vintageHIWATTconvention.com

So, I recently switched my Hiwatt ... for another Hiwatt! I got it from parker_knoll who was generous enough to sell it to me. My 'old' one was a '74 DR103 and the cab had '231 speakers. My 'new' one is from early '70 I guess (the pots inside date to '69) and I run '142 speakers now. It's one of the early models with more preamp gain going on and a darker tone overall.

Anyway, my old amp took pedals very differently than the new one and I'm looking for a fuzz to match it. I currently have a Tonebender mk3 clone and a Muff triangle clone. I really prefer the Tonebender as the Muff sounds very muddy. The problem with the Tonebender is that it doesn't work well with other (boost/drive) pedals in front and doesn't react well with the vol. pot on the guitar. It also doesn't sound as good as it did with my '74 ... actually, it never sounded good with any amp that wasn't totally clean.

I was thinking that maybe I should try a pedal similar to PT's fuzz (univox superfuzz?), since his amp wasn't totally clean as well and it did clean up with the volume pot well (I remember from their records, not sure which song). I'd really like to go the DIY route but am open to other suggestions as well. I have to try a Swollen pickle fuzz too, I've heard good things about them.

The Superfuzz is a classic, but not all things to all people. There are SO many fuzzes out there right now, it's hard to even hear them all, and most online clips are done with a clean amp setting.

--mark

Supposedly these Wattson pedals are like the model Townshend played. I plan on getting one, but the Catalinbread Echorec was just too tempting...

http://proguitarshop.com/wattson-classi ... -fuzz.html

I've got a Wattson classic fuzz, and it absolutely nails the Live at Leeds tone when run through my Collings 290.

i've played all sorts of fuzzers thru my HITONE DR103 and DRF loaded HITONE 412 cab. most all sounded ace with the amp set to clean or just on the verge of breakup, and only a handful sound good with the amp set D I R T Y here's my .02....

fuzz face inspired circuits i feel tend to get along well with overdriven HIWATT's. i have a few different two transistor pedals of both Silicon and Germanium nature that sound HUGE with the 103. MKI.5 Tonebender's tend to have a bit more mid's than a standard Fuzz Face. thru a dark dirty amp, I.5's are pretty killer. MKII Tonebenders seem to do better with a clean or slightly dirty set amp. as of right now, my signal chain is as follows:

Gretsch BST 1000 > Jerms MKI Tonebender > Creepy Fingers Zonk Machine > Emanating Fist Dope Priest > Emanating Fist Black Acid > D*A*M Sonic Titan > Basic Audio Si Full-Range (rangemaster) Boost > D*A*M Super Bee > HITONE DR103 w/DRF 412

the amp is set pretty heavy - not too bright but not overly dark and muddy. sounds good and crunchy w/o any pedals on and the guitar volume backed off.

the Super Fuzz is a mean mother flocker. so many variants out there (watson, creepy fingers, original Univox, Shin Ei, etc...) with some being better than others. from my personal experience, the Creepy Fingers Harakiri is a MONSTER. superb in every way. if you find an old Shine Ei Fuzz-Wah, they're a wah / Superfuzz combo with the Fuzz being totally independent (able to run on it's own w/o the wah on) and sound great. a few people i know have had both good and bad experiences with the watson's. i've not played one, only heard second hand the good and bad. the original Univox units (orange and blue, grey and black) are super sexy looking but vary, with some sounding HUGE and others a bit lacking. i think Doc picked up an original orange n blue unit. maybe he'll chime in.

i've a few demo vid's of fuzz a plenty on youtube. the majority running thru my HITONE DR103.
check em out here - http://www.youtube.com/user/dacod77

ok enough rant. fuzz is evil. fuzz is loud. fuzz is fun ESPECIALLY when running that sh*t thru a HIWATT. crank it and go.

Wow, thanks for the replies, very useful info here.

So I listened to some clips of the Superfuzz and from what I've heard I'm not really convinced ... I don't know, I still have that Tonebender sound in my head!

guitar_tod77 I see you really tried lots of pedals and I'm willing to give the mk1.5 a try. Can you tell me more about it, especially if it works well with other pedals (for example a treble booster in front of it). Or do you think a fuzz face might be better for this?

Btw, if you know a place that sells PCBs/kits for the mk1.5 that'd be great ... I couldn't find anything.

FWIW i think this might be my old 1.5, or one from the same batch.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140908195333?ss ... 1423.l2649

cost is less than i paid new. killer builder. killer pedal. nuff said