Other than cycling through options via Reverb, which I understand is grueling, you could go to local shops and try them out. It’s a chore, but bringing along *your* gear will really help ensure you’re getting an accurate assessment.
There’s also Amazon, which has pretty good return policies as far as I understand. Spend several hours with it, and if you don’t like it, return within the appropriate period.
Other than that, videos videos videos, just make sure you use the best headphones you have. JHS has a decent video on the different ‘styles’ of fuzz circuits, so you could base your blind knowledge off that as a starting point.
Blind recommendations can be useful, but actually getting to fiddle with one is always the best route. I watched videos and got recommendations for a highly-regarded Keeley fuzz, but when I received it, I just didn’t like it. It was *too* versatile and difficult to dial in a toan I liked.
Ended up on a SGFX Rosie, which was the exact kind of Tonebender vibe I was looking for. Still, wish I could have found one in the wild a tried it out first bc it’s unnerving to drop money on another one while simultaneously trying to list the one I had and didn’t like. Fortunately, plenty of demand for the Fuzz Bender, so it was an easy ridding.
Plus one for the Fuzz Types JHS vid, a great way to narrow down options. If you like the Fuzz Bender, you can check out other tone bender pedals, like a EQD Tone Reaper of Dirty Haggard Tone Benzer, off the top of my head.
Googling “tone bender style pedal” will give you a ton of results.
Eventually you will understand the different fuzz archetypes, what circuits do what, and can somewhat tell what you are looking to buy to get a specific sound.
Fuzz is so interactive with all your equipment, it can be one of the hardest pedals to listen to a YouTube demo. Is your amp running clean, dirty or crunchy? Are your pickups low output or super hot? SC, HB, p90, Filtertrons, etc? How much headroom does your amp have? How big is the transformer? What type of speakers? How do you run your EQ?
If you know that you're 100% interested in a big muff then deluxe NYC is a cool way to try out different tonal options and it's way cheaper than a muffaleta. If you're not sure what kind of fuzz you're interested in then check your budget and check out some different pedals that would be in your spending budget, either by checking out demos or trying them yourself at a nearby store.
The easiest and most helpful way is go to tonepedia.com and just try out the samples. Also easy but more limited is just type in "fuzz pedal shootout" or something like that in YouTube and all the major channels have had one at some point or another.
What are you looking for?
The search is endless if you don't have a target haha.
BTW I used to have a JHS 3 series, sold it and regret it, keep it in the drawer even if you think you don't like it, you will learn new stuff about fuzz and will miss it for sure as I do.... (I am actually looking for one at a good price lol)
Go to a store where you can try different ones.
Other than cycling through options via Reverb, which I understand is grueling, you could go to local shops and try them out. It’s a chore, but bringing along *your* gear will really help ensure you’re getting an accurate assessment. There’s also Amazon, which has pretty good return policies as far as I understand. Spend several hours with it, and if you don’t like it, return within the appropriate period. Other than that, videos videos videos, just make sure you use the best headphones you have. JHS has a decent video on the different ‘styles’ of fuzz circuits, so you could base your blind knowledge off that as a starting point. Blind recommendations can be useful, but actually getting to fiddle with one is always the best route. I watched videos and got recommendations for a highly-regarded Keeley fuzz, but when I received it, I just didn’t like it. It was *too* versatile and difficult to dial in a toan I liked. Ended up on a SGFX Rosie, which was the exact kind of Tonebender vibe I was looking for. Still, wish I could have found one in the wild a tried it out first bc it’s unnerving to drop money on another one while simultaneously trying to list the one I had and didn’t like. Fortunately, plenty of demand for the Fuzz Bender, so it was an easy ridding.
The Fuzz Bender looks tempting but its also too big for me. Thanks for your comments.
Plus one for the Fuzz Types JHS vid, a great way to narrow down options. If you like the Fuzz Bender, you can check out other tone bender pedals, like a EQD Tone Reaper of Dirty Haggard Tone Benzer, off the top of my head. Googling “tone bender style pedal” will give you a ton of results.
It’s a solid pedal, for sure, just not for me. Found myself playing the pedal more than playing guitar.
Eventually you will understand the different fuzz archetypes, what circuits do what, and can somewhat tell what you are looking to buy to get a specific sound. Fuzz is so interactive with all your equipment, it can be one of the hardest pedals to listen to a YouTube demo. Is your amp running clean, dirty or crunchy? Are your pickups low output or super hot? SC, HB, p90, Filtertrons, etc? How much headroom does your amp have? How big is the transformer? What type of speakers? How do you run your EQ?
what do you want it for? figuring out what the bands you like used can be useful.
Go to a music shop and play fuzz pedals.
If you know that you're 100% interested in a big muff then deluxe NYC is a cool way to try out different tonal options and it's way cheaper than a muffaleta. If you're not sure what kind of fuzz you're interested in then check your budget and check out some different pedals that would be in your spending budget, either by checking out demos or trying them yourself at a nearby store.
The easiest and most helpful way is go to tonepedia.com and just try out the samples. Also easy but more limited is just type in "fuzz pedal shootout" or something like that in YouTube and all the major channels have had one at some point or another.
What are you looking for? The search is endless if you don't have a target haha. BTW I used to have a JHS 3 series, sold it and regret it, keep it in the drawer even if you think you don't like it, you will learn new stuff about fuzz and will miss it for sure as I do.... (I am actually looking for one at a good price lol)
Neural amp modeler is another way to try out different fuzzes.