This selection is a bit of an odd bird
for a couple of reasons. The BaldwinBurns Buzzaround itself is a rare pedal
to begin with and, while most commonly
associated with Robert Fripp, it’s gained
a lot of notoriety in the last several years
as people began reintroducing classic
germanium fuzzes into the marketplace.
The Buzzaround is capable of creating
fantastic tones: It can offer an incredibly
sweet top end but a fairly even-yetmeaty tonality, and has gobs of sustain
on tap. However, in addition to the usual
drawbacks associated with germanium
pedals—susceptibility to temperature
and
power
supply
difficulty—the
Buzzaround derives its sound from three
interdependent controls, so it can be
difficult to dial in the right combination
of settings that will generate enough
output, fuzz and presence to hit that
Fripp-like sweet spot. Enter: The
Musket
from
Blackout
Effectors.
The Musket is actually based on the
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, which also
offers a lot of presence and seemingly
endless sustain, but the fuzz has a
somewhat different character (providing
more distortion and less of a gating
30
TONE TALK //
effect), and the pedal’s EQ signature
isn’t as linear as the Buzzaround’s.
However, the Musket offers a Pre knob,
which essentially boosts the signal into
the fuzz. This, in turn, affects the texture
of the fuzz, bringing it much closer to
the Buzzaround’s character, depending
on the setting. The Musket’s EQ also
allows the user to cut low end, cut and
boost midrange, and dial in that great
top end the Buzzaround offers. This
means murkiness can be dialed out (but
muscle will remain) and thus, you’re left
with access to the extensive charms of
a Buzzaround, while adding much more
ou GWB