FUZZZZZZZZZ
My first proper introduction to fuzz I guess was in the early 90s during the grunge scene.
I won’t lie at the time I couldn’t tell you what the difference was between a distortion device or a fuzz other than it just sounded distorted.
I grew up during the 80s listening to a lot of my dads music in the car which could be anything from The Beatles to Phil Collins. Pop/rock of the 80s being more common. Claptons journeyman, Bryan Adams etc. Most things using a chorus pedal
During the early -mid 90s I took up the guitar. Probably due to the bands I was listening to at the time. GNR, Pearljam, Nirvana, Soundgarden etc.
My Dad who also had the basics of playing guitar started buying Total guitar magazine.
I remember one of the first songs I learned to play being “ Hey Joe “ the Hendrix version.
It must have been around the time that Boss and DOD were still running the fx market. Advert after advert.
I remember my Dad buying the Zoom 505 through one of the advertised shops ( Coda or flying pig ) and us thinking it was amazingly clever.
Still while digital fx seemed to still be the craze I remember at this time used dated primitive pedals were starting to make a come back.
My local guitar shops were still all Arion and Boss but for the first time I started seeing the little big muff, Dallas arbiter fuzz face, MXR distortion + all playing a part in this magazines shoot out pedals. I spoke to Dan coggins from lovetone only about 6 months ago and told him this was the first time I saw and heard his “big cheese” plus my interest in fuzz.
Up against the likes of the Roger Mayer axis fuzz and an original sola Vox MK2.
Although most of the boxes looked ancient to me ( being only 14 at the time ) the tones still had their place.
Shortly after these new boutique company’s would also start playing their parts in offering their own themes based on these old pedals. Silly names, crazy graphics etc. It made brands like Ibanez and Boss look rather boring. I remember thinking at the time “ Boss = something my dad might play”.
But the roger Mayer spaceship pedals along with the likes of frantones “Vibutron” for instance just looked Soo cool.
A year later my Dad would introduce me to his vinyl collection - Zep, sabbath etc and again it played a part in wanting these pedals to get a bit closer to those sounds. The Zoom wasn’t quite cutting it
Although my first retro pedals were a EHX small clone reissue and a Vintage reissue big box Rat around 98 /99 once the internet started getting on the way I think my first online pedal was from the Marcaris shop. The site had a cartoon gentleman at the desk and when you clicked the links it would make cartoon type noises
I bought the coloursound Tremolo for around £89?? It was rather noisy so I didn’t have it long but these 3 pedals were my introduction into having a cool fx lineup. And retro at that.
Still I really wanted a fuzz. The EHX big muff was now back in production and Dunlop was still reissuing the fuzz face but I read that many things on both that I wasn’t sure which one I needed or wanted.
I believe my first fuzz was either a EHX muff or a Analogman sunface w/ white dot NKT275’s bought direct from mike.
The muff got flipped pretty quick if I remember. But it started my road onto fuzz faces.
One of my old favourites I bought during maybe 2009 was a Sweetsound Monterey fuzz. The volume didn’t reach unity but I just remember it sounded ace.
Aramatts mojo fuzz was another I had mid 2005ish. I used to put that inline on my pedal board and didn’t understand really why it sounded crap inline with 8 buffered, non buffered, tone sucking pedals. It took some learning to understand how to get the best out of them. A learning curve in itself let alone how they interacted with the guitar.
Still... that Total guitar mag was my reason for why I came to appreciate vintage effects and my love for fuzz. And to this day... I’ve never played a Lovetone pedal
