diodes, and they have been inconsistent. I even remember seeing articles that artists back in the day would try out every available fuzz in stock before choosing the best one.

That makes me think any really nasty variations are hidden away, not being sold. It seems crazy to me to buy a vintage pedal unable to compare it to another.

We have no idea how the specific pedal sounds, which means they are just gambles, best case getting a grail, worst case being bought for shelf display?

I think what I really love about old FX, was the size of the enclosure. I think I just like big enclosures!
Click to expand...

Well having tried 100s fuzz pedals over 30 years I gave up on anything "vintage" a decade ago. They are nearly all very noisy, tone sucking, oversized, over priced dinosaurs that have a very small useful range and get swallowed up in a band mix imo.

We all have our fav fuzzes of course but I won't consider any that are not small, true bypass, low noise, useful thru their whole range and cheap :D

Like most players I have limited space on my boards and have no room for anything bigger than a standard Boss pedal. And given the huge range of pedals around these days there's no need to consider anything bigger imo...... unless you like BIG :)

you can, of course, get the vintage tone without all the vintage faults - like this one for example
https://www.analogman.com/astrotone.htm
 
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calebaaron666

calebaaron666

Friend of Fred
Aug 15, 2018
6,648
Auburn, Maine
I bought a Flattley “Poison Ivy” Fuzz for I think $140 shipped from the UK.
It’s a Super Fuzz clone that sounds almost exactly like the genuine 60’s Super Fuzz my buddy owns.
For kicks we did an A/B comparison, and we were both amazed how close they sounded.
It’s a bummer there aren’t any youtube videos that show just how cool this pedal really is.
 
stiv

stiv

Country Gent
Sep 12, 2014
2,236
Firenze, Italy
I bought an original Univox SuperFuzz in the late '90s (the black/gray version, so late '70s, not the early '70s orange/blue) when they were already pricey but not like today. You couldn't achieve a Live at Leeds tone without either that or an Hiwatt or an SG Special, so I bought all of them components :). It's by far the best souding fuzz I've ever owned, and I owned plenty of them. I sold it some year ago to finance some gas (a vintage '66 330).
I tried also one of the earlier version made by Shin-Ei but it wasn't the same, a lot more harsh sounding. I have a clone as well (handmade by don't-remember-who) but it sounds like a clone. A diminished version of the real thing.
Surprisingly enough, the pedal that sounded as close as possible to a SuperFuzz to my ears is... not a fuzz. It's the Catalinbread WIIO. When you max the gain knob, you're exactly in Live at Leeds territory, which to me is fuzz heaven. The fact that WIIO it has tone controls helps a lot, and the treble knob works very well... you turn it up, the fuzz starts screaming for real. The fact that the WIIO is a dark sounding pedal helps to have that "bassy grain" like the real SuperFuzz.
My 2 cents.
 
Bertotti

Bertotti

Friend of Fred
Jul 20, 2017
8,946
South Dakota
I have three Nocturne fuzz pedals. Two FuzzRay’s and a Seltzerado. Now @wildeman starts a thread about a fuzz and I am now gasping for it! OP I would go check his thread. Seems a very 70’s pedal with some versatility!
 
KreepyTeach

KreepyTeach

Gretschie
May 27, 2018
120
Brooklyn, Ny
Instead of having to deal with Vintage Prices, I now have an EQD Hizumitas Fuzz. Based off a specific ELK sustainer. This will last longer for me anyway!

If you were hoping to pick it up you totally should. Here is what it sounded like for me.
Vintage Fuzz, Modern Builds?
Listen to Hizumitas by Birds Skip on #SoundCloud
soundcloud.app.goo.gl

Hizumitas

using EQD Hizumitas on Guitar and Bass
soundcloud.app.goo.gl soundcloud.app.goo.gl
 
hcsterg

hcsterg

Friend of Fred
Feb 13, 2012
6,390
France
A Fuzz, my Kingdom for a Fuzz ! (Richard III...)

Oh, I have 3 of them these times :

rR6tNb-P1140372.jpg


The BlackVolt VFUZZ : a nice trickery...
Super-Hype-Hand-Made-In-Los-Angeles-U-S-A-The-Highest-Quality-In-Amplification.
That says it all for nothing more than an average muddy silicon Fuzz Face, cruedly built with a pair of 2N5088 at 5X the price... See below :

1644826790690.png

The Catalinbread FUZZRITE : the 2000 Pound Bee is coming...
Listen to the Venture's 2000 Pound Bee part1 and 2 and you have the picture : that's it.
Well built, unmistakable rattle-sounding as expected. Costy ? I don't know, it's a mint 2nd hand one.

The JEN DOUBLE SOUND Fuzz-Wah from 1969 : Hey, Dirty Soul Disco Funk...
The French Disco Band "Voyage" used them extensively - here on the tune "Souvenirs"- go to 3:05 and that's it :



I discarded the HaHaHa BlackVolt VFUZZ... 😆:rolleyes:
I'm tempted by the Catalinbread FUZZRITE... :oops:😉
I inevitably bought the JEN DOUBLE SOUND ! 🤓:cool:🤪

A+!
 
wildeman

wildeman

I Bleed Orange
May 10, 2015
15,994
norcal
calebaaron666 said:
I bought a Flattley “Poison Ivy” Fuzz for I think $140 shipped from the UK.
It’s a Super Fuzz clone that sounds almost exactly like the genuine 60’s Super Fuzz my buddy owns.
For kicks we did an A/B comparison, and we were both amazed how close they sounded.
It’s a bummer there aren’t any youtube videos that show just how cool this pedal really is.
Click to expand...
I know, i expect there to be killer demo's of all pedals and most are either sucky or non existent, i think "i could do better", but i dont......then i complain some more😈
 
calebaaron666

calebaaron666

Friend of Fred
Aug 15, 2018
6,648
Auburn, Maine
wildeman said:
I know, i expect there to be killer demo's of all pedals and most are either sucky or non existent, i think "i could do better", but i dont......then i complain some more😈
Click to expand...
Right?! I think “man, I should do a demo of this pedal to show what it’s really meant to do” but then, I realize that would take time and effort for zero returns. I’d rather just use it in songs and let them do the talking.
 
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