Gov't Mule Fans...

[FuzzMike]

Trying to get some help here...

Does anyone knows what type of fuzz Warren used to record "By A Thread" (whole album)? It sounds like a Fuzzface to me but I'm not sure. Is it silicon, germanium?

Thanks!

[wingwalker]

He used to have a Ge Fuzz Face in his rack years ago but I'm pretty sure he took it out years ago...not sure about any fuzz on the newer Mule however he still uses his Diaz Texas range on the mid setting a lot!

[Marcfordsfuzz513]

I think he just uses cranked tube amps with a Les Paul and a wah. I don't remember any fuzz on By a Thread.

[FuzzMike]

Thanks for your feedback. I don't know if it's me or what, but I hear a Fuzzface in the whole album.

[StompBoxBlues]

Originally Posted by mihkelis

Thanks for your feedback. I don't know if it's me or what, but I hear a Fuzzface in the whole album.

I do too. I'd be really surprised if it wasn't a fuzz. Amps don't usually do the "fuzz" thing and I hear it too on at least a lot of the songs on that one.

Sorry I can't help identify exactly that one, but seems to me you'd be better off picking one of the songs, posting a link to it on TGP-Pedals and asking if anyone knows which fuzzes can get that sound.

It's been a while since I listened to that album, and from what I recall there was some very nice, smooth but extremely fuzzed out sound, that bloomed a little.

I don't know what fuzzes you have, but if it were me and I wanted that sound, I would try my Mi Audio GI Fuzz,
and also Tone-Bone fuzz because both have tone shaping controls and I think the richness and "bassiness" of that fuzz might be harder to duplicate.

One other thing to think about. Many of us want to have a rig that "plays normal" but that we can hit a footswitch and get for instance, that fuzz sound. The thing is, it might be that the fuzz played a huge part but also the AMP itself, as well as guitar were set to get that sound also, and that if you turned off the fuzz...you maybe would get a lot of really bad sound from just amp and guitar? In the studio, they can tweak all day to get the sound they want.

[todd richman]

Warren has used a fuzz face as another poster stated above. Don't know what he may have used on By A Thread though-probably some Fuzz Face type pedal-maybe vintage?

[LuckyBlackCat]

Warren is also known for using tons of different amps in the studio, often blending them together to get all kinds of sounds.

[fr8_trane]

Warren's tone always sounds fuzzy to me. I have a very well recorded board mix from a 2009 allmans show and warren sounds like a kazoo compared to Derek's smoother, more organic PRS amp tone.

Maybe he has the treble booster on all the time or maybe thats just what SLO's sound like. He also tends to mainly use the neck pickup which adds that bass heavy, wooly, muffled quality associated with fuzzes.

There was thread around the time I was heavily into that album asking how to get Warren's tone - I said try a fuzz.

[StompBoxBlues]

Originally Posted by fr8_trane

Warren's tone always sounds fuzzy to me. I have a very well recorded board mix from a 2009 allmans show and warren sounds like a kazoo compared to Derek's smoother, more organic PRS amp tone.

Maybe he has the treble booster on all the time or maybe thats just what SLO's sound like. He also tends to mainly use the neck pickup which adds that bass heavy, wooly, muffled quality associated with fuzzes.

There was thread around the time I was heavily into that album asking how to get Warren's tone - I said try a fuzz.

I have an SLO, and while you have it right, they sound OD (THAT kind of fuzz) I'm amazed that folk aren't hearing that this is honest-to-god fuzz at least in a good deal of the ("On the Brazos" for example) album.

I hear a VERY big difference between what amps do, and what fuzzs sound like. Fuzzes just chop the hell out of the peaks, and from pretty low on up..amps don't.

Forgetting about the waveforms, fuzzes just plain don't sound like amps. They CAN...when guitar is rolled down, etc. but when you hear all out fuzz like that, it just isn't something any amp I've ever heard does (except maybe one with a speaker that needs reconing)

[Heady Jam Fan]

This reminds me of a discussion about Clapton playing with Cream. I thought I heard fuzz on a number of the songs, but people who seemed to be most into learning about Clapton's gear at different eras were convinced it was only a heavily pushed amp. I tend to think Fuzz and amps sound much different, but I guess it is possible when an amp is really pushed and recorded in a professional studio... I would say if you hear a FF, give it a try and see how close you can get.

[fr8_trane]

Originally Posted by Heady Jam Fan

This reminds me of a discussion about Clapton playing with Cream. I thought I heard fuzz on a number of the songs, but people who seemed to be most into learning about Clapton's gear at different eras were convinced it was only a heavily pushed amp. I tend to think Fuzz and amps sound much different, but I guess it is possible when an amp is really pushed and recorded in a professional studio... I would say if you hear a FF, give it a try and see how close you can get.

Well that sort of dovetails into what I was talking about.

Claptons "woman tone" was the neck pickup of his SG with the tone rolled off into a cranked marshall. The Big bass and muffled treble of a rolled off neck humbucker into a distorted amp tends to sound very fuzz like even though there is no fuzz.

Check out Eric demonstrating this tone starting at 2:25. Tell me that doesn't sound like a fuzz. But we know from earlier and later segments its just guitar + amp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hYCKeOsj_w