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At 11:59 AM -0800 12/25/08, Rick Walker wrote: >Jeez, Mech, I had no idea that you had all this knowledge of radical >fuzzes. Uhm well, frankly, me neither. ;) I merely started getting into obscure pedals a couple of years ago (hey, they're cheaper by the dozen), and I guess I've figured out a thing or two since then. <*shrug*> >Your post was fantastic, I just wish I could hear these pedals you talk >about >in person. Thanks! Just remember, YouTube is your friend. Many of the smaller boutique manufacturers have started putting videos online, so you can find some good stuff by going directly to their site. Also, there's a retailer named Pro Guitar Shop ( http://www.proguitarshop.com/index.php?CategoryID=304 or search for proguitarshop on YouTube) that does some very good video demos of the stuff they sell. In addition, Effekt Pedaler -- a European dealer out of Copenhagen -- occasionally posts some interesting demos ( http://www.youtube.com/user/effektpedaler ). And you might also try looking at http://FuzzHugger.com/ or the pedal effects section of Analogue Haven ( http://www.analoguehaven.com/what/ and scroll down) if you're looking to feed your GAS. >Of all the pedals you talk about (and assuming that one already owned >two digital modelling pedals and a half dozen cheap stomp box, non-botique >distorions (pro co rat, big muff, boss ds-1, et. al.) and a zvex fuzz >factory, >which one of these pedals would you buy for maximum weirdness if you were >going to a desert island and had to buy only one (and how much does it >cost)? Well, I had to make that choice once already (when I moved out of the country last year, and only had a limited amount of luggage space). I could only really throw in one "radical" fuzz, so I chose my Hachihachi Shiki Kebadate Hizumaseki Super Oscillo Fuzz (Type 88) from Lastgasp Art Laboratories (hereafter referred to as the LAL 88, or simply the "88"). You can find the manufacturers rundown at http://lalweb.com/88/88-e.html and they usually run about the same as a Fuzz Factory (got mine from shawn at analogue haven, where they're going for about $265). Not sure if I'd make that choice again, though, for a single fuzz. While my 88 is by far my most versatile effect, it can also be my least controllable. It's sensitive to what instrument is plugged into it, as well as where in the signal chain it sits. On the up side, it's a real wildcard, and never ever fails to amuse/amaze. You just have to be very methodical with your setup. You've got six switches that can be used together in any combination, as well as a continuous Adjust knob whose function varies according to which switches are selected. Add to this that it behaves completely differently depending upon the type of the guitar/instrument pickup and whether it's placed right after the guitar or someplace else in a buffered signal chain, and you can see that it's really easy to get lost. But sometimes that's half the fun (just remember to take good notes). Other options (Devi pedals in particular) might be either something with a Feedback Loop, or one of the Manglers with joystick control. For the former, take a look at the Spectacular Aenima ( http://www.deviever.com/fx/spectacularaenima/index.html ). This is the Aenima fuzz that Daryl mentioned a few posts back, combined with an extra distortion circuit (the 33) and a Feedback Loop with Photo Eye. So not only do you get a radical fuzz, but you can insert other pedals into the loop for more and different effects. By feeding a pedal back into itself, you can get some really bizarre results ranging from runaway echo effects (for delay) to screaming oscillation (some fuzzboxes). You can also turn on the photo eye and use that to control the level of signal sent into the Feedback Loop. For more detail, take a look at this: http://www.deviever.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1135 As to the latter suggestion (joystick control), I'd consider the Bit Mangler ( http://www.deviever.com/fx/bitmangler/ ). I've got a Bit (one of the first made, as a matter of fact, since Devi merely described a new design and I ordered one sight unseen). It's a fantastically searing modern fuzz, almost approaching "synth" or "video game" tones. With the Bit Mangler, the Bit is paired with the VFM (Vintage Fuzz Master) which is a more traditional high-gain octave fuzz. A joystick is then used to blend between the two circuits. You can get a lot of interesting tones by merely manipulating the joystick to different positions. Take a look at the videos and you'll see what I mean. At Analogue Haven, the Spectacular Aenima is $195, and the Bit Mangler is $295. Finally, I'm rather intrigued by this: http://www.wmdevices.com/geiger.php -- the WMD Geiger Counter. Everybody keeps saying that this is set to be the Industrial musician's new love, and if you're into digital distortion, it's pretty apparent why. It features conventional preamp distortion, with both bit-depth *and* sample-rate reduction (giving you effects similar to the Alesis Bitrman, TSP Downgrade, and Frostwave Alienator). Then it also features a set of digital wave tables that you run (rasterize?) the signal through. Here's what the home page has to say about the Wave Table function: "The wave table stage takes your signal and destroys it with math. This produces some incredible sounds. The wave tables are organized so that a more extreme version is typically found one up from the current one. There are 252 wave tables in all, each with different harmonic content." The marketing sounds pretty cool, and the sound samples don't disappoint, either. It just depends on how you feel about digital types of distortion. If that's your bag, this could definitely be worth considering. $299 at Analogue Haven. >Also, would you refresh our collective memory (okay, my memory) and >tell us >1) what country you live in (I assumed it was the US, incorrectly) and Well, we were living in the US, but picked up and left for Japan not long after my performance at Y2k7, so I've been out here for almost a year now. Pretty cool, except for the occasional bout of culture shock. >2) what URL we can go to to hear some of the music you've made with all >of these cool stuff. Hah! Thanks for the nudge, Rick. You know I'm an anal-retentive tweek-a-holic, so I never actually *finish* anything, dammit. ;) My wife has even become so irritated at the fact I wasn't providing any fresh content, that I think she put my Live Looping web page ( http://www.dustbunnies.info/ ) on ice for the moment. I hope to remedy that soon, but for the moment, I think my Loopfest performance MP3's are still up at http://www.y2kloopfest.com/y2k7/mp3.html (11:00 Saturday night) and the videos are on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODgLXT56b7M and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcffXnqv_Lw Unfortunately, no psychotic fuzzbox effects there. Mostly just my fretless 11-string (electric oud) with VG-99 and Looperlative. >Thanks for your informative post, as always! Thanks for the complement! I just enjoy chatting about this stuff; it makes me happy. :) --m. -- _____ "when you think your dreams are shattered, it's time to dream new dreams"