Originally Posted by mr dave (Post 490069)

like any other piece of gear it all depends on the sound you want and the cash in your pocket.

BOSS is known to make incredibly reliable pedals. they're little tanks made out of cast iron. the DS-1 is a classic and if you can find it close to the $40 mark you're laughing. it'll provide a nice hard rock fuzz sound for pretty cheap, and it won't eat batteries half as fast as most other pedals.

if you want more edge and control over your fuzz BOSS also has the MT-2 metal zone. don't let the name fool you, it can still provide a decent range of fuzz. it also has a split EQ knob so you can better tweak the distortion. they're usually closer to $80-100 though.

electro harmonix also has the 'big muff' line of distortion pedals (and a lot of people would call them the top of the pile). these are usually pricier, the 'mini muff' starts around $100 and the other models end up closer to $200. there are also russian made big muff's that are pretty good too (i scored one in a pawn shop about 2 years ago for $80). there's one pertinent issue with the muff though, a lot of people complain that the pedal sucks your tone when it's not in use so they end up having custom bypass switches installed. i just use mine with my bass and never turn it off hehehe.

you might also want to look into compressor pedals. again BOSS is usually your best bet. it's not something i'd use for a lot of rhythm playing but if you want neil young style buzzy lead action, it's the ticket. great for single notes, but it gets muddy when you play chords (at least from my limited experience with a compressor)

personally i've been using the DOD FX53 classic tube for almost 15 years. it's not really as fuzzy as the BOSS pedals but it gives a smoother distorted sound. it's got more mid range where the BOSS pedals have more highs and lows.

Originally Posted by mr dave (Post 494033)

i'm just going to quote myself from the last thread about distortion pedals for now. are you looking for a fuzz for a specific instrument? or just a general effect unit?



i'll just reiterate that first line again - like any other piece of gear it all depends on the sound you want and the cash in your pocket.

hit your local shop, if you let them know you're interested in buying before asking to try everything on the shelf and they should be more accommodating.

Originally Posted by mr dave (Post 494209)

damn, and i thought i grew up in obscurity (was a half hour drive for a shop in my case).

as far as i know the stooges just cranked everything to 10. possibly used a 'dallas arbiter fuzz face' pedal by dunlop for overdrive (hendrix used one as well). another really popular fuzz pedal from the 70s is the ibanez TS9 tube screamer.

as for spacemen3, that's more wall of sound, in line with MBV right? if that's the case, this might sound odd, but i found that a good reverb pedal was key to getting a really thick lush sound, more than an actual fuzz pedal.