The Four Pillars Of Fuzz Guitar Tones [JHS Legends vs Our Current Faves] – That Pedal Show
Confused about where to start with guitar fuzz pedals? We talk through the four cornerstones of fuzz tones to help focus the search
Life too short for long YouTube videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.
Welcome to the show! In this episode Dan and I are discussing and demonstrating the four cornerstones of classic fuzz tones. There is understandably a great deal of confusion around the whole topic of fuzz. With so many pedals on the market, how do you even begin to choose those that might suit you best?
One way we’d suggest is to consider what many regard as the four cornerstones of classic fuzz tones: The Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, the Univox Super Fuzz (octave fuzz) the Sola Sound Tone Bender and The Electro Harmonix Big Muff. Sure there are others, but most of them are direct descendants and/or heavily inspired by one of these classic pedals, or indeed a combination of them.
Conveniently, JHS Pedals of Kansas City has just released four new versions of the classic schools, which gives us the opportunity to play them compare them with our favourite other pedals in each school.
By the end of the video we hope the tones you hear enable you to narrow your sights a little bit in the search for your fuzz endeavours.
Enjoy the episode!
COVID-19: No doubt many of you will be concerned for our safety and wellbeing, and post helpful comments about our measures surrounding social distancing. We’ve done a risk assessment in accordance with the latest government directives and implemented the suggested working guidelines. We’re aware that the plexi screen is only partially effective so please excuse if we don’t get into this topic in the comments section.
Pedals & stuff in this episode…
• TheGigRig Three2One
https://www.thegigrig.com/three2one
• JHS Legends of Fuzz Supreme
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/2BrIwc9
Australia: https://bit.ly/3gRNeQG
USA: https://bit.ly/3G349LY
• JHS Legends of Fuzz Crimson
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3cxGy7d
USA: https://bit.ly/3GeqA13
Australia: https://bit.ly/2XwbTmj
• JHS Legends of Fuzz Bender
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/2zQNpeI
USA: https://bit.ly/3ogepua
Australia: https://bit.ly/308Q91I
• JHS Legends of Fuzz Smiley
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/2Bxl1P7
USA: https://bit.ly/3JXQOaK
Australia: https://bit.ly/372cW0t
• Shaftesbury Duo Fuzz – no longer made, various reissues available
• Way Huge Russian Pickle – link to latest version
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2IINC2S
USA: https://imp.i114863.net/K7mze
• Pig Dog Pedals JuJu
• Jim Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JHF1 Fuzz Face
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2AUTELD
USA: https://imp.i114863.net/2ZzWA
• Catalinbread Echorec
UK & Europe: http://bit.ly/2mORqUL
USA: https://bit.ly/3lOVpl3
Australia: http://bit.ly/2BWjXTM
TheGigRig G2
https://www.thegigrig.com/g2
* Why do we have preferred retailer links? Find out here: http://www.thatpedalshow.com/partners
Interesting bits and go-to sections…
– Intro playing Mick schwang: 00:00
– We’re back! 02:23
– Dan schwang: 03:00
– How is volume then? 05:40
– What are we doing today and why? 07:12
– Three… hang on, four schools of fuzz: 07:45
– The four JHS fuzzes: 08:40
– The problem of consistency: 09:07
– Our favourite versions of the four: 09:50
– What we hope you’ll glean from this video: 12:45
– Consistency, value and Taylor Swift: 13:55
– JHS Smiley: 15:47
– Dunlop Hendrix Fuzz Face: 16:33
– Thoughts on the Smiley and Fuzz Face: 17:50
– Smiley JHS mode: 19:32
– Humbuckers and the Fuzz Faces: 20:39
– Shaftesbury Duo Fuzz: 23:19
– JHS Supreme sounds: 27:55
– Tone Benders: 31:00
– JHS Bender sounds: 32:17
– Does it clean up? 34:35
– Mick’s headstock ding tangent: 36:05
– Pigdog JuJu Fuzz: 37:50
– No Germanium? 39:07
– Thoughts on feel: 40:07
– Muffs & the Crimson: 41:48
– JHS Crimson sounds: 43:24
– Way Huge Russian Pickle: 46:28
– JHS mode in the Supreme: 50:08
– Closing thoughts: 51:50
– Which ones would you choose? 54:38
Guitars in this episode:
• Fender Custom Shop 1963 Telecaster – Dan’s video at http://bit.ly/2dlZJ6K
• Fender American Vintage ’62 Stratocaster – Mick’s video at http://bit.ly/2cQv3yT
• Gibson Memphis 1958 ES-335 – Mick’s video at http://bit.ly/2mpJA8X
• Fender Classic Series Jazzmaster Lacquer – no video yet
Amps in this episode
• Two Rock Classic Reverb Signature with Two-Rock 212 cabinet / TR 1265B speakers
• Marshall 1987x with 1960AX cab / Celestion G12M Greenback speakers
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/31eVWmc
USA That Pedal Shop: https://bit.ly/3v3Xazc
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Please visit our preferred retailers!
UK & Europe: Andertons Music http://bit.ly/2cRvIvt
Australia: Pedal Empire http://bit.ly/2mWmJQf
USA: That Pedal Shop https://www.thatpedalshop.com/
#Pillars #Fuzz #Guitar #Tones #JHS #Legends #Current #Faves #Pedal #Show
Originally posted by UCnUXq8mGmoHt0e6ItuTs10w at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAqfcQ7I9h4
Re:"headstock ding"…
I have an almost an identical ding on my strat from when I threw it across the stage on a gig in a bratty fit.
I played a gig when our Hammond organ went inexplicably a half a step flat! I tuned down to play with it but when I went to sing everything sounded gray. I couldn't hear anything clearly and my body was so used to singing everything at concert pitch that I only made it through 3 songs before I slung the guitar across the stage and stormed out of the club.
Turns out that low voltage can change the pitch of a Hammond organ!
Fuzztastic episode.
its funny looking back at the c*v*d nonsense. its also horrifying that people feel for it
Why does fuzz sound very strange to most guitarists, but it sounded good to Hendrix? Is it with hands? Or?
Oddly, having never heard that traditionally fuzz is a "single coil thing", i've always kind of preferred it with humbuckers, at least with the guitars/pedals i have. Cool to see you try it with humbuckers and realize, oh thats not too bad.
Nah, there are at least double the number of distinct genealogies /topologies of Fuzz that I know about.
The truth is probably more like 15+.
I'll bet Josh was happy about this episode.
Late 60s hence the beck sound was more blaring 70s fuzz sounded more controlled but really it stands as the same the big muff was the acid rock hence blue cheer and even made a cone back with grunge and the neo garage band period.
What have we learned? “That Fuzz is just awesome”. Nuff said
Just watching this again, Mic’s Swifty impression ????!!
The plexi glass is too much for me. I cant watch 2 girls playing with fuzz. Im out.
BENDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!!!!!!!❤
Being someone who absolutely hated Fuzz for the first 31 years of playing, I've just put a Smiley and Lizard Queen on my board and absolutely loving them ❤️
looking back on the "social distancing" experiment is both embarrassing and hilarious.
When you play the Supreme, you really need to play some Who. Instant Live at Leeds.
Weird watching this back JIMI used germanium transistor with band of Gypsy's not sure how he could of liked silicon better… I know that is folklore. Just curious if anyone has any insight. Thanks
He sucks on guitar !
The plexiglass ????
The sonic blue jazzmaster is so money
Dunlop fuzz faces all day long..Jim Dunlop fuzz faces are 100% Era Correct
Bender with silicon?, Poor guys that believe in Josh, that guy hates germanium.
It’s a treat to watch you guy’s, your playing is enjoyable to my ear.
Thanks so much for doing this show.
Aged horrifically Lmfao
Just a/b'd JHS Supreme with Black Cat Super Fuzz (clone of the same Shin-Ei Superfuzz) and they are in different leagues. Unfortunately JHS sounds like a piece of junk compared to Black Cat…
The fact that an episode on fuzz had 666 comments prior to this one (sigh) seemed all too fitting.
… of course I had to point it out and ruin it though!
Great episode guys!
How hard can it be to decide which fuzz tone(s) you like? Think! Who do you listen to? Do they even use fuzz? Do a little research — which one(s). Do more research: can you still get that pedal or a reasonable clone? For f*ck's sake!
You two were doing a show about buffers. What was the fuzz pedal he used? I think it had alot of red in it, but it sounded awesome i want to get one.