The Tone Bender MKII is one of my favorite
fuzzes: it’s rich and thick, and has a signature
clipping sound that pinches the attack,
leaving a lot of body without sacrificing
actual top end. Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page
are both famous for using this pedal. I’m a
big fan of SolidGoldFX, and its Rosie (so
named for lyrics from Led Zeppelin’s “How
Many More Times”), a silicon take on the
germanium MKII, is a great example of why.
Rosie’s tone is present and deep—there’s
a surprising amount of air for a fuzz so
thick—just like an original MKII. The Rosie
also can handle complex chords incredibly
well. Most importantly, of course, it nails
the MKII’s fuzz character and, like the
Pollinator, the Rosie has a Bias knob to
dial in just the right amount of clipping to
suit your rig. As does the Pollinator, Rosie
offers a lot of output and a nine-volt tap,
two things you won’t get with an original.
Finally SolidGoldFX also includes a toggle
that cuts bass. Why anyone would cut the
rich, thick low end the Rosie offers, I don’t
know, but it never hurts to have options.
The Roland-made Fuzz Master was an
update on the Super Fuzz (built for Univox),
a fuzz with some similarities to the Fuzz
Rite but with distinct octave overtones.
Pete Townshend, surprisingly, used it live
as a pretty standard distortion pedal for
the better part of 10 years. You can hear
it in the unusual, granulated break up
on, say, Live at Leeds, but once you hear
one in full effect, you realize it’s been
used by many, including Dinosaur Jr.,
Mudhoney and Queens of the Stone Age.
Earthquaker Devices (EQD) has built its own
version of the Fuzz Master, and it delivers
in spades. EQD has added a Tone control
to the Fuzz and Output controls, and a
third voicing on a toggle, in addition to the
traditional dual voiced switch. The toggle
impacts the compression characteristics
and amount of octave and ring tone effect
the pedal offers—the settings are effective
in their differences but remain true to
the original effect. There’s some change
in levels between settings, but EQD has
you covered with an incredible amount of
output. Top-mounted jacks are offered, so
there’s more room on your pedal board—
maybe for some of the other fuzzes
mentioned above?
ToneReport.com
29