Rabbit Hole FX magics up a couple of properly gnarly and visceral Octave Fuzzes which you can tame if you must - with a Clean Channel Blend
I’ve always grouped Fuzz Pedals largely in three categories - good for Beginners, then Intermediaries, and finally - Advanced. And in this case I think we’re firmly in intermediary territory as there is a knack and a skill here to dialling in each fuzz’s sweet-spots - which usually involves tweaking several controls in tandem. And that is partly to do with how many different tones and textures can be found onboard.
Both pedals are very significantly evolved away from their original inspirations - in fact I consider them quite different pedals and distinct from those - even though they share some circuit DNA. While Safia Harrison and her engineers have moved those circuits on so much that they are really indistinguishable from their sources and much more their own thing.
Each of these requires balancing the levels of different knobs in tandem - not anywhere near as fiddly as a Fuzz Factory can be - but there is a slight learning curve here - and patience really pays off in the long run.
Both Fuzzes have Upper Octaves, one activated by a switch, and the other by dialling up the ’Chaos’ knob. What is further unusual here is that both fuzzes come with a Clean Channel Volume control - which means these fuzzes are totally killer for Bass players as they can control how much of the signal is fuzzed up - and how much of the core signal is preserved to lend further dynamics and playing articulation.
As a fuzz fan I’m accustomed to almost immediately diming the Fuzz Gain and Level dials - while with these pedals that doesn’t apply so much as there are so many other tones and textures up and down those dials.
Both are actually relatively easy to deploy - while I do find myself very exactingly tweaking the various knob levels to get precisely the right balance of texture, harmonics and articulation.
With the ’Merkin you have 2 binary switches where you can kind of set the 3 dials to your roughly favourite sound, and then switch in and out the Lows and the Upper Octave.
For the Pile of Sticks - all the controls are self-explanatory bar the ’Chaos’ one which progressively adds more Intermodulation and Upper Octave as you dial it up. This means that fully CCW you have rather growling and menacing tones which become increasingly more searing and clipped as you dial up the Chaos.
Each of these pedals delivers a very distinct and individual soundscape - and is definitely not for people looking for classic fuzz tones - but rather more for noise-makers, experimentalists, and heavy flavour fans of every stripe - for both Guitar and Bass.
Fuzzes are supposed to be fun and challenging in equal measure - and these two definitely fit the bill. The major challenge with each one is trying to decide which are your favourite settings. In fact for me it’s an almost continuous process of tweaking the dials and exploring different parts of the two pedals’ outputs.
I’m delighted to have these two fuzzes in the reference collection - as even though I own several hundred fuzzes - none of them really sound exactly like these!
These won’t be for everyone - as they do make you work a little to achieve the various sweet-spots - but when you hit those highs they really earn their worth!
Here follow the individual details :
'Merkin Octave Fuzz (evolved fron Maestro FZ-1S) - $239
Controls - EQ : Cut / Lo (Down), Fuzz (Gain + Sustain), Octave : Off / On (Down), Fuzz Volume, Clean Volume.
Preferred Settings : Lo (Down), Fuzz @ 9 o'c, Octave On (Down), Fuzz Volume @ 4 o'c, Clean Volume @ 9 o'c.
The 'Merkin is the easier of the two to handle as it only has 3 variable controls, and then a binary Low Cut Switch and Upper Octave Switch.
I tend to set up my blend here of Fuzz Gain + Sustain, Fuzz Level and Clean Level - and I ride the first two fairly high typically with the Clean Volume normally at just around 9 or 10 o'c. When I achieve the perfect blend I can then freely switch in an out both Octave and Lows / Low Cut. If you're being ultra precise you probably want to tweak a little further for each mode - while you can also hit a pretty solid midway ground which allows you to largely get away within switching the options in and out without further tweaking.
As you dial up the Fuzz Gain and Volume you get increasingly more compression - as mentioned I played mostly with those dials set fairly high - but in my exploration - found that I really liked the Fuzz Gain and Sustain fairly low down too - as at 9 o'c for my final preferred setting as shared here. There are so many other tones here - both slightly more understated and more full-on - it's like you get something new out of this fuzz almost each and every day!
I always think these sorts of pedals could do with having the Octave selector on a separate footswitch rather than on a toggle switch - otherwise this pedal is pretty perfectly formed as is.
It sounds nothing like my Drunk Beaver Fuzz Master take on the FZ-1S - which I often use as a benchmark for that style. And which is why I consider the 'Merkin to be uniquely its own thing.
It requires a little trial and error on the dial-in, while you should be up and running pretty quickly with a usable tone.
As mentioned in the introduction - you have a Clean Channel Volume control which allows you to pull in more of your core Dry Signal - and thus ameliorate / mellow out the fuzz as much as you wish.
Pile of Sticks 'Metal' Octave Fuzz (evolved from Ampgeg Scrambler) - $239
Controls - Gain, CHaos (Octave / Intermodulation CW), Fuzz Volume, Low EQ, High EQ, Clean Volume
Preferred Settings : Gain @ 3 o'c, Chaos @ 9 o'c, Fuzz Volume @ Max, Low @ Max, High @ 3 o'c, Clean Volume @ 9 o'c.
I was being a bit thick when I asked Safia about the origin of the 'Pile of Sticks' moniker - obviously it's a sort of wry tongue-in-cheek parody of that particularly style of Heavy Metal Band Logos - which yes look like piles of sticks. The style of font is to indicate that this is a heavy-duty Fuzz - intended for proper heavy and extreme tones, and thus more eminently suitable than the former Chaosmic Fuzz Name.
As with the 'Merkin I find myself dialling in a sort of starting position (most dials at noon, Chaos and Clean Volume fully dialled back) and then mostly experimenting with Chaos, Fuzz Volume and Clean Volume - a little Gain tweaking too - but largely I prefer that pretty high up the scale. You can also really push the Low and High EQ's which have a cool impact on the character and percolation / flow and sustain of this fuzz.
In some ways I prefer this to the 'Merkin - as its greater granularity allows me to shape the tone much more precisely to my requirements. While obviously a couple of aspects of the 'Merkin are somewhat binary.
In terms of output quality - both Fuzzes are capable of some really awesome tones, and as I'm A/B'ing the two of those together all the time - some days I prefer the 'Merkin, and other days I much prefer the Pile of Sticks. The fact that my favourite settings move back and forth between those two pedal - means that both are eminently valid.
As I said in the intro - there are easier fuzzes to contend with, but none quite so shapeable for both Guitar and Bass. I can totally see why Bass players love these fuzzes so much - as there really aren't that many that come with a clean blend. As an entirely electric guitar player - these pedals sound amazing for us 6-string players too. Both pedal require quite a bit of hands-on. While fortunately for me - those dials are smooth enough for me to tweak with my big toes - so I can tweak those variable knobs as I riff!
Final Thoughts
As I've said here before - each of these pedals can overshadow the other on any given day - depending on what you've dialled in. There's certainly a broad range of tones that can be achieved on each one. If I were being hyper critical - I might just want a little bit more Fuzz Volume - so you can really work some of those more subtle blends - but really there is plenty of range onboard.
I of course say get both! While if I was really pushed and could only have 1, I would then probably go with the Pile of Sticks on account of its slightly more granular shaping ability.
Even though I have over 100 Big Muffs, around 80 Fuzz Faces, and 50+ Tone Benders - I still consider each one an individual personality with unique behavioural aspects. And the 'Merkin and Pile of Sticks totally fit the bill in being unique personalities which inspire different styles of playing - inspiration machines therefore.
Safia is one of those brave sonic voyagers and explorers that is genuinely trying to produce new sounds and new textures - and while these two Fuzzes might not be for everyone - they will certainly add more flavour to your Fuzz collections. I can't imagine many will have anything similar. For me these are each sufficiently unique to be considered as their own thing. In fact talking about Maestro FZ-1S and Ampeg Scrambler will just lead to confusion - these are very much the 'Merkin and Pile of Sticks style fuzzes!
Both are available for order on the Rabbit Hole FX Webstore - and both go for $239 plus shipping.
Would be great to hear from any of you who have experienced either or both of these.
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