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Overdrive or Fuzz?

casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
edited December 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
The Shannon OD got me thinking...

I want a pedal to spice up my champ and I really love the sound of The Black Keys. Dan Auerbach uses a Maestro Fuzz Pedal.

But a fuzz seems to limited, or am I wrong here? Can an OD sound somewhat like a fuzz? What's the difference between the two and which one is the more versatile/interesting one?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i haven't heard the black keys but i do know that my deluxe reverb can sound very fuzzy when it's cranked and there's an overdrive in front of it too. i would imagine the vibro champ would react in much the same way since the circuit is similar.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    pearlwax wrote:
    The Shannon OD got me thinking...

    I want a pedal to spice up my champ and I really love the sound of The Black Keys. Dan Auerbach uses a Maestro Fuzz Pedal.

    But a fuzz seems to limited, or am I wrong here? Can an OD sound somewhat like a fuzz? What's the difference between the two and which one is the more versatile/interesting one?


    oh my, we'll have to let the monkey explain it all.

    http://andira.freewebspace.com/monkeyfx.htm
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • casper leblanccasper leblanc Posts: 1,246
    Pacomc79 wrote:
    oh my, we'll have to let the monkey explain it all.

    http://andira.freewebspace.com/monkeyfx.htm

    I don't speak monkeys... thanks though, but it's actually more complex than ever now.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    pearlwax wrote:
    I don't speak monkeys... thanks though, but it's actually more complex than ever now.


    Overdrive- Driving tubes hard so that they become rich in even order harmonics. Essentially turn your amp up really loud that's overdrive, a tubescreamer also adds midrange fatness a clean boosts do not add the fatness nor change the eq they just drive your original signal harder. The Boss Blues Driver is also a very popular overdrive which has a fuzzy top of the gain range and a meaty middle ground with no midrange hump. Robert Keeley and Analog Mike make these really shine.

    Fuzz- is distorton (Square shaped sound waves) harsher sound. Think Hendrix. You must really hear the two to understand the difference which is incredibly audibly different.

    Some fuzzes have a really cool ability to clean up when you roll off the volume knob.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • JofZJofZ Posts: 1,276
    You could just buy one of those cheap SIB pedals, made by one of the Matchless founders. They have a fuzz/OD combo that sounds pretty decent. Kill 2 birds with one stone. Personally, they are apples and oranges. I run a TS and a Fuzz Factory.
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  • BlindMelonadeBlindMelonade Posts: 327
    Just get a fuzz and an overdrive....The only two pedals I have set up right now are a big muff and a rat...They work well together.
    When this just feels like spinning plates.
  • MissYouAllDayMissYouAllDay Posts: 939
    I havea Tubescreamer and a Big Muff. The Big muff is definately less versatile in my oponion. The distorton of the Ts9 is good for all sorts of jobs. I would really only use the muff for playing very clear simple riffs or lead stuff with single notes. It muddies up fast, if that's the right terminology.
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  • DirtLikeMeDirtLikeMe Posts: 91
    Overdrive and Fuzz are way different. I have a Soldano Supercharger GTO as my tube overdrive with a Fulltone 70's Fuzz. The overdrive is definitely more versatile, but the Fuzz, depending on your playing style can also be an important part of your set-up as it is with mine. If you want to play on some of the pedals that Stone uses, I would find out where a local Fulltone dealer is and try out the Fulltone 70's (in my opinion, one of the best fuzz pedals) alongside the Fulltone Pro Distortion, an awesome but pricey pedal at $195. They should be able to setup both pedals for you to try out. And there is nothing better than actually comparing pedals side by side. For example, when I bought my 70's I had originally thought that I was going to get Fulltone's 60's pedal, which is a little lighter on the fuzz. However, after testing the pedals side by side I found the pedal that was a better fit for me and my playing style.

    http://www.fulltone.com (boutique pedals of superior quality that PJ uses)
    And if hope could grow from dirt like me, it can be done
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    DirtLikeMe wrote:
    Overdrive and Fuzz are way different. I have a Soldano Supercharger GTO as my tube overdrive with a Fulltone 70's Fuzz. The overdrive is definitely more versatile, but the Fuzz, depending on your playing style can also be an important part of your set-up as it is with mine. If you want to play on some of the pedals that Stone uses, I would find out where a local Fulltone dealer is and try out the Fulltone 70's (in my opinion, one of the best fuzz pedals) alongside the Fulltone Pro Distortion, an awesome but pricey pedal at $195. They should be able to setup both pedals for you to try out. And there is nothing better than actually comparing pedals side by side. For example, when I bought my 70's I had originally thought that I was going to get Fulltone's 60's pedal, which is a little lighter on the fuzz. However, after testing the pedals side by side I found the pedal that was a better fit for me and my playing style.

    http://www.fulltone.com (boutique pedals of superior quality that PJ uses)


    I've been looking into a supercharger for a while now. What are your impressions?

    I think my next 3 pedals will likely be some kind of reverb as I need it sometimes and my orange is reverb less, a zvex fuzz factory, and a captain coconut 2.

    I might ditch the Keeley Rat for a Shannon Distortion as well the rat is a bit thin sounding for what I'm looking for now.

    Did you buy the Supercharger at Atlanta Discount?
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • DirtLikeMeDirtLikeMe Posts: 91
    How did you know? Yep, I bought my GTO from there about 3 years ago, slightly used. The guy that runs the place had a friend who had tried it out, but it was a little stronger than he liked. However, that was exactly what I was looking for. I have a Fender Twin and I wanted a pedal that could really add some crunch. This pedal did it for me. I compared it with others, like the Mesa V-twin (I think that's what it is called) and I thought it was the best sounding and best built.

    You might want to go by Atlanta Music Brokers and check out the Fulltone Pro Distortion. If I was in the market for a distortion that would definitely be one I might buy. You can really contour the sound with that pedal. The guys there are also really cool about testing the pedals.
    And if hope could grow from dirt like me, it can be done
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