1976fenderhead

Well, I got the Tomato and it's going back unfortunately :-( My problem with it is that even with bias all the way up, it still sounds gated!!?? Like it's breaking up all the time, not smooth or creamy at all which is what I'm after. I tried it with both Z settings and didn't fancy any. I get a more usable fuzz from my M9 (bar the dead dynamics) so I'm afraid this is going back and it's back to the drawing board (i.e. Colorsound Bass Fuzz clone) for me... It's a shame because it looks great on my board

I've been having a couple of weird issues with a 12 inch Adam Hall patch lead with Switchcraft plugs. First of all, I started getting the following: if using the lead with an expression pedal, I could never reach the maximum value of the expression. So I could see in the M9's display that the bar representing the parameter I was affecting would stop shortly before reaching maximum. There was no way I could take any parameter to maximum, so for example pitch shifter would always reach only +21.5 or something like that, never +24. Why could that be? The lead seemed fine otherwise, I could twist and turn it and would never get any noise or anything. The expression also worked fine with any other lead, just not this one. Anyway, after a few months I DID start getting sound cut off and the lead was actually broken on a soldering point. I fixed it and it seemed fine, now working well with the M9, but while AB'ing it with another lead that's exactly the same (Adam Hall, Switchcraft), except 9 inch, I noticed the 12 inch one sounds slightly duller. I don't know if that was also the case before I fixed it and I can't guarantee the cable used for both is exactly the same but it sure looks like it!? So what can cause this? The way I soldered it (I have other cables I soldered the same way and they sound fine)? The cable is maybe a different make? Surely not the extra 3 inches??? And again, technically, what was limiting the expression from reaching maximum? And if it does that with an expression pedal, what's it doing to my sound if I use it between effects instead?

[quote name='mcgraham' post='1029154' date='Nov 19 2010, 01:18 PM']I can recommend the ZVex Mastotron fuzz, which is a silicon based fuzz near-identical to the Woolly Mammoth (but with added impedance knob for handling high or low impedance signals at the input). Lots of spit and snarl on top but can be dialled out if you want something warmer. Can get really glitchy gated robotic-esque sounds with the waveform knob too (if that's your bag!). 3-position subswitch also allows for the low-end to be passed through unaffected to varying degrees to help keep the low end. Can be had for a bargain new and even-more-so second hand. Very cool for guitar as well [/quote] Thx, I considered it before but all Zvex pedals always sound a bit over the top to my ears I'm after something that has to be smooth, defined and as dynamic as possible for a fuzz...

[quote name='tayste_2000' post='1026680' date='Nov 17 2010, 11:31 AM']I'd look at the Subdecay Tomato Fuzz (Flying Tomato) I love mine, I have all 3 flavours of the Fuzz Face now Tomato Fuzz (Silicon) - Most versatile of the lot, works with any bass any where in your signal chain due to the buffer. Huckleberry (Hybrid) - Most dynamic of my fuzz's lots of range, also sound the most vintage of these 3 Ghost Fx Custom Fuzz Face (Germanium) - Not spent any time with this really but sounded huge the other night I've got up for sale a Tone Factor Fuzz Saw that is all Silicon and a great small fuzz, huge wall of sound out of it, soundclips are in the thread, pretty rare as well.[/quote] I'd looked at the flying tomato before, I think I might take the plunge now, since it's easy to get in the UK as opposed to the Oxide... I'll get it online to try at home. If I don't like it or don't think it's worth the extra £££ I'll just return it and go for a Colorsound clone... But the separate tone controls, the bias pot and the active/passive switch seem to make it a winner...

[quote name='Tuco' post='1026142' date='Nov 16 2010, 07:03 PM'][url="http://ironether.com/pedals/oxide/"]http://ironether.com/pedals/oxide/[/url] ????[/quote] DAMN! That looks good!

[quote name='Tuco' post='1025884' date='Nov 16 2010, 03:06 PM']silicon assmaster ??????[/quote] Too big :-) Can't be bigger than a T-Rex pedal to fit on my PT Mini...

[quote name='umph' post='1025873' date='Nov 16 2010, 02:55 PM']big muff[/quote] hmmm well as I've been told the Tone Benders have 1 less gain stage and 1 less set of clipping diodes than the Big Muff, which is probably why I prefer them to the Big Muff... So really, a Big Muff but a bit less fuzzy is another way of putting what I'm after ;-)

I've recently become very interested in the Colorsound Tone Bender and Bass Fuzz. Before I dive into getting a guy to do a clone, are there other silicon fuzzes out there I should look into, and not too big? Can be clones of the aforementioned ones too...

[quote name='nick' post='1004224' date='Oct 28 2010, 07:11 PM']I guess you're after something like this [url="http://www.viva-analog.com/"]Viva Analog [/url] supply the PCB & build instructions fo $55 & the pedal for £285 Here's a link to a better schematic for the fuzz [url="http://freestompboxes.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7964&hilit=acoustic+360"]Freestompboxes Forum - Acoustic 360 Fuzz[/url] Shouldn't be a particularly difficult build for anyone who does pedals.[/quote] Yup, $285, (£180), absurd. Thanks a lot for the link, what controls are in it, is it only bass and attack?

Below you can see the schematics of the Acoustic 360 amp including its fuzz circuit. Would any of the pedal builders out there be interested in making me a pedal with the fuzz circuit alone working on standard 9v? Something with Gain, Volume, Blend and some kind of Tone control?

Below you can see the schematics of the Acoustic 360 amp including its fuzz circuit. Would any of the pedal builders out there be interested in making me a pedal with the fuzz circuit alone working on standard 9v? Something with Gain, Volume, Blend and some kind of Tone control?

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='1000650' date='Oct 25 2010, 11:29 PM']learn? and it sounds like you have someone in the family who can help you.[/quote] He's in Slovakia, mate

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1000392' date='Oct 25 2010, 07:54 PM']Can't comment on the design or componentry for obvious reasons. It looks like a competent construction but is not really to professional standards. Stripboard is a bit "amateur" these days when proper PCBs are fairly cheap to design and manufacture, but I guess it depends on the volumes being manufactured. If you don't physically abuse it, it will probably hold together OK, although socketed components is not a great idea (perhaps this is a test model and the guy was trying our different transistors?). The diecast case will be nice and rugged but that's not the whole story if the internals are not securely fixed and start rattling around, especially if the box is kicked around on stage. £65 seems a reasonable price because there's a fair bit of assembly work required. I presume this is a sideline activity rather than a full-on business?[/quote] Yeah I think so, don't know the guy personally. I agree with everything you said, especially because it echoes exactly the opinion of my father in law who's done these things for a living, though mostly not musically related. I think it's a bit overpriced too, my feeling also from seeing similar hand made pedals for sale on eBay is for about £45, he's not lowering from £65 which I think is not worth it, I'll go back to it later if I absolutely can't live without one, for now the Tone Bender model on my M9 is doing an awesome job despite the loss of dynamics, and I have time to look for other alternatives better done if more pricey.

[quote name='umph' post='999215' date='Oct 24 2010, 07:48 PM']not bad, would be better if it was a properly bias'd germanium one though! give it a punt but keep in mind it'll be a hard resale personally i'd spend the extra dollar and get a proper one, they look absolutely mint![/quote] They're a ridiculously massive box full of air with no true bypass and not even a power supply socket... Hardly worth £179!!!

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='999199' date='Oct 24 2010, 07:42 PM']you could build your own one for a third of that I would think[/quote] "I", couldn't build my own if my life depended on it mate I guess you mean the price of parts? So parts + labour how much would you value?

[quote name='tino' post='998983' date='Oct 24 2010, 04:24 PM']its like hundreds you will find trawling forums.....whats the asking price[/quote] Read above post

[quote name='umph' post='998923' date='Oct 24 2010, 03:29 PM']in regards to other posts, perfboard is raised up off the case and help in place by foam pads, you can see them sticking through[/quote] Is that an ok way of holding it then? It's costing me £65, I wouldn't call it top dollar

I'm possibly buying this pedal from a guy that makes them, it's a clone from a Colorsound Bass Fuzz with true bypass and accepting standard power supply (this one is modded for extra volume but mine won't be so it won't have the extra PCB), it sounds amazing but I'd like to have your advice (of people who are knowledgeable of this electronics stuff)... How professional/amateurish is it? Will it crap out on me? Any components so bad it's worth paying more to have better? How much would you say this is worth as it is? Many thanks.

[quote name='51m0n' post='995457' date='Oct 20 2010, 11:40 PM']Your best bet maybe a parallel unfuzzed path?[/quote] Yeah, seems like that's the only effective way I suppose, just a tad of clean sound in there enough for the attack to come through...

...to put after dynamic-killing fuzzes? Something that excites the louder sounds and quietens the quieter to increase the difference, even that difference as it is is quite subtle? Is there such an effect? I believe I have something like that in Logic but is there a pedal?

[quote name='tayste_2000' post='993384' date='Oct 19 2010, 12:13 PM']I believe the SFX Bass Fuzz is based on the coloursound and I don't think you'll get any smaller than that[/quote] Looks good, seems based on the Bass Fuzz no? I've been reading on forums and bassists seem to prefer the Tone Bender to the Bass Fuzz, which they say is more synthy... Have to listen to some samples tonight...

I really love the Line 6 Drive model on the M9 which is based on this pedal and Justin Chancellor has it on his board so I'm GASing for this... Are there any clones around with a smaller footprint?

[quote name='TomTFS' post='964424' date='Sep 22 2010, 01:09 PM']There is one DI that is just an amp sim and nothing else, but it's a Beh****r. The red one they do.[/quote] Yeah, I which MXR did something like that for bass with the colour button, for a fraction of the price of the M80

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='958933' date='Sep 16 2010, 11:08 PM']It's been a long night of cutting George L's cable to length... And my god there's some milage of cable... But the board is finally complete, set up and running! Quick pics taken now from my iPhone, I'll get some better pics in the morn with the aid of a decent camera and daylight! Love it.[/quote] What's that pedal on the left of the Moog?

[quote name='Colledge' post='964008' date='Sep 22 2010, 12:35 AM']i doubt that theres such a thing as an amp sim di without knobs because everyone has their own personal preferences and so by making a petal have a set tone / colour then the maker is severely cutting on clients.[/quote] Hmmm unless if you're targeting the people that would buy a normal DI (with nothing) and would choose this one instead for the extra 'warmth' button.