Navigating the world of guitar pedals - The FUZZ pedal.
Hi Everybody! Let's check out the well-known Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi reissue and the Fuzz pedal in the new Fender Hammertone series. The Big Muff is famous for its characteristic sound that inspired artists like David Gilmour who used it on the Pink Floyd albums “Animals,” and "The Wall," where you can find it shining in the iconic solo of the song “Comfortably Numb.” Over the years, it became a trademark for bands like Mudhoney, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Dinosaur Jr..
How does it sound in comparison with the similarly priced Fender Hammertone fuzz pedal that was released in early 2022?
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi reissue and Fender Hammertone Fuzz
Electro-Harmonix's Big Muff Pi was first produced in the early 70s and has been reissued since the 2000s. (This is the NYC version). The original Pi was one of EHX's best-selling pedals throughout the 70s, quickly landing on the pedalboards of legendary guitarists such as David Gilmour, Carlos Santana, and Frank Zappa for its distinctive and sustained, warm fuzz tone. It remained a huge hit throughout the 80s and when EHX was closed for business for a few years, competing companies started cloning it. Since EHX's return to business in the 90s, the pedal has had many incarnations.
The Hammertone series is the new Fender pedal series consisting of 9 pedals that was introduced at the beginning of 2022. The series was designed by Stan Cotey known as the Fender sound-guru who also designed the previous 2018 and 2019 Fender pedal series. The Hammertone series is oriented toward both beginners and professionals: the components inside are of a high quality and the design is very intuitive and solid.
Both pedals are quite simple to use and have 3 main knobs. The Big Muff has: volume, tone and sustain, which adjusts sustain and distortion levels. The Hammertone fuzz has: tone, fuzz and level, which sets the output volume. It also has a toggle switch that turns on an octave-up blended into the mix.
As of 2022, both pedals enjoy a fairly agreeable/affordable price-tag, with the Hammertone happily staying below the $100 mark.
Check out the sound demos in our video above to hear the differences between the two pedals.
Big Muff Pi and Hammertone Fuzz tonal differences
Summed up, the gain on the Big Muff is higher than the gain on the Hammertone Fuzz. The sound tends to get bigger and more scooped on the mids. The Big Muff has its unique character for sure. I love the sustain and the warm and smooth sound of the pedal in the last sound test of the video.
The tone on the Fender Fuzz is more crystal and I love the sound of the pedal when the fuzz knob is on a lower level.
I found the Hammertone's extra feature, the Octave switch, interesting and in some situations it reminds me of the iconic Fender Tone Bender… it isn’t an every day sound of course, but the effects are interesting.
I’d recommend the Big Muff if you are looking for a powerful fuzz that can be smooth and aggressive at the same time. On the other hand, I’d recommend the Hammertone Fuzz if you are looking for a less high gain fuzz that is still aggressive, and less scooped on the mids.
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