Do Silicon Fuzz pedals have problems with buffers before them?

[dorfmeister]

I know with a germanium fuzz it should be first in line in your chain, but I am wondering if the same tends to hold true for silicon fuzzes.

I don't yet have a fuzz but have a Red Witch Fuzz God II (silicon) on the way.

 

[LowWatt]

I know with a germanium fuzz it should be first in line in your chain, but I am wondering if the same tends to hold true for silicon fuzzes.

I don't yet have a fuzz but have a Red Witch Fuzz God II (silicon) on the way.

They can. With a twitchy pedal like the Fuzz God, I imagine it is like a fuzz factory where to get the most out of its crazy range of tones, you need it directly interacting with your guitars controls.

 

[Angle Loss]

I know with a germanium fuzz it should be first in line in your chain, but I am wondering if the same tends to hold true for silicon fuzzes.

I don't yet have a fuzz but have a Red Witch Fuzz God II (silicon) on the way.

It has nothing to do with whether it is silicon or germanium and everything to do with how the circuit was designed. Both silicon and germ Fuzz Faces/Tonebenders are bothered by buffers, but a Big Muff is not. I don't know about the Red Witch circuit, but the material of the transistor nor the fact that a pedal is "fuzz" makes it necessarily susceptible to buffer problems.

 

[LowWatt]

It has nothing to do with whether it is silicon or germanium and everything to do with how the circuit was designed. Both silicon and germ Fuzz Faces/Tonebenders are bothered by buffers, but a Big Muff is not. I don't know about the Red Witch circuit, but the material of the transistor nor the fact that a pedal is "fuzz" makes it necessarily susceptible to buffer problems.

I always hear this, but I have found that every muff I've tried (Mayo, MJM, Hoof, Green Russian, LBM, BYOC) the only one that didn't get a tiny bit rubbery sounding after a buffer was the Green Russian. It is a slight difference, but it is there. (NOTE : You would never hear it in a band situation though)

 

[Andre357]

a lovepedal 200lb sounds great before of after buffers.......

I like it better after a good buffer actually it increases the overall output for some reason.

 

[charmboy]

Yeah, I've noticed significant differences with muff pedals after buffers. Not as evident as with fuzz circuits but definitely there.

 

[amz-fx]

I think the issue is WAY over-blown... the Big Cheese is a fuzzface with an opamp buffer driving it and no one complains. Also, a buffer mod is recommended for a wah pedal if it is giving trouble driving a fuzzface after it.

It all depends on your total rig, and how you like your pedals to sound. I might be okay with it, and it might sound like poo with someone else's guitar/amp/ears. Use it if you like it!

regards, Jack

 

[StompBoxBlues]

Angel Loss nailed it.

Fact is I have lots of either kind of fuzz that work with some, all, or none of my wahs when I place fuzz after.

It can be fixed with a wah buffer, that for one FOxrox sells called a wah retrofit, IF you have a problem and want to run the fuzz after wah.

It's not necessarily the fuzz either...can be the wah. The Fuzz Factory with my crybaby, there was no WAH there when I wahed, into fuzz.
Other fuzzes it was only lessened. After installing the retrofit in the wah (and thinking about this, if there were room, I am thinking maybe the retrofit could be installed in the input of the fuzz just as well) I got more than enough wah back.

 

[eric-d]

What makes the Fuzz Face such a sensitive/twitchy pedal is the impedance. Germanium Transistors just intensify it - IMHO.