Fuzz...

I know guys that have gone through a midlife crisis. Usually not pretty. I remind my wife all the time how lucky she is that my mid life crisis is cheap fuzz pedals for the guitar. She says she knows she is lucky. Bad thing about it is sometimes the fuzz pedal thing is not pretty either. 

Here is a fuzz pedal I could not resist. If you can make out the graphics it's three bears going fishing and is called "Fishing is as Fun as Fuzz." When I saw that name I wanted it and with a little internet shopping I soon found it for 15% off the MSRP and I needed it. I usually limit myself to the cheaper Chinese made pedals but this is made in Japan by a company called Animal Pedals. 

You can shop pedals all day and there is really not much new under the sun since things like this started being made in the mid 60s or so. So while it's possible to make things to get really far out unusual sounds most pedals are tried and true copies of existing circuits that work well and sound musical in a varity of settings. This pedal is a copy of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff fuzz circuit. There have been a lot of different Big Muff desigins since the late 60s early 70s and this is more specifically a copy of what is known as the Russian made Civil War Big Muff of the early 90s. It was called that because it came in grey or blue enclosures. 

You have heard this circuit's sound. It's the fuzz used on Pink Floyd's Division Bell album by guitarist David Gilmour, a deadicated Big Muff user. It's used on the early albums by low fi blues rockers the Black Keys and the noise rock/no wave/experimental band Sonic Youth.    

It's not the only fuzz pedal I have but it's a favorite right now. Please, have a crisis, get a fuzz pedal. Get it now.