2023 July Pedal-Chain Update - Episode VII - Fuzz Buzz
July was punctuated by two very significant events - Doug Tolley’s Witney Pedal Party on July 1st, and Phil Steere’s Brighton Guitar Show and FX Expo on July 15th - where I covered both of those in fine detail. Both were seminal events for different reasons, and while we were relatively few at Witney - we got to witness a truly legendary performance by David Rainger - which doubled up as about the best pedal demo I’ve yet / ever experienced - David was truly on fire - and the audience - we merry few - were utterly transfixed. We need to figure out why the 3 biggest UK brands plus Chase Bliss didn’t quite draw in as many people as one would have expected. The Witney Pedal Party will be back bigger and better - in the more purpose-built Fat Lil’s venue next time around - I sincerely hope more of you can make it then as it was a fantastic experience for all of us who were in attendance for the inaugural one. I still have the David Rainger Snare Trap + Drone Rainger + Break Box article / feature to do - if you’re not switched onto that formidable Rainger FX Trifecta yet - you certainly will be once I’m done with you! In the meantime you can catch up on the Witney Pedal Party Highlights!
The Brighton show was somewhat different in scope - and pretty much rammed with visitors for most of the day - certainly no shortage of attendees. Where the headphones-only Pedal Room was an oasis of calm - compared to its significantly more raucous, noisier and more claustrophobic Main Guitar Room neighbour. I only popped into that bigger noisier room a handful of times - mostly to check in on Hamstead Soundworks and Timber Tones - where 98% of my time was occupied by all my friends in the Pedal Room. I contacted all of those in advance - and I believe I succeeded in doing the full rounds for the first time - as you can read in my Brighton Show Highlights. I was most impressed with Neil Grimes’ NRG Effects stand in particular - where he even rolled out his own carpet! Lots of alliances were firmed up and cemented at the show - and gentle advice and ideation free-flowing in every direction - which will result in some very interesting future collaborations!
In terms of pedals covered this month - the Boss ME-90 seems to have been particularly popular, also the new Boss GM-800 Guitar Synthesizer platform. Other articles of note were my ’Bread and Butter Pedals’ one - which evidently requires further explanation - as many of you are still conflating overall bestsellers with ’bread & butter types’ which for sure can be overlapping to a degree - but are quite distinct constructs.
It was nice to see a spread of opinions on the recent Warm Audio ’fakes’ - which in my opining sail far too close into Trade Dress infringement territory - while there seems to be some looseness in ethics and morality for some of you! It’s good to have a healthy debate in any case.
Other significant pedals covered during July included the J Rockett HRM II, Cornerstone Colosseum, October Audio F Division Sub Octave Drive, a Jacques Stompboxes overview, Subdecay Tremcoder MKII, Horrothia Teeth MKII, Strymon Brig dBucket Delay, Bispell Audio Gleam V2 Fuzz, Messiah Guitars BoostDrive, Walrus Audio Slöer Stereo Ambient Reverb, Pedaltrain Daylight Overdrive and Nightlight Distortion, Chase Bliss Reverse Model C Multidirectional 3-Voice Stereo Delay, EAE Sending V2 BBD Delay, Great Eastern FX Silicon Focus Fuzz, Buzzing Bugs Audio BB01 Fuzz Pre-amp, and BB02 Percolator Fuzz, Formula B MK2 Vintage Vibe, and finally the EHX Pico POG Polyphonic Octave Generator - we certainly covered a lot of ground this month. And followed up on the Distinctive Enclosures article with one more focused on notable and instantly recognisable Trade Dress / Pedal Graphic Editions.
I do hope you enjoyed the ride. Lots of positivity this month - lovely to see so many of you out and about - and we have a huge August in store for you - with some significant long-term projects reveals!
July Acquisitions Update
13 new pedals for July. Another pretty decent showing - while somewhat Fuzz-heavy on this occasion.
Nice to be able to pick up a couple of Fuzzes referenced in my recent Japanese Boutique Pedals piece - wile the Katanasound was a somewhat dear excursion! Most of these were significantly impressive. Where only the ZenZero kind of could have done with a little more output volume.
No pedal posed any particular challenges this month - all were relatively easy to dial in and quick to get to grips with! There was some slot-hopping and switching around going on, while the running order was decided fairly early on in the month. Most of the appropriate slots were already taken at the start of the 2nd week of the month - so inevitably some pedals get moved back to the August roundup, just as well really as I'm intentionally slowing down acquisitions for a while!
So not unusually a very gain-heavy selection, with some doubling down on Uni-Vibes once more!
- 3 Overdrives
- 1 Distortion
- 8 Fuzzes
- 1 Modulation
3 Overdrives
3 really distinct high quality overdrives - each one hugely impressive and with really decent guitar volume gain cleanup. These are all incredibly dynamic with superior touch / feel. And in the case of the Messiah Guitars BoostDrive - just superbly versatile.
I really enjoyed deploying each of these 3 in the chain this month :
- J Rockett HRM 2 Hot Rubber Monkey Overdrive
- Messiah Guitars Signature Eddie Haddad BoostDrive Pedal
- Pedaltrain Daylight Overdrive
1 Distortion
Pedaltrain's debut distortion is not quite as immediate as its overdrive - but is a genuine grower and is just as easy to dial in as its sibling - with equally impressive textures. The Daylight Overdrive has a very slight advantage in terms of its slightly higher versatility. Both complement each other really well - and this is a supremely confident and assured debut. In a see of 3-knob gain pedals - these two still really impress!
- Pedaltrain Nightlight Distortion
8 Fuzzes
And then to the mêlée of fuzzes!
Actually a pretty wide-ranging genre selection which covers a lot of bases - the Bispell Audio Gleam in particular.
While each of these is impressive on its own terms. I do feel that the Beetronics V2 Octahive could do with a touch more output volume, and same goes for the ZenZero FuzU. For all of the others there is plenty of volume, gain and overall range onboard.
Nice to pickup the 2 Japanese ones - although one was at considerable cost. I really need to do another inventory on the Fuzz collection soon - to remind myself where there still may be gaps. With 600+ in the collection already I'm kind of mostly covered - but surely there are some idiosyncratic and distinct varieties I have still to add :
- Beetronics FX Octahive V2 Babee
- Bispell Audio Gleam V2 4-Transistor Silicon Multi-Fuzz
- Buzzing Bugs BB01 Vox-inspired Fuzz Preamp / Fuzzy-Drive
- Buzzing Bugs BB02 Harmonic Percolator Fuzz
- Drunk Beaver Cherkasy Silicon Fuzz Face with Mods
- Great Eastern FX Co All-Silicon Focus Fuzz
- Katanasound Furious Man Multifaceted Fuzz
- ZenZero FuzU 4K Muff style Fuzz
1 Modulation
And finally the beautifully sweet-sounding Vintage Vibe - one of the best priced, best sounding Uni-Vibes out there - and very fetching in its new standard glossy purple enclosure. I thought I wanted the more textured previously grey-scale enclosure, wile ever since the Tru-Fi Ghost Vibe - I've really loved having Uni-Vibes in purple - and this one looks and sounds pretty magnificent.
- Formula B Vintage Vibe 2-Speed Analog Photocell Uni-Vibe
July Infinite Wishlist Additions!
- Bispell Audio Saxon V2 JTM45 / Plexi
- Chase Bliss Reverse Mode C Multidirectional 3-Voice Stereo Delay
- EHX Pico POG Polyphonic Octave Generator
- Goliath FX Silicon Tone Bender MKII (Craquelure!)
- Hamstead Soundworks forthcoming *'Altitudinal' Stereo Harmonic Tremolo
- Horrothia Teeth V2 Discrete Low Gain Overdrive
- Indifferent Engine Janky Echo Machine (Need someone to build the kit for me!)
- Intensive Care Audio Death Drive + Vena Cava Filter Distortion
- Jacques Pedals Electric Lamb Edge Overdrive
- Jacques Pedals Fuse Blower Triple Engine Distortion
- Jacques Pedals Mercer Twin Gain FuzzStortion
- Jacques Pedals Trinity Envelope Filter + Auto + Wah
- NRG Effects - *All of them*
- October Audio F Division Sub Octave Drive Bass Synth Fuzz
- Rainger FX - still to get Drone Rainger + Snare Trap
- Ritual Devices - still missing 3 of the Quadfecta - EVOL and Grimalkin Fuzzes + Rainmaker
- Strymon Brig dBucket Analog Emulating Delay
- Subdecay Tremcoder MKII DLX Pattern Tremolo and 32 Step Sequencer
- Walrus Audio Slöer Stereo Multi Texture Reverb (flat black)
Too many great options here to put into any particular hit list order - I will be pre-ordering the Chase Bliss Reverse Mode C for sure - other options will be more fluid - pending arrangements, budget availability and other factors. I would expect a somewhat slowdown of acquisitions for a few months as I transition between jobs!
July Pedal Chain Status
10 slots updated this month : #5, #10, #11, #12, #15a #15b, #21, #23, #26, #30.
As mentioned earlier - a lot of new fuzzes this month. Otherwise not a major material impact on the chain. I am still rocking 2 Uni-Vibes currently - while going forward I will need to make some very tough decisions!
Still some very impressive pedals in this release - including the Bispell Audio Gleam and Messiah Guitars BoostDrive - which are both so exceptionally versatile - I would expect those two in particular to be in very high rotation ongoingly.
A couple of significant pairs here - with debuts from Buzzing Bugs and Pedaltrain both really impressive.
And Bispell Audio has 3 on the board as it did back in March!
Slot #05 : Germanium / Sensitive Fuzz
The Bispell Audio Gleam V2 4-Transistor Silicon Multi-Fuzz kind of dominated this slot this month understandably, while the Drunk Beaver Cherkasy Silicon Fuzz Face with Mods got a decent innings too, Both really versatile for their format - and some incredibly smart setup / calibration on the Gleam in order to make it relatively easy to dial in those classic fuzz sounds. We also had a couple of currently embargoes / August focus pedals on this slot. While the Gleam quickly emerged as the favourite for this month.
Slot #10 : Mid Gain / Dynamic / Blues Breaker / Harmonic Overdrive / JTM45 / Screamer
Just as impressive as its predecessor Hybrid Silicon + Germanium Focus Fuzz - that Great Eastern FX Co Silicon Focus Fuzz retains everything that the original edition did so wel. While there is a slightly different core character voicing - which is slightly darker, denser, and smoother than the hybrid. Still with that excellent guitar volume gain cleanup, superior feel / touch and overall killer playback dynamics. Worth getting whether you missed out on the original - or already have that!
Slot #11 : Mid Gain / Blues Driver typically
I've been so impressed with the Messiah Guitars Signature Eddie Haddad BoostDrive Pedal - a somewhat kitchen-sink Tube Screamer, but not really Tube Screamer at all - unless those are the tones you want. Just a really potent Multi-Drive with superior dynamics and verve - and so many favourite settings onboard. All the controls are perfectly calibrated and the Tight Switch is super handy. In fact the Boost channel fully dimed produces a really fantastic Fuzzy Tweed voicing to which you can gradually bring in the Drive site to produce my preferred 'Percolator' settings!
Slot #12 : Mid Gain / Dumble / Expandora / Fuzzy-Drive / Mostortion / OCD / TrainWreck
Another feather in the cap for both my Dumble style capsule collection, and J Rockett's own Dumble roster - alongside their The Dude and the Melody overdrives. This new HRM 2 Hot Rubber Monkey has extra zing to it for sure - one of my very favourite Dumble overdrives - definitely does that fuzz-edged thing brilliantly! Also on this slot this month was the increasingly impressive Pedaltrain Nightlight Distortion, not as immediate as its Daylight sibling, but a real grower - and with a charm all of its own. The only Distortion pedal added to the collection this month - and well worth it.
Slot #15 (a) : Main Multi-Drive - Oversize
Dan Goldberg's Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices is off to a killer start with a brace of killer fuzz pedals. This first one - the Vox-inspired BB01 Fuzz Pre-amp is a superb fuzzy drive which seemingly riffs of that top boosted Vox style of profile. As with its BB02 Percolator Fuzz sibling - gain onset is fairly rapid, and you're at full-fat harmonics at just 8 o'c on the Gain dial - a truly great sounding fuzzy-drive.
Slot #15 (b) : Custom extended slot
The BB02 Harmonic Percolator is somewhat gainier than the BB01, where it reaches its full potential - in my opinion with gain at just 8 o'c. Beautiful fuzzy harmonics with a depth and richness. I often wonder at having just 2 knobs - versus including a 3rd Bias or Tone control. In this instance the BB02 really doesn't need anything extra as the various elements of the gain are quite superb, Very early onset gain like the BB01 Preamp - possibly that could do with being recalibrated slightly for more efficient trouble-shooting!
Slot #21 : High Gain Fuzz 1 / Fuzzstortion
The first of 2 fuzzes that I picked up based on my Japanese Boutique Pedals articles - the Katanasound Furious Man Multifaceted Fuzz doesn't disappoint - even though I paid an arm and a leg for it really. A really versatile classic sounding 3-Silicon-Transistor Fuzz - with plenty of range onboard, and a really smart 'Duty' 4th control.
Slot #23 : High Gain Fuzz 2 / Modern Metal 1 / Mid-Pushed High Gain typically
The second of the 2 fuzz pedals inspired by my Japanese Boutique Pedals article - the ZenZero FuzU 4K Muff style Fuzz is a great sounding extended range Muff - slightly reminiscent of the Loe Sounds varieties - with extra harmonics in spades. Could just do with a touch more volume. Otherwise sounds really great!
Slot #26 : Modern Metal 3 / High Gain Metal 2 typically
Fantastic update to the Beetronics Octahive - in even more practical and versatile foot-switchable V2 Babee format. Really sounds superb - while it could still do with just a touch more output volume. This seems to be a fairly perennial issue with octave fuzzes - as several of mine tend to suffer a little from being slightly underpowered on the output side! Really smart pedal every which other way though.
Slot #30 : Analog Vibe / Uni-Vibe / Other Modulation
One of the sweetest sounding Uni-Vibes out there - the Formula B MKII 2-Speed Analog Photocell Vintage Vibe really is superb and such good value. The 2-Speed functionality is just perfect for this type of pedal - while it would be nice to be able to control the ramp time in a future version. Probably the overall best value full-fat Uni-Vibe currently out there.
Final Thoughts
We're slowly clawing our way to our 10,000 Instagram followers target - pretty much the same as our good friend Markus Reeves of Reeves Electro fame. He obviously benefitted from that Brian Wampler viral sensation - while GPX has yet to feel the force of such good fortune. Markus is a little ahead on 9,927 - surely just a week away from his momentous milestone - while I'm probably a good couple of weeks out on 9,771. I of course expect him to cross the line first - while I have a couple of big gun articles in reserve!
As a reader suggested - I'm doing a very significant update, nay total re-write of my Best of British Pedal Builders article - which I did so many years ago now - I've mostly compiled the list already - do let me know of some smaller outliers you think I may have overlooked - I feel I'm pretty compete already on the overview.
I should finally be revealing my Compact Editions 2023 12 Degrees of Saturation - similar to the Mini Editions one I did back in January - actually both were sort of completed in January - while I was waiting for some of the newer compact editions to materialise - which sill hasn't quite happened quite yet - should be fairly imminent now though.
And I should be revealing a project many months in the making of a certain Royal Navy special pedal operative - which is one of the most detailed and picture-rich articles I've done to date.
I will also be launching a pedal or two that I contributed towards, and launching a campaign to try to revive a still much loved but long since retired cult fuzz pedal. So plenty more to come - and when we get to 10,000 Insta Followers there will be some even bigger news!
