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I try my DOD Classic Fuzz
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As I stated earlier, I liked the FX52's nasty tone. So I used it that very night for a lead on a tune I was working on.
I hooked it up with my POD, and selected the Blackface amp setting. The song was in the key of E, so I was playing around the 12th fret and higher. The notes rang out with a stinging sustain, which was a nice change from the warmer tones I normally get from my various BOSS overdrive pedals. I got an even more intense sound when I put the pedal after my FZ-2 in the "Gain" mode.
I tried some other amp settings and found that the sound changed noticeably with each amp. It seemed as though the pedal retains some of the amp's original tonal characteristics.
I put down a solo, and decided to add a rhythm line. That's when I got a surprise. The further down the fretboard I went, the worse notes were choked off. Very perplexing indeed! This did not happen in the store. So I tried various POD settings and was dismayed that this was the norm for a few of the amp settings. Curiously enough, I found that the FX52 worked wonderfully over the entire fretboard in the Tube Preamp setting.
The next day, I was a bit curious so I turned on my Princeton (tube) amp, grabbed the Strat and plugged in the FX52.
Yeah! I pretty much duplicated the results I got in the music store. Man, this pedal sings around the higher notes.
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The moral of this story is that the FX52 does not play well with all amps. However, when it finds an amp it likes, the results are a lot of fun.
I did not stop there. I took out my BOSS HyperFuzz FZ-2 and checked out both of its Fuzz modes.
Now we all know that tone is in the ear of the beholder (as in the guy holding the pick),
but I really did not like either of the FZ-2's fuzzes. In fact, the higher up I went on the fretboard, the more "digital" the sound became. I had to check to ensure I hadn't
plugged in a pitch shifter or French Toast.
For all my talk about "nastiness", the FX52 has a much more "musical" sustain to its notes,
at least when played through a real tube amp.
I didn't stop there. Out came the BOSS DS-1 Distortion.
I had to crank the DIST control all the way up before I could come close to matching the
FX52's sound. Although it was far superior to the HyperFuzz,
the DS-1 just didn't have the same "kick" as the DOD pedal. It sounded thin.
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I would have tested more pedals in this impromptu shootout, but my ears were beginning to bleed. Of course,
keep in mind that I was using a Strat (single coil pickups) through a vintage Fender amp. Results can vary with other equipment.
Maybe I should shop around for a fully functioning Classic Fuzz?
August 9/03 Update! It's a miracle! Partially due to updating this page, I pulled out the FX 25
a few minutes ago as I was testing out the FX 51 Juice Box (see A Juicy Fruit). I had gone through so many pedals
that I didn't give it a second thought as I pressed the Classic's foot switch, and the pedal turned itself off. Holy Moley!
I tried a few more times, and somehow, the pedal's footswitch is functional. Huh? I haven't tried the pedal in many a month, so maybe that thin coating dust had healing properties?
It doesn't matter, I'm just glad the pedal is whole!
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Comments? Questions? I don't have all the answers, but I like to get email!
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