Update from the soggy North-
I have acquired 5 Zvex pedals in the last few months- have some opinions I thought I'd relate-
these came up several times in LGS convo, and unfortunately, they (old ZVex himself ) didn't matierialize for the do...
Thought I'd share my impressions of what I've learned...
hope you like...
1.WahProbe-My favorite-permanent addition to my rig-favorite action of any wah I've tried-Has a built in overdrive directly implanted from the SHO ( SuperHardOn ) the drive is kewl in moderation , usably boosting leads to a stand out level-confuse the audience with yer invisible wah pedal-"What the hell is he doing with that foot!?" -I play it mostly with the boost almost all the way down-this way you can leave it on ( it does slightly color yer amptone, but you can adjust the zero level)-then just shake a leg over it, & enjoy-WOW ! ! !
2.the MACHINE-Sounds TERRIBLE,but in a charming way-doesn't matter what you plug into it, sounds like a radio broadcast from another epoch-the opposite of alchemy, "turns gold into cr@p"-BRILLIANT!-the 1st box in my pedal chain ( ZV say's it needs clean/direct guitar input ), & 2nd personal favorite-using it every day. I love this for intros/outros, and other diversions-single note leads writhe and twist-this is a lo-fi effect, and as safe & tasteful as indoor fireworks-you've been warned!
3.Wooly Mammoth-Also very popular at my studio, my bass player loves this thing, and uses it all the time now- ( bar-steward!) Clean boost is very musical, and the drive is very useful in multiple settings-Pinch does crazy zipper/bass syth sounds that entertain for hours!-highly recommended regardless of price-a very musical box. ZVex says it was designed for use with bass, but he sells more of 'em to guitar players-I can see why-keeps the bottom end intact, and sounds like no other fuzz anywhere at any price.
4.Fuzz Probe-bizarre crowd tormentor, punish your band, more offensive than trapped wind in a 2 man elevator-dangerous at all volumes, much less onstage...Very kewl novelty noise maker. Novelty is a key word here-don't get me wrong-it's fun, but being old school/no presets, you have to get down on the floor to warp sounds while playing, and the knob setup is viewable only from the front-I wouldn't start blindly twiddling knobs on this thing while at house levels-minute changes can go completely crazy-ape bonkers, and it can be difficult/impossible finding that last functional sound after going too far.
5.Fuzzfactory-Less frills, set-&-forget version of the FuzzProbe-hard to go back to after Probe exposure, but still very entertaining-least charming of the lot.Also does good things for bass. Maybe the onboard "muse" treatment would make this more fun- annoying to spend so much time on the floor twiddling knobs to 'play' this pedal-on/off doesn't do this circuit justice.
As stated I'm using the Machine/Wahprobe in my live rig-direct into my Triaxis, and it sounds great! ( to me,anyway...) I play extreme detuned death metal, and these pedals are animated additions to my everyday sound. Love 'em!
The other fuzz devices are less useful for metal guitar sounds, and actually better suit playing through clean amp channels-I would love to feed these into a Wolftone, or MatAmp rig(screaming low-watt tube monsters)-This way they sound very nice, but again, it doesn't matter what you plug into them it'll sound like these boxes on the other side...-they do not create deathmetal distortions. Great for Rock/Stoner/BlueCheer style "amokracy",though.
They are all rather spendy, but charming handmade sounds, well worth it for some, and noveties for others-
Try before you buy, if possible, but note that these boxes are very collectible, and you can often get ALL your money out in resale, as the demand exceeds availibility-
I really want a Nano amp-to wear around my neck as jewelry-or as a belt buckle-yeah, to shred through, too, hehehe...
too bad ZV doesn't make 'em in black & red... YET.
Really insanely fun BOXES-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED -curious to hear experiences of others with these devices...
regards from Drac
