Fuzz Dilemma

[JonathanGes]

Well, i've got a Fuzz Factory (and a Hoof and Hendrix FFM).
I've been trying to connect with my Fuzz Factory (which was my 1st) for a long time, but all those knobs and whacky stuff are kinda making it hard for me to connect with it. I use it mostly for just plain noise and oscillations
I've been thinking of selling the Fuzz Factory and getting a tone bender style fuzz (just have that craze all of a sudden).

So i've got 2 questions:
1. Anyone here had the same experience with the FF? Did you sell it? Did you regret it?
2. 2 great options for a TB i'm considering are the Fulltone Soul Bender (looks awesome) and the new Lovepedal Bone Tender (awesome size, also sounds freakin awesome). Which 1 would you go with (any other options?)?

Thanks!

 

[moemoe6434]

I thought the Tone Reaper is a Tone Bender circuit?

 

[dshobe]

Here ya go, check some of these out before you ditch the Fuzz Factory. It is a beast, but it is tameable. Sort of. I love mine, and would never sell it.

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/176319

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[StompBoxBlues]

Here ya go, check some of these out before you ditch the Fuzz Factory. It is a beast, but it is tameable. Sort of. I love mine, and would never sell it.

https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/176319

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

To the OP, THIS is the answer, at least for now.

I also had a hard time with mine until I got a hold of the "patch list". I had a great time, I waited until I was in the right mood, took a few beers down to my music room, sat on the floor, and went through every damned patch on the list after I had printed it out.

I noted the ones I particularly liked (and made a check mark on the patch...along with my own description of how it sounded) and after I was done looked closely at the settings...

Even made a chart (sort of looked like a "pie chart" if you can imagine the wedge is the range of settings that I liked for each knob) for each type of setting. I called some "hendrixy", some "octavia", some "cleans up GREAT", etc.

So just by checkmarking my favorites would have been enough. But after doing the extra steps I started getting how I liked the settings, and also which ones did cause certain things like super clean cleanup with volume knob, etc.

 

[WWW]

I don't know... I didn't have enough patience for the fuzz factory even with the patch list. Even when I did find the ideal setting, it was gone the next time I plugged in.

Great for over the top glitchy fuzz, but if you want something that can be tamed, I recommend something different.

 

[Don't tase me bro]

Just Nick has a good video where he explains the knobs. It can definitely be tamed.

 

[FuzzFaceJ]

part of getting the full Fuzz Factory experience is getting used to how the controls interact with each other. the gain control will alter the levels of gain, until you pass 1:00 or so on the comp control. then it becomes more subtle.

beyond that, the gate control and the comp control sort of act as an overall gate to the oscillation. having one or the other beyond 12:00 and the other below 12:00 to a certain point will allow you dial in a sweet fuzz sound with no oscillation.

use the gate higher for tones that clean up well, use the comp higher for more glitchy and splatty tones that turn very gated when the guitar volume control is lowered.

keep the drive control low if you're going for a sound that can clean up well.

think of the stability control as a filter, it sort of acts like a tone control in certain settings.

as Zvex said, don't hold them to the names of the controls

that said, I have a tone bender MKII and a Fuzz Factory. I have no desire to get rid of either.

on that note, if you'd like a pedal that can get crazy with no oscillation, check out the Bearfoot Candy Apple Fuzz


hopefully what I said made sense and was helpful

 

[StompBoxBlues]

on that note, if you'd like a pedal that can get crazy with no oscillation, check out the Bearfoot Candy Apple Fuzz


hopefully what I said made sense and was helpful

Don't know about the OP, but I REALLY appreciate that. Nicely written about the knobs and their function and use. After I did that experiment with the patch list, I saw what you wrote kind of reflected in the "pie chart" range of settings I found I liked for each type (clean, sputter, etc.).

Also, I had been trying like crazy to get a Mad Professor Candy Apple Fuzz, but they just never had any in stock anywhere. I think I even ordered one, from a dealer here, but never heard more on it. Good to see they are producing them then in Bearfoot..I gotta check that out.

I still only ever tried my Fuzz Factory at a jam or two, but it was too much for me...I need simpler (having a great time with the Dunlop min-fuzzface right now) for band use, but I'd never sell my Fuzz Factory, it is way too fun, and great for recording or just putzing around.

 

[screamingduck]

I think the big issue with the Fuzz Factory is trying to quickly get the sound you had before the next time you use the pedal so I understand the OP's frustration.
So many Tone Bender or TB type pedals out today!!! I have a big box Soulbender which I like- pretty sure that is based on the higher gain MKIII. I also have a killer BMF Ge Spot which is based on an Italian made MKI. Do a Search for Tone Bender and you will get reading material for days- seems the favorite model is the MKII which added a transistor to the MKI and is higher gain but not as high gain as the MKIII (think there was even a MKIV)
The current TGP fav is the Basic Audio Scarab Deluxe which (like the Lovepedal) has actually got at least one silicon transistor as the two and three germanium transistor original pedals are subject to temperature change drastic sound change issues.
I did read a review of the LP Bone Tender (hey I see what they did- haha I think?) in the latest Guitar Player where they pointed out that certain ranges of the gain knob caused some funky tones so I personally would stay away from that pedal. Most Tone Benders will let you get great tones at all levels of gain whereas a FuzzFace , for example, generally sounds best with the gain (or fuzz) knob maxxed out.
As you can see, opening up the Tone Bender door leads down a deep rabbit hole.
Some fine makers of TB pedals are Sola Sound, DAM, PigDog, Jimmy Behan, Arcane Analog, Ghost Effects, Castledine, BMF, (in no particular order and I know I'm missing some other great builders) and the list goes on and on...

 

[StompBoxBlues]

I think the big issue with the Fuzz Factory is trying to quickly get the sound you had before the next time you use the pedal so I understand the OP's frustration.

Actually, as I read it the OP wasn't getting sounds he wanted (but couldn't) to be able to recreate, he was mostly getting oscillation and noises out of it.

That's why the patch list can help so much, I was doing the same until I found that. It helped a lot. After that, you still have to do it by ear and eye, but I get what you mean. I still don't use it at gigs, because of the unruliness of it.
But it is great at home for me!

 

[screamingduck]

Actually, as I read it the OP wasn't getting sounds he wanted (but couldn't) to be able to recreate, he was mostly getting oscillation and noises out of it.

That's why the patch list can help so much, I was doing the same until I found that. It helped a lot. After that, you still have to do it by ear and eye, but I get what you mean. I still don't use it at gigs, because of the unruliness of it.
But it is great at home for me!

Think I did misread that part- I just got the feeling he wanted a simpler pedal that quickly dials into a useable and musical fuzz. I have several "tweaker" pedals that I absolutely love for their versatility for live use, I generally prefer the two and three knob pedals that I know exactly what each knob turn will do every time I quickly make an adjustment. Pedals like my old trusty DM-2, FDII, or MiniBiComp.

 

[JonathanGes]

Think I did misread that part- I just got the feeling he wanted a simpler pedal that quickly dials into a useable and musical fuzz. I have several "tweaker" pedals that I absolutely love for their versatility for live use, I generally prefer the two and three knob pedals that I know exactly what each knob turn will do every time I quickly make an adjustment. Pedals like my old trusty DM-2, FDII, or MiniBiComp.

That's exactly what i was trying to say! I can get some great sounds out of the Fuzz Factory, but because of the way the knobs interact (which is magical in some cases!) and the fact that i can't really just turn it on and get that sound i love, I ended up using it on shows mostly for cool oscillation (purposely) and not as a fuzz.

Actually, the scarab deluxe looks like a "tweaker" pedal with lots of options and yet very usable.
I think i like it

Thanks for the responses!
The list looks awesome, i'll give it a shot.
Maybe i'll end up keeping the FF for my crazy mood and get a TB fuzz as well (and cry cause i got no money left )

 

[Funky Monkey]

Keep in mind that the Fuzz Factory is sensitive to a buffer being in front of it, too. Sometimes you might want that, especially to coax even more wild oscillations (than you can get without anything on in front of it.) I don't know if Nick's video addresses this, but if you're trying to "tame" it, start by making sure nothing is before it.

 

[JonathanGes]

Keep in mind that the Fuzz Factory is sensitive to a buffer being in front of it, too. Sometimes you might want that, especially to coax even more wild oscillations (than you can get without anything on in front of it.) I don't know if Nick's video addresses this, but if you're trying to "tame" it, start by making sure nothing is before it.

Yeah, at the beginning I never understood why it didn't sound right, since then it's #1 in the chain.

 

[Blakemore Effects]

I'd suggest the Z Vex Mastotron. It's a different beast, but I always saw it is the more tame cousin if the Fuzz Factory. Great, glitchy sounds, but less finnicky

 

[seiko]

Keep in mind that the Fuzz Factory is sensitive to a buffer being in front of it, too. Sometimes you might want that, especially to coax even more wild oscillations (than you can get without anything on in front of it.) I don't know if Nick's video addresses this, but if you're trying to "tame" it, start by making sure nothing is before it.

Actually you can "tame" it somewhat by running a Boss TU2 upfront. Nels Cline does this for some shows.

 

[seiko]

Try this for a Tonebender MKII style setting on a Fuzz factory.

vol: 10:00 o'clock
gate: 2:00-3:00
comp: 7:00 or higher, higher makes it softer and eventually sputtery
drive: 12:00 (or higher)
stab: 5:00

Knock down the volume on your guitar a notch if you're using humbuckers.

Bonus Superfuzz type setting:

vol: 9:00
gate: 12:30-1:00
comp: 2:00
drive: 7:00 (lowest)
stab: 5:00 (full up)

 

[screamingduck]

That's exactly what i was trying to say! I can get some great sounds out of the Fuzz Factory, but because of the way the knobs interact (which is magical in some cases!) and the fact that i can't really just turn it on and get that sound i love, I ended up using it on shows mostly for cool oscillation (purposely) and not as a fuzz.

Actually, the scarab deluxe looks like a "tweaker" pedal with lots of options and yet very usable.
I think i like it

Thanks for the responses!
The list looks awesome, i'll give it a shot.
Maybe i'll end up keeping the FF for my crazy mood and get a TB fuzz as well (and cry cause i got no money left )

I think the Scarab may be a good bet for you as it looks like an extremely versatile fuzz but still somewhat straight ahead plus I hear it cuts through the mix which is what some fuzzes are weak at. I am so tempted to try one but just think at this point it might overlap with what I already have. It is my understanding that a MKII Tone Bender is basically a Fuzz Face being slammed by a Rangemaster treble boost and I already have that covered with my PTD Bone Machine T hitting my MJM London Fuzz or PTD Tornita!KS.

 

[sahhas]

i won't go into my FF experience.
if you turn the gate and compression to "0", i found it very tame-able!
i read that w/ those off, it's more like a fuzz face (germanium)-i don't know if this is true or not, but that's the way i liked it. then if i needed crazy, you can turn those knobs up. you can experiment w/ the stab on or off,
good luck!

 

[Jet Age Eric]

I would love to try the Bone Tender. I SERIOUSLY recommend you look at the SolidgoldFX Rosie for MKII--the huge, saturated fuzz you want (actually has a bass cut toggle), tweakable via bias knob, way more output than a clone, will take AC power, and--despite the aforementioned saturation--it's the most balanced, articulate MKII I've ever played (although there are some new ones out there, like the Bone Tender)--you can play sus 7ths and it'll hold up. -E