This a except from my Fuzz Guide. If you have in interest in the science, history, devices and use of fuzz check it out.
9 Tips and Tricks to Making a Fuzzier World
1. EQ
EQ is the friend of fuzz and a dedicated EQ unit can do a lot more than a simple tone control. It helps you sculpt the fuzz to the sound how you want. This is especially useful for big aggressive thick fuzz. They can get out of hand quickly so EQ can be used to tame unwieldy fuzz. Scooping out some midrange is a common practice. Also it can be used to clean up any offending harshness in the highs. It you like a ballsy bass fuzz EQ can give your bottom end a big deep kick. For more info on EQ see my guide.
2. Fuzz For All
Fuzz is not just for guitars. Of course a lot of bass players love it but it can add its special character to anything. It is great for synths. A nice fuzzy synth bassline can liven up a track. But fuzz can really be used on anything from drums to vocals so keep an open mind.
3. Good Noize & Bad Noize
Fuzz pedals are noisy but there is some kinds of noize you just don’t want especially when the pedal is off. Fuzz pedals can also “tone suck” even when off. This can be especially true of vintage and fuzz wah pedals. The way to get around this is using a true bypass pedal or modifying one to be true bypass or using a bypass loop. True bypass is really a buzz word in the world of guitar pedals but you shouldn’t get carried away. Each true bypass pedal you patch together is like attaching another length of cable together. And well all know what happens with long runs of cable linked numerous times. You get signal loss that can start to effect your sound. There is nothing wrong with the buffered switching in most modern pedals. It is often a good idea to mix true bypass with some buffered pedals or use a line buffer.
4. Playing Nice With Others
When playing with band members or recording it takes some work getting fuzz to play nice with others. If you are using thick fuzz with octave up or ring modulator sound that sustains forever you run the risk of overpowering the other instruments. Again EQ is your friend and don’t over do the volume. Recording gives you more options to deal with all that fuzz. Not only can you utilize equalization but you can use panning as well to carve out a nice cozy space to move your fuzz into.
5. Too Much of a Good Thing
You may want to wrap yourself up in a thick blanket of fuzz but there is such a thing as to much of a good thing. There are a lot of great tracks that are solid fuzz but that is not always the way to go. The juxtaposition of clean and dirty sounds can be a wonderful thing. Also fuzz kicking in for the chorus can really add a dramatic impact.
6. The Order of Things
The order of effects is important. There is nothing wrong with guitar->fuzz->amp but if your setup is more complicated the order of the effects can really make a big difference. While there are typical orders there is no such thing as the right order. Experiment to see what sounds best. If you are working in the virtual world you can easily try out a lot of different orders and complex routing without having to deal with patch cables.
7. The Sincerest Form of Flattery
If you are looking to emulate someones sound Guitar Geek’s Rig Database is a good place to start. Google is also your friend. Once you find out the artist’s gear remember when you are trying to capture that famous sound the whole signal chain matters including the guitar. Now some of those vintage pedals and other gear is hard to find or just way too expensive for most people but there are usually clones of most famous vintage equipment at a more reasonable price. Most of them sound pretty close and sometimes even better than the original. I believe that you can get close, but exact matches may be impossible. Consider that vintage pedals often used different transistors in the same model and old germanium transistors can vary quite a bit even if it is the exact same part. Plus so much of anyone’s sound is in their fingers and soul. Also be aware sometimes an artist’s gear is modified by themselves or their guitar techs. Also if you are after a sound on a studio album often the sound on the record is different equipment used in the artist’s live setup. A big chuck of the a records sound is due to the things outside the signal chain going from guitar to amp. The effects of a mic and its placement, mixing and even the room it was recorded in have a big effect on the sound. Still with careful research and shopping you can probably can get a satisfying famous tone.
8. Be a Mad Scientist
Copying someone else’s sound is alright but but coming up with your own is even better. Fuzz and all distortion sounds started off as accident. Overworked amps and malfunctions gave us fuzz. Happy accidents and experimentation were how all those great sounds were found in the first place. There are millions of things to try. You could split your signal and send two different fuzz’s to two different amps. You could mix in modulation effects, use radical EQ settings, user a filter, modify your equipment, play through a cheap transistor radio or old beat up speaker, mix clean and fuzz sounds, try weird mic placement and spaces, strange tunings etc., etc. Nothing is out of bounds.
9. Silicon and Germanium
Germanium is kind of a buzz word when it comes to fuzz. The important fact is that the germanium transistors were lower gain the the silicon variety and provide a a less harsh distortion. Many players consider germanium a much more organic sound. Some people prefer germanium and some silicon. Is a matter of preference.
