Anyone dislike the BJFE Pink Purple Fuzz?

[cedjazz]

I'm thinking about getting a fuzz pedal to round out my collection. I happened to try a PPF recently, sorta by accident, but the pedal sounded very OD-like. Very warm and responsive. I've never owned a fuzz before, so I'm curious if anyone has one. I own other BJF's so I gravitate to his stuff, but if there is something out there better, what is it? Money is a issue, BUT I'd rather pay more a great pedal and be totally happy as opposed to paying less and compromising somewhere. Thanks TGPer's.

[bkd_guitarist]

If they do dislike it, I'd recommend a thorough hearing examination.

SWEET pedal.

[jb1911]

I had one and was underwhelmed. I prefered my Lunar Module by a pretty big margin.

[Bobby D]

have not had the pleasure of plugging into a PPF.


something tells me it probably does not suck :roll

[bjjp2]

Not me. It's great. And I'm not usually a fuzz guy.

[jero]

I was kind of underwhelmed. Not too fuzzy and with a mid dip and treble boost making it kind of hard to cut through in a band setting.

[openG]

the PPF is a OD-light Fuzz....if you want more of a FUZZ pedal, go with a Artic White Fuzz from BJFE...or if you want a Heavy Fuzz, a Candy Apple Fuzz......pick one that is more in line with what you are looking for.....

[aarondavis]

I loved it. But it's an inbetween kinda sound. Not quite fuzzy enough to be what most people would consider a "real fuzz pedal" and not quite as refined as a good distortion pedal. The key is that it's a very musical dirt box. The tone control is a "T" filter, being a balance between lows on one end and highs on the other. The vertical line of the "T" represents a mid scoop. Not drastic, but its there. Not sure why more pedal makers don't use this type of tone control. This alone makes the PPF (and the Honey Bee) worth at least playing through, if not being made your own.

Again, a very musical dirt box. I believe they're not in production any more so won't be cheap, that's fur shur.

[Thor]

I love my PPF - I think that your description is right on the mark. It is sad that these are out of production. For a production pedal with a similar sound/vibe, I would check out Skreddy. I have a Top Fuel that I also love (but different enough to justify having both). I am looking forward to his Pig Mine as well. I think that his "smooth Muff" varients are great and are close to the PPF.

Happy Hunting,

Edward

[pacomc79]

it wasn't what I was looking for at the time. I felt I had most of what I liked about it covered with my EGDM even though they obviously sound a bit different. I just didn't want smooth then I wanted abrasive which would have been more like the CAF.

Better I'd say would be relative, at that level you're only choosing on sound.

[JKoeth]

I had one and was underwhelmed. I prefered my Lunar Module by a pretty big margin.

I have both and while there is some overlap there are distinct differences. The PPF is tighter and is more of a fuzz/od/dist hybrid. The Lunar has a softer more liquid gushy attack and wouldn't be good for chugging rhythms whereas the PPF is to me. Both are stellar.

[StompBoxBlues]

Resurrecting this thread...

What did you decide (OP)? Did you get it?

For me, the PP fuzz is fantastic. It definitely CAN sound and seem like an OD instead of fuzz, but that is all in where you set the fuzz knob. What I found after an extensive (a whole night playing through all my fuzzes) test was the PP of all my fuzzes had the most dynamic (i.e. I could set it to sound more OD-like, or Fuzz like whenever I wanted) and also the best when I played both a single coil Strat OR a humbucker LP through it. It handled the LP just perfect.

The pedal has "cut", and dynamics...when I set it for LP (and it is super easy to dial in) I found great control of the fuzz with the LP's volume control. Also, it seemed to work fine with the wahs I tried in front of it...(535Q, Bud-Wah, Teese Pic Wah).

I wasn't "pulling for it" at all. I had no preference, and was just in the mood to check all my fuzzes, see what they were best at, see which guitar they liked "best" etc. and I just kept coming back to the PP.

It's on my pedalboard now.

GREAT JOB Bjørn!!

[ptbarnum]

crazy.
maybe the first i'd grab if i had to take just one pedal.

[cedjazz]

Resurrecting this thread...

What did you decide (OP)? Did you get it?

For me, the PP fuzz is fantastic. It definitely CAN sound and seem like an OD instead of fuzz, but that is all in where you set the fuzz knob. What I found after an extensive (a whole night playing through all my fuzzes) test was the PP of all my fuzzes had the most dynamic (i.e. I could set it to sound more OD-like, or Fuzz like whenever I wanted) and also the best when I played both a single coil Strat OR a humbucker LP through it. It handled the LP just perfect.

The pedal has "cut", and dynamics...when I set it for LP (and it is super easy to dial in) I found great control of the fuzz with the LP's volume control. Also, it seemed to work fine with the wahs I tried in front of it...(535Q, Bud-Wah, Teese Pic Wah).

I wasn't "pulling for it" at all. I had no preference, and was just in the mood to check all my fuzzes, see what they were best at, see which guitar they liked "best" etc. and I just kept coming back to the PP.

It's on my pedalboard now.

GREAT JOB Bjørn!!

...... I did get the PPF. I have it on a board with an EGDM, Hotcake and a Tim. I'm not stacking it with the others, but it rounds out my Hendrix/British "theme" pedalboard nicely. I'm thinking of getting an EL84 based amp so I'm curious what it will sound like...Also,I really wanna hear it with a wah pedal.

[frisco]

Try a PPf into a Demeter fuzzualtor. Killer stack.

[jonnyrocket]

Resurrecting this thread...

What did you decide (OP)? Did you get it?

For me, the PP fuzz is fantastic. It definitely CAN sound and seem like an OD instead of fuzz, but that is all in where you set the fuzz knob. What I found after an extensive (a whole night playing through all my fuzzes) test was the PP of all my fuzzes had the most dynamic (i.e. I could set it to sound more OD-like, or Fuzz like whenever I wanted) and also the best when I played both a single coil Strat OR a humbucker LP through it. It handled the LP just perfect.

The pedal has "cut", and dynamics...when I set it for LP (and it is super easy to dial in) I found great control of the fuzz with the LP's volume control. Also, it seemed to work fine with the wahs I tried in front of it...(535Q, Bud-Wah, Teese Pic Wah).

I wasn't "pulling for it" at all. I had no preference, and was just in the mood to check all my fuzzes, see what they were best at, see which guitar they liked "best" etc. and I just kept coming back to the PP.

It's on my pedalboard now.

GREAT JOB Bjørn!!

StompBoxBlues,
can the PPF give you a sound similar to Hendrix’s Purple Haze? Or should i stick to the Sunface for that?

thanks

[kakev]

StompBoxBlues,
can the PPF give you a sound similar to Hendrix’s Purple Haze? Or should i stick to the Sunface for that?

thanks

I think the PPF was great for early Hendrix tones. Sounds good even at low volumes whereas real Fuzz Faces needs to be used with really loud amp to produce musical tone. Those are fun to play around but I've eventually sold both of my sunfaces and PPF as I don't regularly have use for those. I have Baby Blue Overdrive and it actually produces little similar tones as I would get out of PPF with lower gain settings but for me the BBOD works better.

[DonneR]

Yeah the PPF is sort of a 'daily' fuzz - it will work well for just about anything.... the two biggest things are that it uses regular 9v taps and it can go anywhere in your chain, which was just about unheard of when it came out as most fuzzes had to have special treatment and placement to sound good.

The PPF and the Candy Apple Fuzz are sort of two halves of a whole - the daily stuff is in the PPF and the crazy stuff is in the CAF ...

The PPF is also the fuzz cousin of the Dyna Red - if the DRD works well in your set up for distortion then the PPF will work just as well for fuzz.

[zztomato]

I had a PPF and didn't care for it. It's not that it was bad- just wasn't dedicated enough to being fuzz. I like the CAF way better and for a "daily fuzz" I like my Skin Pimp MK III.

[Ben C.]

For me, it wasn't fuzzy enough to be a fuzz.
Was more like a distortion pedal - the fuzz had been too tamed for my tastes. A bit too smooth and polished. IMO.

[Joeleo]

I didn't really bond with it either. I was really impressed with how many sounds were in there though.

[DonneR]

if you want to adjust its basic character you can change the voltage -

Higher voltage ~ stronger more defined hair/fuzz .... lower voltage makes it more saturated and fluffier

serial #001-010 7.5V-12V;
#011 and above 7.5V-18V

[jonnyrocket]

Guys thanks so much for your descriptions.

Donner, how would you compared the PPF with the FF 3.5%? I have an unbuilt FF 3.5% that need to put together soon. Will the FF 3.5% be more suited for early Hendrix than the PPF?

thanks!

[DonneR]

Guys thanks so much for your descriptions.

Donner, how would you compared the PPF with the FF 3.5%? I have an unbuilt FF 3.5% that need to put together soon. Will the FF 3.5% be more suited for early Hendrix than the PPF?

thanks!

Yeah the Folk Fuzz ( and the Snow White and Arctic White Fuzzes etc ....) are looser and rougher and more vintagey than the PPF , and have a more normal volume knob rolloff...

[kenoflife]

agree with Ben and others - my PPF wasn't quite enough of a fuzz - found I
was much happier with my Sunface for that purpose.

[DonneR]

Did any of you guys ever try the Mad Professor Fire Red Fuzz ?

[mmolteratx]

Not me. It's great. And I'm not usually a fuzz guy.

Wasn't the PPF voiced for guys who want a fuzz but don't tend to like fuzz? This makes sense if that's true.

[DonneR]

Wasn't the PPF voiced for guys who want a fuzz but don't tend to like fuzz? This makes sense if that's true.

Correct !
The Candy Apple Fuzz came first and it has all the wild fuzz stuff --- the PPF came after as a more useful fuzz for folks who dont usually have use for fuzz.... its as much a drive/distortion as it is a 'fuzz'.

[jonnyrocket]

Thanks Donner! I’ll let you know how i like the FF 3.5% when i finally get the time to build it.

I have the Fire Red Fuzz and like it a lot, but i feel it is more modern sounding than my CAF. The FRF also has massive amounts of fuzz/gain on tap. I usually find that the fuzz around 11 is more than enough for all my needs. I haven’t tried it yet for more vintage stuff like Hendrix. Will let you know when i do.

Donner, is the FRF based on the Big Muff? To me it can get kind of muffish, but he tone knob allows you to make it more hairy.

[Bobby D]

I finally DID get to demo a PPF......and it is indeed sort of a cross between a fuzz and OD pedal. i liked it quite a lot.......more than i would have liked to like it, since it is out of production and hard to find/expensive

but here's my demo!

7CCooHsBob0