Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have a foxx fuzz/wah/volume and a Sansamp VT bass. The foxx is a modern reissue of the foxx pedals made in the early 70s for only a couple of years. John Wetton used one in Crimso.

SWR Interstellar Overdrive

JakeK wrote:

sloop_john_b wrote:See, I wouldn't consider the Fuzz Face an overdrive or a distortion (okay, technically it is distorting the signal), but the third option, fuzz. In my experience with fuzz pedals, they are terribly muddy for playing chords or any sort of rhythm, but are great for lead - see "Live at Pompeii" for some great lead work done with a Fuzz Face. Jake, open your ears and your mind and try out some good overdrive or distortion pedals. I think you'll see how their usefulness far outweighs the novelty of a fuzz pedal (which is not to say I don't like them). Case in point - you can keep a good o/d pedal on all the time and use your volume to clean up the signal, then crank it back up to emphasize a big chorus or a lead part. A fuzz pedal isn't going to clean up quite the same way and chords turn to mush.

So is that why guitarists have more than one overdrive in their pedal board? One for chords and the other for leads?

I have an Ibanez TS10 Tube Screamer and a Danelectro Daddy-O in my pedal board. I use them separately for either solo or rhythm depending on what character I want the disorted/overdriven signal to have, or in combination for a more saturated or screaming lead sound. The combo works nicely. It's nice to be able to have variety wrt OD/Dist. signals without having to adjust knobs, et cetera, between songs.

When recording, I've used the amp volume at its distortion point, and then one of the pedals to kick the signal into more overdrive.

DOD Overdrive/Preamp 250, Seymour Duncan Tweak Fuzz, Marshall Jackhammer. The DOD reminds me of the sound of fuzz in the Seventies, and ranges from straight preamp to thick fuzz. It's a useful (if not versatile) tool and plays well with the other pedals. The Tweak Fuzz has the most range of sounds and would be good for electronica tones, very "modern" sounding. The Jackhammer gives an organic, tubey, alternately crunchy and creamy fuzz which is unmistakably Marshall. I haven't fully exploited it as a preamp but I suspect it may be a bit heavy-handed, sort of imposing its own sound rather than helping me create a certain tone. (Thanks, Mike )

No two fuzz pedals are built alike, in my experience, ever since I bought my first Tone Bender in 1971. It's good to have lots of them because they are all different.

I'm currently grappling with a Danelectro Wasabi Overdrive, which I got on clearance from Musician's Friend a while ago. It's got some great sounds, some truly ****** sounds, and a lot in between. What is neat about it, is that it seems capable of not only overdrive, but things that sound (to my ears at least) to veer into the fuzz and distortion arenas as well. Ultimately, it might prove as useless as a Leatherman knockoff, but in the meantime, it's a whole lot of fun...

It all depends on the sound that I'm going for and the amp that I'm using. If it's a solid state amp, I hook up with my Vox Over the Top Boost for overdrive. If it's fuzz, then it's either a reissue Tonebender or Fuzztone. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry it'll be the OD channel on the amp. If it's my AC 30 HW ltd., I turn down the master volume and run up the signal volume to overdrive at reasonable levels so my wife doesn't kick me out or tell me that playtime is over.

great sounding unit! Note the 2 step drive configuration. Plus the comp, tremolo, and echo are Stellar!!

billydlight wrote:

great sounding unit! Note the 2 step drive configuration. Plus the comp, tremolo, and echo are Stellar!!

OOOOO-that looks nice!

Jake, I have at least 10 different distortion/fuzz/overdrive pedals that I can think of off the top of my head, as well as several I have either recently traded or sold. All of these things are different, and will all sound different through different amplifiers. Next time you go to a music store, take your fuzz face with you and plug it in to 5 different amps, you will get 5 different sounds, feels, and flavors.

I can't wait to really post on this topic, but I'm out on the road right now, and all of my goodies are at home or in storage. Currently, my Fulltone OCD pedal is the most used of the 5 different distortion/fuzz/overdrive pedals on my board.

I've gone through so many....

Currently I use a VT Bass for just a little "always on grit" and a Fender Sub-lime bass fuzz for the full monty. I also have a Little Big Muff that I mostly just use at home, but I can't part with it.

I have a new project and I'm really into creating noisy, but controlled, soundscapes.

In the bank of pedals I've got... Zvex Fuzz Factory (the cheaper one), 60's National Fuzz Wah (A Shin Ei made for National) and a RC Booster.

Not using a Ric though.. I'm playing a Silvertone 1457 into an AC30cc.

The 1457 just melds with the fuzzs and I get amazing sounds while contorting it.

NOISE!