I agreee that just becase you don't like something does not mean it's not good. Just as just becase you like something does not mean it's good. Diffrent strokes for different folks. Just becase you don't like something does not mean your too dumb to use it. Right on Robert!
Reminds me of how I just don't like the Dual Rectifier series. People always say I don't know how to use it. No, it's just that it doesn't work for me.
100% agree with your comments on this topic. People have become exceptional at being hubris turds 💩. What happened to the sage phrase of “If you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything”??? Not that it matters, but I’m not a fuzz fan either.
I try not to follow the herd, but recently came to a realization where I had been. Amp simulators. I use to listen to everyone “ It’s supposed to sound like a Marshal but not quite there” “ It’s supposed to sound like a Vox” and on and on. I’ve come to realize that maybe if you’re a brand snob and just totally and completely brainwashed towards a certain brand the “Almost but not quite “ might mean something. But it can be considered that maybe no matter how good simulators get they might never get past “Not quite “ because maybe the simulator is sounding like a Marshal but it’s still going through your amp, DAW, computer whatever. At the end of the day should someone like me give a crap? Maybe it’s just another way to change things up like switching from bridge to neck pickups, changing guitars, using a single coil for this a humbucker for that etc. I’m now considering amp simulators as part of my rig. Yes listen to yourself, screw anybody else.
I feel that but there are times when I have dialed in some good tone and left the controls alone then when I go back and mess around with a pedal find more things about it that I like.
it took me almost 25 years to figure out how to not overthink fuzz pedals, now they're my favorite. the Black Arts Pharaoh made that easy. recently got a Joyo Voodoo Octave after seeing your demo, really like it with my Ampeg Micro SVT and Sterling St. Vincent. Thanks!
Robert is one of the only guitar gear guys on UA-cam, maybe the only one that does the "twisty knobby thing" that I do with all my pedals to see what they sound like. It's great to hear what the pedal can sound like.
True Story Time: About 20 years ago my friend was at a Jefferson Airplane show up in the Bay Area, The band sounded like crap, the mix was muddy. After the show he noticed one of the sound guys was an old band-mate, so he went over to tell him about the issue. The guy nodded and said, "Yeah, we know, but that's how they like it to sound." Moral of the Story: You do you, and I'll do me.
I think the problem in the guitar world especially online guitar world or a UA-cam guitar world is everybody is a gatekeeper if you don't play a certain way or have a certain tone or you know like a certain guitar player or whatever the case is then you're not a real guitar player. The fact of the matter is there is no standard to each their own what I they like you may not and vice versa there might be some things in the middle we come across that we like but that's the problem when you have an industry that is based completely on opinion everybody seems to think their opinion is fact and out what I'm stating is just my opinion and I'm not stating it as fact just my humble opinion.
I completely agree! That’s the only way I’ve ever used pedals or amp for that matter in my 50+ years of playing. Good thing cause I have no idea of how to get to Fuckoffastan. GREAT LINE! Hahaha!
I will say that I hated fuzz because I didn't know how to use it. However, to make that assumption of other people is arrogant. I will ask people who say they dislike something if they have tried setting the controls the way I like to... but if they have taken the time to try multiple approaches (clean amp, dirty amp, slightly dirty amp, full pedal gain, low gain, mid gain, volume boost from the pedal)... well, it's entirely possible they just dislike that gear.
I haven't had the opportunity to follow Robert like I was able to a few months ago, but this one popped up and I have to comment. Robert's taste in music (he's a huge overdrive guy) and mine (I'm more into cleans, reverb, delay, tape echo, you get the idea) are pretty much polar opposites. I said all that to say this. I commented in one of his Amplifier reviews more than a couple of years ago I needed advice as to the best amplifier (and listed 3 if I recall) to fit my taste. His recommendation was probably the best I've ever received from anyone!!! I not only love the amplifier, I love it so much, I got it's little sister (or brother, pick your preference) as well as it's Keyboard cousin, which I also use for my rare excursions into the bass arena (I'll ask him for his recommendation for a Bass Amplifier when that need arises, because I consider his advice GOLD), and have never been happier. You can agree with what Robert prefers in regard to the sound he strives for or not. You cannot disagree with his knowledge and if you ask the correct questions, he is more than happy to give you his knowledgeable recommendations. He has never steered me wrong. So, please, "never" insult his intelligence by saying he has no idea what he's doing or what he's talking about. The man DOES!!!! Sorry it's been so long since I've caught one of your videos Robert. Please keep them coming!!
The sound of a certain pedal is just plain subjective to the individual owns ears. If you like it,you like it and if you do not,you do not. Simple as that.
I’m with you, Robert! I’m so sick of the cork-sniffing and confirmation biased players, who are usually younger kids who think they know everything…..or old guys who play in their basement and have collected vintage and high-end gear but have rarely ever played gigs. Slinging shit is their pastime. I see it constantly. For example….tube amp forums are filled with “you have to use an attenuator with tube amps…..so modelers are way better.” 🙄
Robert, your opinion on fuzz pedals is exactly like my opinion on onions. Many people love them, and that is fine, but I absolutely can't stand them. People try to reaon with me about how they're great, and that I'm totally wrong. But, they smell like a hippie's armpit to me, and probably taste like it, too, although I have never tasted an armpit. So, I 100% know how you feel and stand behind you.
Oh, you're totally wrong on onions. They are really tasty if you get the right one. Maybe you're not cooking them properly? Or maybe you just don't understand how to cook with them? Onions are wonderful and you're simply wrong to dislike them. Wrong.
cool video. I have been playing guitar since the 70s and will tell you that the rave with vintage fuzz is all revisionist history, in the early 80s when metal and VH started no one gave two craps about Fuzz Faces and germanium fuzz. When I worked in a music store in the late 70s, I could count on one hand how many vintage fuzzes were sold, everyone wanted the lastest BOSS or MXR and not the used Maestro or Fuzz Face collecting dust in the showcase. Of course there were a few like Eric Johnson and later SRV and others that used it very well but that's it, their sound, their style, their ability to play and to tweak knobs and get a great sound is the key, every pedal is not for everybody. I think when the world wide web started and all the information about old recordings got out there everyone started feeling nostalgic (hell I do sometimes too) but it has also given a lot of people what I call Tone Neurosis or Gear Snobbery. Just use what you like that's why there are so many options available, there are some pedals I hate and others love, has nothing to do with your talent. Use what you like smile and make music. Geez.
My favorite ampless rig is a Precision Drive clone into a Joyo Uzi, into an ABY, with one out going to a Turbo Rat, and the other going to a TC Eyemaster, and both of those going into an IR loader that puts them into separate IR's and then sums to a single mono out through a passive DI. Using the same pedalboard to chain the Eyemaster into the Turbo Rat into a hybrid marshalloid lunchbox amp, and then run the other ABY output as a boost into the OD1 channel of a Valvestate as a stereo rig... Sounds SO nasty.
Robert, I always enjoy a good rant video from you :D I agree that a lot of folks try to portray a difference in musical taste into personal attacks. And I thought about fuzz. I have a good fuzz pedal and I have a lot of fun with it. I suspect the difference in my experience and yours is that when I'm playing with my fuzz pedal, I'm playing music that you don't like. It's not a problem and doesn't mean that you or I suck. Just we like different things.
I can always dial in the tone I like rather easily. I have my sound, I know how things should be EQ’d because I’ve been using that sound for just about 20 years. It doesn’t matter what I’m using. It’s really not complicated to understand unless youre brand new and know absolutely nothing, but it’s not hard to learn in a short time. Like you said, turn the knobs and listen and you’ll understand what they do and how they effect the sound of things.
*INSTRUCTIONS * Step one: activate switch. Step two: Strum guitar strings Step three: Turn knob thingys. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Not suitable for those who may be butthurt.😂
Fuzz isn't for everyone; that is true. Likewise, are we really still crapping on Boss pedals in 2024? Boss pedals are the standard of which all stompboxes are measured against... They are built like tanks and sound fantastic. The Waza line, in particular, smashes many boutique pedals out there. I'm a pedal guy myself; I love stomp boxes. However, there also comes a point where you should consider another amplifier. At the end of the day, besides your actual playing, everything begins and ends at the amplifier, whether it be DSP or a real tube amp.
I started playing in the early 80's, in Australia. We had to save up for Boss pedals. These days, I look at new pedals and ask, is it really any better than a Boss, especially for that price. Saying that, there are a few pedals that I will get (EQD Special Cranker, Mad Prof Sweet Honey) , but my fav od is still the SD-1.
@@nitewulf2020 Truth be told, there are tons of excellent stomp boxes nowadays. However, we must also note why many circuits are either derived from a boss or maxon circuit and why they are still found on so many professional guitar player's pedalboards. I would still take the DC-2W over most chorus pedals today, as well. The SD-1 and BD-1 are incredible and just do the "right thing" consistently and reliably.
I never liked FUZZ, as Electronic Engineer in a 1st year i already had a knowledge to make a fuzz, and i did, but i liked Heavy distortions and ''OD''s. I still own a bunch of Germanium transistors and when i see people sell them for extremely high prices, or make '' limited edition from 200 transistor we found ... for only 300-400 $US'' it makes me sick. That is a ripping of people, and lay, i wish that there is law to protect customers against such hypes. Same goes for ''made in'', that lost it's purpose in 60's and in 80's engineers were making jokes about it. Pedals are simple things, at least usual pedals people use, and i never understood prices and hypes that started 15-20 years ago like ''hand made''. Handmade would meant that you cut metal, make your enclosure manually, get parts make a PCB in an old school way to draw traces with hand, etc and solder it, painted and that is that. even then to sell such pedal for 200$US would be IMHO ripping of people, but it seems that guitarists love that that brands put high prices and use hypes. The higher the price is, the better hype you use they love it more and glorify it even if it terrible sounding pedal. Well, engineers didn't went to school in order to learn to ripp of people, and real engineers will never do it becouse it's a shameful thing to do.
I have a love/hate with fuzz (and distortion). I love the trilling wobbliness and muddiness of fuzz that gives it this crushing heaviness, but I don't like the hairy, sandy texture. I love the texture of distortion, grainy in lows, smooth in highs, but I hate how they feel castrated compared to fuzz, they don't have that monumental powerful feel to them that fuzz does. I wanna learn how to blend fuzz and distortion together, how to achieve joining the best of both worlds. Wanna learn how to use a mix of fuzz and distortion. Using an overdrive before to boost them is also a part of that equation and this kind of a use case is the only thing where I'd accept someone saying that someone didn't learn how to utilise fuzz pedals in a way that is usable for things that are outside of stoner/doom/etc. stuff lol cause relatively few people try blending sounds like that and there's legitimately a lot of variables there to explore.
Coming from an electronic music production standpoint, guitar gear is generally as easy as it comes to dialing in gear. I went from who knows how many knobs per plugin to 3 knobs on a pedal; yet, it's amazing how much more snobbery there is with those 3 knobs then there is when using a plugin with many more knobs. It seems like the simpler a piece of equipment gets, the more people get butthurt when they hear it's not for someone else. lol Even just in the guitar world, I hear more people being snobbish and diehard about a basic tube amp than I ever hear people being diehard about a more complicated amp modeler, heaven forbid if I use an amp sim.
I get the same thing when it comes to guitars and food. I don't like mustard, deviled eggs, relish, cole slaw... You name it. But someone will say, "you just haven't had the right one." My life is fine without those things, and don't base my tastes or needs on yours, folks.
lol you should have shown a fuzz with one knob just to push the “ oh this is confusing “ for a fuzz pedal. It’s a preference thing, some people don’t like certain effects. Simple as that.
Let me add on to my above statement when it comes to gatekeepers it also comes to gear if you don't play seems overly expensive modern gear then you're not a real guitar player or if you don't play overly expensive retro gear You're not a real guitar player I say let people be people let them play what they like let them buy what they like let them use what they like who are we to judge
I caught a whole load of shit online for my guitars and my pedals etc. The shot went something like " must be nice to have that. I get by without that, isnt that expensive? Why do you have money for that?" And then insinuations about my character as a Man, a father, a husband and whether or not I will ever be able to reach the moral and ethical level of my accusers. I am seriously shocked and disgusted. People have degenerated. I was raised to understand good manners and social Grace's, some things are out of bounds, over the lines, in the " not you're business" section.
I have a simple rule on pedals. 3 knobs or less and not a panel of knobs on an amp. I don’t like coil taps on pickups . Maybe I’m simple, but simple is how I like it.
Dude, I ALWAYS trust your videos. Of course, we’ll have pedals the you hate and I love And vice Versa. But I've tried a fair number pedals based on your videos, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Thanks especially the Luxe Anti-chorus.
tone and effects are all personal preference, unfortunately the internet gives a voice to every jack wagon with an opinion that believes they are 100% correct and everyone has a right to their opinion. screw em, you're the one who has an active channel and subscriber base. Cheers Brother
Robert, I am SO there with you. I will reach for a fuzz for a very specific retro everything is breaking up sound. It's a cool sound, but 99% of the time I think they sound like mud. I think some people like to lash out when they disagree with someone because they're immature. I was that way too... when I was 15. But I grew up. One of my best friends loves fuzz. I don't. We get along great. He likes vintage frets. I like jumbo frets. It doesn't matter.
Some people want - "Right here, right now," and that's ok. Some want "I wonder what happens when I turn these knobs?" - and that's ok too. I wouldn't have been able to get my sound out of my Bad Horsie 2 wah if I hadn't messed with it a little. Personally, I'll take it over a Cry Baby any day - but that's my opinion.
I hate to disappoint you, but it’s probably not gonna happen again anytime soon, my man. My new work schedule has me working Saturdays, and interest in the live streams was waning once again, anyway.
I play EMGs almost exclusively , they work fine with everything somethings better than others. Right now im running EMGs 85/85 and on another guitar EMG 57/66. With a duncan boost, into wampler Euphoria and a way huge Fuzz and a wah into a generic tube amp or a Marshall Origin combo. Its works just fine. I dont get peoples opinions especailly when they dont know what they are talking about, instead just espousing internet Mythology.
I dont t care for fuzz. It's not for me. As for twsting knobs, whether on my amp or a pedal I close my eyes . Dont even look at the numbers . I go by what I'm hearing in the room it we orange for me. ✌
The only drive pedals that don't work well with active pups are those with Germaniun diodes. Why that is, I don't understand the electro physics of, but I've experienced this myself. And I'm not a fan of fuzz either with any pickups or amp. While I keep an open mind about pedals, I don't think a more sophisticated boutique pedal is always better than a simple three knob Boss pedal. I go by what works for me and my particular setup. A trend I see is as pedalboard amp setups get more popular, with power amps like the Duncan Powerstage line, it only makes sense to use amp-in-a-box pedals with them. My current setup is a Gamma 25 watt combo with various pedals. I get the gain from the amp, which sounds fantastic. I may get a new dirt pedal just to have one more sound which I can run out of the clean channel. The Gamma is a very affordable ($130 ) solid state amp made by Acoustic, and I love it. Fits my budget, and then some. Works great for the classic rock I play. Yes, I can't stand those pretentious vids where they tell us we've been using the Boss Distortion all wrong for the last three decades. It's simple. Turn those three or four knobs until you hear a sound that you like. If you have to take your time and dial it in slowly, that's half the fun of pedals. Rock on.
In 40 years of playing I've hated Fuzz pedals, never cared for them at all so I get it lol. Some people get them to do great things, just not for me either. Straight up overdrive and distortion pedals for me lol.
The loves his wah guy isn't trying to say that you don't understand what a volume gain or tone control does on a simple fuzz face. I think he's referring to the "metal" vs "rock" player mindset. I made the transition from playing a mesa dual rec on 10 for 20 years to only recently replacing the harness in my les paul with 50s wiring setup and playing through lower gain amps and using pedals for gain. I had no way to know about all this stuff pre internet and im grateful we have access to so much info now. In general someone who leans toward heavier musical styles will not be interested in tone and volume controls on their guitar. An example is that it's popular to remove everything but one volume knob on the guitar for heavy stuff. This makes sense for playing heavy music where you want everything on 10. Then there's the "rock" player who is is more interested in the world of "cleans and in betweens" that can be explored with 50's wiring which actually does allow for a wider range of nuance with your volume and tone pots. The fuzz face circuit in particular is a pedal that "rock" and "blues" players use to great effect when pairing it with 50s wiring on their guitars. I'm not here to argue. I'm just trying to hopefully do a better job of communicating.
For me, the best part of being involved in different music-related channels is the diversity of opinion .. As was stated in this video, you don't like fuzz .. Cool .. I do .. Cool .. Some folks like the Mesa Dual Rectumfier some people get a little skiddish around them .. Who am I to judge ..? Although, as a bit of a soldering hobbiest, if no one has trade marked the name "Fuckin Fuzz" I might make that my first build
I’ve been watching for at least a few years and some of my favorite videos you’ve done are on the subject of fuzz. Kinda like this video. People just like to be upset. Maybe you’re plugging the fuzz into the wrong amp. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👌🤪🎸👍 Stay gold.
The 'you just don't know how to use it' is that same shortcut to thinking as 'you must not have watched the video' when someone has a different opinion. Why must I be UNINFORMED or IGNORANT because we disagree? Especially on guitar tone nobody is keeping score it either sounds cool to your ears or it doesn't. I also tend to prefer overdrive and use distortion a lot but fuzz is not something I need so I just don't mess with it much its not something I vibe with for my rig. Then again maybe I just don't know how to use my guitar with all those knobs n switches soo complicated!! (sarcasm alert) Thank you RJ for keeping it unfiltered and sharp edged.
Yeah but I wear sweater in the summer have a man bun and listen to folky alt bands with banjo players that you've never heard of so obviously I know way more about fuzz pedals than you! Gotta love the guys who know it all while simultaneously knowing nothing at all! I want to hear that Jupiter pedal in person it looks interesting!
I like fuzz, you don't. And? If we all liked the same thing, life would be boring AF. I don't like Klon-type pedals or tube screamers, they make my rig sound like the love child of kermit the frog, and Joe Bonamassa. Other players get godly tones from them. Frank Zappa was right, maybe we should all just shut up, and play our guitars.
I can see how fuzz doesn't work with someone's playing style or doesn't fit in a genre but the Big Muff?! You can make it work for anything. You can use that guy for country/western. It's just so accessible. I'm not the U DON KNO HOW 2 USE IT guy you're talking about. I just love the EHX Big Muff. Best pedal of all time. I think it's funny you went off like that. Keep in mind that fuzz tends to attract drug users and they make music that reflects their drugged state e.g. Stoner rock, psychedelic etc
i don;t like fuzz pedals.. never did.. never will .. my first fuzz was my first pedal.. a little big muff.. didn't take me much time to switch to an mxr distortion+..
Some pedals aren't for everyone. I can't get fuzz to sound good either I do find that fuzz sounds better out of specific amps than others. I have a Roland Cube 60 and the fuzz sounds decent out of that, but not out of my Fender Twin Reverb.
I have never been a big fan of fuzz either, man. I am currently running an Ibanez mini tube screamer for overdrive and an Origin Effects Revivaldrive for distortion. I'm not knocking people who use or like fuzz but I play lead for my church band and fuzz just doesn't fit to my ears. I don't think spending hours with one will change my mind either unless it was a fuzz that could be layered with other effects on the same pedal.
I'm not a fan of fuzz, either. I like some "fuzz adjacent" distortion pedals, (aka Rat, HM-2) but I often run another, tighter distortion and/or an overdrive into them, and then maybe even run that into the crunch channel, or clean channel with the gain pushed, on an amp if I have all the gain knobs at 9 o'clock or lower. TBH that's the only way I would use a fuzz, as part of a multiple dirt pedal complex, or as a boost into the front of an amp or into a distortion pedal, with the fuzz also being boosted. [OD > Fuzz > Dist > CleanChannel] or something like [CleanBoost > Fuzz > OD > CrunchChannel/VintageHighGain] is kinda the only way to use them IMO, and it's better to use them for solos or for stoner/doom metal, anyway, which isn't always my thing.
60% of guitar players are elitist snobs, including the guy that argued with me that a Carvin amp couldn't possibly sound as good as a Mesa Boogie, that it just wasn't possible it was my poor ears that were all wrong he said. LOL.
If you only did reviews it'd be okay, i would agree or not. But please never stop ranting and roasting a$$holes' a$$es please. That certainly brightens up my day. Rock on.
It doesn't matter how it's used. Fuzz sounds like shit! I have never heard any fuzz that I liked. Now, having said that, I understand that we're creating a form of art when we make music so it's subjective. Everybody doesn't like the same things . Fuzz pedals just aren't my thing. I would rather hear a good distortion pedal any day but I don't tell people who would rather listen to a clean channel that they prefer that sound because they don't know how to work distortion.
As you said, fuzz is not your thing. I ain't mad at you for that. I hope you do hate on me for having a Fuzz pedal. I own a Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz, which is an unruly sounding monster. It works for some songs in my music. Not mad at you, my guy.
I thought you turned fuzz all the way up and controlled it with your guitar volume? I guess there’s specialized training to be able to do that right . I’m not a fuzz guy either I don’t like it when I use it but I enjoy it when other players do that’s why there’s so many different options . I love chorus so I guess everyone who hates chorus just don’t know what they’re doing huh ?
You must like everything that I do in the same way that I like it! And if you don’t, then you are the problem! Not me! 🥴
Ha ha!! That's right! My opinion is the only one that matters because I never lie and I'm always right.
I agreee that just becase you don't like something does not mean it's not good. Just as just becase you like something does not mean it's good. Diffrent strokes for different folks. Just becase you don't like something does not mean your too dumb to use it. Right on Robert!
I tend to describe my tone as making a big ball of aluminum foil and biting on it, hard. It's not for everyone but it is for me.
Bro that sounds like it would go hand in hand with my wipe your butt with sandpaper bass tone.
Reminds me of how I just don't like the Dual Rectifier series. People always say I don't know how to use it. No, it's just that it doesn't work for me.
100% agree with your comments on this topic. People have become exceptional at being hubris turds 💩. What happened to the sage phrase of “If you don’t have anything good to say, then don’t say anything”???
Not that it matters, but I’m not a fuzz fan either.
I try not to follow the herd, but recently came to a realization where I had been. Amp simulators. I use to listen to everyone “ It’s supposed to sound like a Marshal but not quite there” “ It’s supposed to sound like a Vox” and on and on. I’ve come to realize that maybe if you’re a brand snob and just totally and completely brainwashed towards a certain brand the “Almost but not quite “ might mean something. But it can be considered that maybe no matter how good simulators get they might never get past “Not quite “ because maybe the simulator is sounding like a Marshal but it’s still going through your amp, DAW, computer whatever. At the end of the day should someone like me give a crap? Maybe it’s just another way to change things up like switching from bridge to neck pickups, changing guitars, using a single coil for this a humbucker for that etc. I’m now considering amp simulators as part of my rig. Yes listen to yourself, screw anybody else.
I've never liked fuzz either.
@Robert Jackson I, for one love fuzz. Whether use with guitar or bass, I love it.
But, I fully respect your personal tastes.
Right on, Robert! It only takes me a couple of minutes for me to find a tone i like out of any pedal.
I feel that but there are times when I have dialed in some good tone and left the controls alone then when I go back and mess around with a pedal find more things about it that I like.
I like the fuzz sound of "Spirit in the Sky", though 😊
Never cared for Fuzz either.
it took me almost 25 years to figure out how to not overthink fuzz pedals, now they're my favorite. the Black Arts Pharaoh made that easy. recently got a Joyo Voodoo Octave after seeing your demo, really like it with my Ampeg Micro SVT and Sterling St. Vincent. Thanks!
GET'EM ROBERT!
I’m gettin’ em! LOL
Robert is one of the only guitar gear guys on UA-cam, maybe the only one that does the "twisty knobby thing" that I do with all my pedals to see what they sound like. It's great to hear what the pedal can sound like.
True Story Time: About 20 years ago my friend was at a Jefferson Airplane show up in the Bay Area, The band sounded like crap, the mix was muddy. After the show he noticed one of the sound guys was an old band-mate, so he went over to tell him about the issue. The guy nodded and said, "Yeah, we know, but that's how they like it to sound."
Moral of the Story: You do you, and I'll do me.
same people that go on Glen Frickers channel and ask for clean tones
I think the problem in the guitar world especially online guitar world or a UA-cam guitar world is everybody is a gatekeeper if you don't play a certain way or have a certain tone or you know like a certain guitar player or whatever the case is then you're not a real guitar player. The fact of the matter is there is no standard to each their own what I they like you may not and vice versa there might be some things in the middle we come across that we like but that's the problem when you have an industry that is based completely on opinion everybody seems to think their opinion is fact and out what I'm stating is just my opinion and I'm not stating it as fact just my humble opinion.
"Golden Ear Gate Keepers" They are everywhere!
I completely agree! That’s the only way I’ve ever used pedals or amp for that matter in my 50+ years of playing. Good thing cause I have no idea of how to get to Fuckoffastan. GREAT LINE! Hahaha!
I will say that I hated fuzz because I didn't know how to use it. However, to make that assumption of other people is arrogant.
I will ask people who say they dislike something if they have tried setting the controls the way I like to... but if they have taken the time to try multiple approaches (clean amp, dirty amp, slightly dirty amp, full pedal gain, low gain, mid gain, volume boost from the pedal)... well, it's entirely possible they just dislike that gear.
I haven't had the opportunity to follow Robert like I was able to a few months ago, but this one popped up and I have to comment. Robert's taste in music (he's a huge overdrive guy) and mine (I'm more into cleans, reverb, delay, tape echo, you get the idea) are pretty much polar opposites. I said all that to say this. I commented in one of his Amplifier reviews more than a couple of years ago I needed advice as to the best amplifier (and listed 3 if I recall) to fit my taste. His recommendation was probably the best I've ever received from anyone!!! I not only love the amplifier, I love it so much, I got it's little sister (or brother, pick your preference) as well as it's Keyboard cousin, which I also use for my rare excursions into the bass arena (I'll ask him for his recommendation for a Bass Amplifier when that need arises, because I consider his advice GOLD), and have never been happier. You can agree with what Robert prefers in regard to the sound he strives for or not. You cannot disagree with his knowledge and if you ask the correct questions, he is more than happy to give you his knowledgeable recommendations. He has never steered me wrong. So, please, "never" insult his intelligence by saying he has no idea what he's doing or what he's talking about. The man DOES!!!! Sorry it's been so long since I've caught one of your videos Robert. Please keep them coming!!
All music is subjective to the listener. To imply that an artist is making right or wrong music is pure hubris.
The sound of a certain pedal is just plain subjective to the individual owns ears. If you like it,you like it and if you do not,you do not. Simple as that.
Jeeeeeez Robert went on one at the end and I am here for it!
I’m with you, Robert! I’m so sick of the cork-sniffing and confirmation biased players, who are usually younger kids who think they know everything…..or old guys who play in their basement and have collected vintage and high-end gear but have rarely ever played gigs. Slinging shit is their pastime. I see it constantly. For example….tube amp forums are filled with “you have to use an attenuator with tube amps…..so modelers are way better.” 🙄
Robert, your opinion on fuzz pedals is exactly like my opinion on onions. Many people love them, and that is fine, but I absolutely can't stand them.
People try to reaon with me about how they're great, and that I'm totally wrong. But, they smell like a hippie's armpit to me, and probably taste like it, too, although I have never tasted an armpit.
So, I 100% know how you feel and stand behind you.
Oh, you're totally wrong on onions. They are really tasty if you get the right one. Maybe you're not cooking them properly? Or maybe you just don't understand how to cook with them? Onions are wonderful and you're simply wrong to dislike them. Wrong.
@@humanbeing2420 Spoken like a true tone connoisseur..... or trained chef.😉
Onions are not food. Onions are rot gut. Period.
@@RobertWJackson Preach it, Pastor Robert! That's the gospel truth right there, I tell you what.
@@RobertWJackson I knew there was a reason I liked you.
Fuzz is for players that can’t play rhythm and are scared to play above 150bpm.
cool video. I have been playing guitar since the 70s and will tell you that the rave with vintage fuzz is all revisionist history, in the early 80s when metal and VH started no one gave two craps about Fuzz Faces and germanium fuzz. When I worked in a music store in the late 70s, I could count on one hand how many vintage fuzzes were sold, everyone wanted the lastest BOSS or MXR and not the used Maestro or Fuzz Face collecting dust in the showcase. Of course there were a few like Eric Johnson and later SRV and others that used it very well but that's it, their sound, their style, their ability to play and to tweak knobs and get a great sound is the key, every pedal is not for everybody. I think when the world wide web started and all the information about old recordings got out there everyone started feeling nostalgic (hell I do sometimes too) but it has also given a lot of people what I call Tone Neurosis or Gear Snobbery. Just use what you like that's why there are so many options available, there are some pedals I hate and others love, has nothing to do with your talent. Use what you like smile and make music. Geez.
My favorite ampless rig is a Precision Drive clone into a Joyo Uzi, into an ABY, with one out going to a Turbo Rat, and the other going to a TC Eyemaster, and both of those going into an IR loader that puts them into separate IR's and then sums to a single mono out through a passive DI. Using the same pedalboard to chain the Eyemaster into the Turbo Rat into a hybrid marshalloid lunchbox amp, and then run the other ABY output as a boost into the OD1 channel of a Valvestate as a stereo rig... Sounds SO nasty.
Robert,
I always enjoy a good rant video from you :D I agree that a lot of folks try to portray a difference in musical taste into personal attacks. And I thought about fuzz. I have a good fuzz pedal and I have a lot of fun with it. I suspect the difference in my experience and yours is that when I'm playing with my fuzz pedal, I'm playing music that you don't like. It's not a problem and doesn't mean that you or I suck. Just we like different things.
Robert this is why we love you and watch and subscribe!
I can always dial in the tone I like rather easily. I have my sound, I know how things should be EQ’d because I’ve been using that sound for just about 20 years. It doesn’t matter what I’m using. It’s really not complicated to understand unless youre brand new and know absolutely nothing, but it’s not hard to learn in a short time. Like you said, turn the knobs and listen and you’ll understand what they do and how they effect the sound of things.
Boom! Real talk. Love it.
*INSTRUCTIONS *
Step one: activate switch.
Step two: Strum guitar strings
Step three: Turn knob thingys.
Wash, Rinse, Repeat. Not suitable for those who may be butthurt.😂
Fuzz isn't for everyone; that is true. Likewise, are we really still crapping on Boss pedals in 2024? Boss pedals are the standard of which all stompboxes are measured against... They are built like tanks and sound fantastic. The Waza line, in particular, smashes many boutique pedals out there. I'm a pedal guy myself; I love stomp boxes. However, there also comes a point where you should consider another amplifier. At the end of the day, besides your actual playing, everything begins and ends at the amplifier, whether it be DSP or a real tube amp.
I started playing in the early 80's, in Australia. We had to save up for Boss pedals. These days, I look at new pedals and ask, is it really any better than a Boss, especially for that price. Saying that, there are a few pedals that I will get (EQD Special Cranker, Mad Prof Sweet Honey) , but my fav od is still the SD-1.
@@nitewulf2020 Truth be told, there are tons of excellent stomp boxes nowadays. However, we must also note why many circuits are either derived from a boss or maxon circuit and why they are still found on so many professional guitar player's pedalboards. I would still take the DC-2W over most chorus pedals today, as well. The SD-1 and BD-1 are incredible and just do the "right thing" consistently and reliably.
That is hilarious I can't even believe you have to say that it's a no-brainer😂
Lmao, well said sir.
I never liked FUZZ, as Electronic Engineer in a 1st year i already had a knowledge to make a fuzz, and i did, but i liked Heavy distortions and ''OD''s. I still own a bunch of Germanium transistors and when i see people sell them for extremely high prices, or make '' limited edition from 200 transistor we found ... for only 300-400 $US'' it makes me sick. That is a ripping of people, and lay, i wish that there is law to protect customers against such hypes. Same goes for ''made in'', that lost it's purpose in 60's and in 80's engineers were making jokes about it.
Pedals are simple things, at least usual pedals people use, and i never understood prices and hypes that started 15-20 years ago like ''hand made''. Handmade would meant that you cut metal, make your enclosure manually, get parts make a PCB in an old school way to draw traces with hand, etc and solder it, painted and that is that. even then to sell such pedal for 200$US would be IMHO ripping of people, but it seems that guitarists love that that brands put high prices and use hypes.
The higher the price is, the better hype you use they love it more and glorify it even if it terrible sounding pedal. Well, engineers didn't went to school in order to learn to ripp of people, and real engineers will never do it becouse it's a shameful thing to do.
I love fuzz and I still agree 100% with you LOL....
No Muff Too Tough!
Hahahaaa! I'm not even gonna lie. This is probably one of the best UA-cam vids I've ever seen! 👏🏼💀
I have a love/hate with fuzz (and distortion).
I love the trilling wobbliness and muddiness of fuzz that gives it this crushing heaviness, but I don't like the hairy, sandy texture.
I love the texture of distortion, grainy in lows, smooth in highs, but I hate how they feel castrated compared to fuzz, they don't have that monumental powerful feel to them that fuzz does.
I wanna learn how to blend fuzz and distortion together, how to achieve joining the best of both worlds. Wanna learn how to use a mix of fuzz and distortion. Using an overdrive before to boost them is also a part of that equation and this kind of a use case is the only thing where I'd accept someone saying that someone didn't learn how to utilise fuzz pedals in a way that is usable for things that are outside of stoner/doom/etc. stuff lol cause relatively few people try blending sounds like that and there's legitimately a lot of variables there to explore.
That’s easy. Get a Rat pedal. Best of both worlds.
Same here. I don't like fuzz either.
Doesn't mean I don't know how to use it. That is just silly.
Good video, Robert. Loved this rant. So true.
Coming from an electronic music production standpoint, guitar gear is generally as easy as it comes to dialing in gear. I went from who knows how many knobs per plugin to 3 knobs on a pedal; yet, it's amazing how much more snobbery there is with those 3 knobs then there is when using a plugin with many more knobs. It seems like the simpler a piece of equipment gets, the more people get butthurt when they hear it's not for someone else. lol
Even just in the guitar world, I hear more people being snobbish and diehard about a basic tube amp than I ever hear people being diehard about a more complicated amp modeler, heaven forbid if I use an amp sim.
I get the same thing when it comes to guitars and food. I don't like mustard, deviled eggs, relish, cole slaw... You name it. But someone will say, "you just haven't had the right one." My life is fine without those things, and don't base my tastes or needs on yours, folks.
Exactly. Perfect analogy, my friend.
lol you should have shown a fuzz with one knob just to push the “ oh this is confusing “ for a fuzz pedal. It’s a preference thing, some people don’t like certain effects. Simple as that.
or Black Arts Toneworks Oath fuzz - no knobs
@@rnrsteev , boom there ya go 👍🏼
I absolutely love this video.
Everyone should have their own unique sound …… using the exact same gear at the exact same settings. It’s state law.
Let me add on to my above statement when it comes to gatekeepers it also comes to gear if you don't play seems overly expensive modern gear then you're not a real guitar player or if you don't play overly expensive retro gear You're not a real guitar player I say let people be people let them play what they like let them buy what they like let them use what they like who are we to judge
I caught a whole load of shit online for my guitars and my pedals etc.
The shot went something like " must be nice to have that. I get by without that, isnt that expensive? Why do you have money for that?"
And then insinuations about my character as a Man, a father, a husband and whether or not I will ever be able to reach the moral and ethical level of my accusers.
I am seriously shocked and disgusted.
People have degenerated.
I was raised to understand good manners and social Grace's, some things are out of bounds, over the lines, in the " not you're business" section.
I have a simple rule on pedals. 3 knobs or less and not a panel of knobs on an amp. I don’t like coil taps on pickups . Maybe I’m simple, but simple is how I like it.
Dude, I ALWAYS trust your videos. Of course, we’ll have pedals the you hate and I love And vice Versa. But I've tried a fair number pedals based on your videos, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Thanks especially the Luxe Anti-chorus.
Thanks Bob! The Luxe is still my favorite chorus pedal to date. That thing is awesome.
COMPLAINT - During your opening I had a hell of a time getting clear image of the booger in your left nostril. Please fix this issue in the future
It's spelled "booger"
@@humanbeing2420 Thank you Booger police, fixed it
I hate fuzz!!!
tone and effects are all personal preference, unfortunately the internet gives a voice to every jack wagon with an opinion that believes they are 100% correct and everyone has a right to their opinion. screw em, you're the one who has an active channel and subscriber base. Cheers Brother
Robert, I am SO there with you. I will reach for a fuzz for a very specific retro everything is breaking up sound. It's a cool sound, but 99% of the time I think they sound like mud. I think some people like to lash out when they disagree with someone because they're immature. I was that way too... when I was 15. But I grew up. One of my best friends loves fuzz. I don't. We get along great. He likes vintage frets. I like jumbo frets. It doesn't matter.
Just love you Robert ❤🙏
And ..... btw ..... just love your pronounciation of the word EVER 😅
You just like it tight, Robert. And that's fine. Some of us need something a little looser.
Some people want - "Right here, right now," and that's ok. Some want "I wonder what happens when I turn these knobs?" - and that's ok too. I wouldn't have been able to get my sound out of my Bad Horsie 2 wah if I hadn't messed with it a little. Personally, I'll take it over a Cry Baby any day - but that's my opinion.
The Truman Show style intro is genius! Love it, Robert.
I was lacking Popcorn :(. I dont like fuzz also :)
Hey Robert... Hoping for a Saturday livestream soon!!!
I hate to disappoint you, but it’s probably not gonna happen again anytime soon, my man. My new work schedule has me working Saturdays, and interest in the live streams was waning once again, anyway.
I like fuzz a bit. It’s contextual. For psychedelic and noise rock and even some ambient stuff it’s pretty cool.
This is an OUTRAGE!!!
(not really, I just always wanted to say that.)
I got the Super Weirdo. It’s random fun.
I play EMGs almost exclusively , they work fine with everything somethings better than others. Right now im running EMGs 85/85 and on another guitar EMG 57/66. With a duncan boost, into wampler Euphoria and a way huge Fuzz and a wah into a generic tube amp or a Marshall Origin combo. Its works just fine. I dont get peoples opinions especailly when they dont know what they are talking about, instead just espousing internet Mythology.
Not everybody likes fuzz, it is not a big deal, people like different sounds, that is why there are different things in life.
I love fuzz pedals and could care less if another guitarist hates ‘em.
I dont t care for fuzz. It's not for me. As for twsting knobs, whether on my amp or a pedal I close my eyes . Dont even look at the numbers . I go by what I'm hearing in the room it we orange for me. ✌
The only drive pedals that don't work well with active pups are those with Germaniun diodes. Why that is, I don't understand the electro physics of, but I've experienced this myself. And I'm not a fan of fuzz either with any pickups or amp. While I keep an open mind about pedals, I don't think a more sophisticated boutique pedal is always better than a simple three knob Boss pedal. I go by what works for me and my particular setup. A trend I see is as pedalboard amp setups get more popular, with power amps like the Duncan Powerstage line, it only makes sense to use amp-in-a-box pedals with them. My current setup is a Gamma 25 watt combo with various pedals. I get the gain from the amp, which sounds fantastic. I may get a new dirt pedal just to have one more sound which I can run out of the clean channel. The Gamma is a very affordable ($130 ) solid state amp made by Acoustic, and I love it. Fits my budget, and then some. Works great for the classic rock I play. Yes, I can't stand those pretentious vids where they tell us we've been using the Boss Distortion all wrong for the last three decades. It's simple. Turn those three or four knobs until you hear a sound that you like. If you have to take your time and dial it in slowly, that's half the fun of pedals. Rock on.
In 40 years of playing I've hated Fuzz pedals, never cared for them at all so I get it lol. Some people get them to do great things, just not for me either. Straight up overdrive and distortion pedals for me lol.
Thanks!
You bet! And thanks for the support!
Always had to add another pedal to a fuzz.
The loves his wah guy isn't trying to say that you don't understand what a volume gain or tone control does on a simple fuzz face. I think he's referring to the "metal" vs "rock" player mindset. I made the transition from playing a mesa dual rec on 10 for 20 years to only recently replacing the harness in my les paul with 50s wiring setup and playing through lower gain amps and using pedals for gain. I had no way to know about all this stuff pre internet and im grateful we have access to so much info now.
In general someone who leans toward heavier musical styles will not be interested in tone and volume controls on their guitar. An example is that it's popular to remove everything but one volume knob on the guitar for heavy stuff. This makes sense for playing heavy music where you want everything on 10. Then there's the "rock" player who is is more interested in the world of "cleans and in betweens" that can be explored with 50's wiring which actually does allow for a wider range of nuance with your volume and tone pots. The fuzz face circuit in particular is a pedal that "rock" and "blues" players use to great effect when pairing it with 50s wiring on their guitars. I'm not here to argue. I'm just trying to hopefully do a better job of communicating.
For me, the best part of being involved in different music-related channels is the diversity of opinion .. As was stated in this video, you don't like fuzz .. Cool .. I do .. Cool .. Some folks like the Mesa Dual Rectumfier some people get a little skiddish around them .. Who am I to judge ..? Although, as a bit of a soldering hobbiest, if no one has trade marked the name "Fuckin Fuzz" I might make that my first build
I’ve been watching for at least a few years and some of my favorite videos you’ve done are on the subject of fuzz.
Kinda like this video.
People just like to be upset.
Maybe you’re plugging the fuzz into the wrong amp.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👌🤪🎸👍
Stay gold.
No wonder i cant use my pedals right i had them plugged in backwards???!! Who knew? Or did i turn up the suck knob. Hell shut up and play right?
The 'you just don't know how to use it' is that same shortcut to thinking as 'you must not have watched the video' when someone has a different opinion. Why must I be UNINFORMED or IGNORANT because we disagree? Especially on guitar tone nobody is keeping score it either sounds cool to your ears or it doesn't. I also tend to prefer overdrive and use distortion a lot but fuzz is not something I need so I just don't mess with it much its not something I vibe with for my rig. Then again maybe I just don't know how to use my guitar with all those knobs n switches soo complicated!! (sarcasm alert)
Thank you RJ for keeping it unfiltered and sharp edged.
I too am a fuzz hater. I think it sounds like it's broken and I don't care for that. Why get so bent out of shape over it?
Fuckoffistan - brilliant!
Yeah but I wear sweater in the summer have a man bun and listen to folky alt bands with banjo players that you've never heard of so obviously I know way more about fuzz pedals than you! Gotta love the guys who know it all while simultaneously knowing nothing at all! I want to hear that Jupiter pedal in person it looks interesting!
I like fuzz, you don't. And? If we all liked the same thing, life would be boring AF. I don't like Klon-type pedals or tube screamers, they make my rig sound like the love child of kermit the frog, and Joe Bonamassa. Other players get godly tones from them. Frank Zappa was right, maybe we should all just shut up, and play our guitars.
I can see how fuzz doesn't work with someone's playing style or doesn't fit in a genre but the Big Muff?! You can make it work for anything. You can use that guy for country/western. It's just so accessible.
I'm not the U DON KNO HOW 2 USE IT guy you're talking about. I just love the EHX Big Muff. Best pedal of all time. I think it's funny you went off like that. Keep in mind that fuzz tends to attract drug users and they make music that reflects their drugged state e.g. Stoner rock, psychedelic etc
Great!😂
i don;t like fuzz pedals.. never did.. never will .. my first fuzz was my first pedal.. a little big muff.. didn't take me much time to switch to an mxr distortion+..
I always stick my fuzz pedals first in the chain now after the guitar they ound much better there.
I don't like fuzz pedals too And I know how to turn knobs like you do too :)
Some pedals aren't for everyone. I can't get fuzz to sound good either I do find that fuzz sounds better out of specific amps than others. I have a Roland Cube 60 and the fuzz sounds decent out of that, but not out of my Fender Twin Reverb.
I have never been a big fan of fuzz either, man. I am currently running an Ibanez mini tube screamer for overdrive and an Origin Effects Revivaldrive for distortion. I'm not knocking people who use or like fuzz but I play lead for my church band and fuzz just doesn't fit to my ears. I don't think spending hours with one will change my mind either unless it was a fuzz that could be layered with other effects on the same pedal.
I'm not a fan of fuzz, either. I like some "fuzz adjacent" distortion pedals, (aka Rat, HM-2) but I often run another, tighter distortion and/or an overdrive into them, and then maybe even run that into the crunch channel, or clean channel with the gain pushed, on an amp if I have all the gain knobs at 9 o'clock or lower. TBH that's the only way I would use a fuzz, as part of a multiple dirt pedal complex, or as a boost into the front of an amp or into a distortion pedal, with the fuzz also being boosted. [OD > Fuzz > Dist > CleanChannel] or something like [CleanBoost > Fuzz > OD > CrunchChannel/VintageHighGain] is kinda the only way to use them IMO, and it's better to use them for solos or for stoner/doom metal, anyway, which isn't always my thing.
60% of guitar players are elitist snobs, including the guy that argued with me that a Carvin amp couldn't possibly sound as good as a Mesa Boogie, that it just wasn't possible it was my poor ears that were all wrong he said. LOL.
Do you ever use a clean amp and distortion pedals, if so which are your favorite high gain distortion pedals?
If you only did reviews it'd be okay, i would agree or not. But please never stop ranting and roasting a$$holes' a$$es please. That certainly brightens up my day. Rock on.
#RocketScientistsPlayGuitarToo
It doesn't matter how it's used. Fuzz sounds like shit! I have never heard any fuzz that I liked. Now, having said that, I understand that we're creating a form of art when we make music so it's subjective. Everybody doesn't like the same things . Fuzz pedals just aren't my thing. I would rather hear a good distortion pedal any day but I don't tell people who would rather listen to a clean channel that they prefer that sound because they don't know how to work distortion.
I never liked fuzz , I never will buy or use one , not a hater its just not my jam .....
Robert, Gorilla amps are awesome. You just don't know how to use them.
I had a Gorilla, and I loved irt, but even I'm not brave enough to make that argument😂😂
@@nitewulf2020 lol
Yeah, the GOAT if used as a doorstop. The second you plug it in, you want to stab your eardrums out with an ice pick. 😆
@@IYF_Productions_SL my nephew uses his to prop his feet up while he plays video games
As you said, fuzz is not your thing. I ain't mad at you for that. I hope you do hate on me for having a Fuzz pedal. I own a Behringer SF300 Super Fuzz, which is an unruly sounding monster. It works for some songs in my music. Not mad at you, my guy.
💯👏🤘
If you actually listen to fuzz, it really pisses off your ears!
I thought you turned fuzz all the way up and controlled it with your guitar volume? I guess there’s specialized training to be able to do that right . I’m not a fuzz guy either I don’t like it when I use it but I enjoy it when other players do that’s why there’s so many different options .
I love chorus so I guess everyone who hates chorus just don’t know what they’re doing huh ?
He He..😄