I know you cats have been through this......

I've been an overdrive and boost sorta guy ever since I traded my fuzzy blue Foxx Tone Machine back when Disco was King ( big mistake- bygones... ). Somewhere along the way I mistakenly got the idea that fuzz was a toy, a novelty.

Oops, wrong button...

Anyway, to continue...

I recently got a '69 fuzz and like it and USE it a lot more than I would have thought.

Still, the raves for the London intrigue me.


I'm curious about previous comments about the London not cleaning up, disadvantages of no bias and contour, output, etc. Forget Fuzz Face authenticity. Talk to me about pure tone and practicality. (You too, Carl. Peace.)

Thanks in adance.

Hmmm.you might be on to somehting there-- I hadnt heard about the London Fuzz not cleaning up like a real face----Troy was saying it sounds different than others and more like 'the recorded fuzz sound (paraphrase),,, maybe thats it it sounds like killer fuzz ALL the time instead of just at the sweet spot on a face----- I dont own one havent even tried one, but food for speculation........ Troy what say you??? whats it sound like at low volume????? 'Curiouser and curiouser'

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Originally posted by Donner:
Hmmm.you might be on to somehting there-- I hadnt heard about the London Fuzz not cleaning up like a real face----Troy was saying it sounds different than others and more like 'the recorded fuzz sound (paraphrase),,, maybe thats it it sounds like killer fuzz ALL the time instead of just at the sweet spot on a face----- I dont own one havent even tried one, but food for speculation........ Troy what say you??? whats it sound like at low volume????? 'Curiouser and curiouser'

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Donner, The London Fuzz cleans up extremely well. It sounds just like a slightly overdriven amp then when you max it, boom, unbelievable FAT TONE. It has more gain than a '69 and it is SMOOOOOTHer. The two knobs fuzz and volume do a lot for this fuzz vs. the Fulltone "Bias & Contour" which to me, are not neccessary in comparison to the LF.

The London Fuzz is the best Fuzz Face clone I've ever heard period. It is the Hendrix tone! It will be a permanent fixture in my setup for sure! The search IS OVER!!!

www.troytbluestrio.com

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Originally posted by Corleone:
Oops, wrong button...

Anyway, to continue...

I recently got a '69 fuzz and like it and USE it a lot more than I would have thought.

Still, the raves for the London intrigue me.


I'm curious about previous comments about the London not cleaning up, disadvantages of no bias and contour, output, etc. Forget Fuzz Face authenticity. Talk to me about pure tone and practicality. (You too, Carl. Peace.)

Thanks in adance.

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I'm going by what Eric B reported and I trust his ear.
I never tried one nor do I feel the need to.

thanks for the quick turnaround Troy (hey is your bassist related to you?? like the site)........I see your playing a strainght strat---with your guitar on 10 and your LF on and at great fuzz setting, does it go to complete clean down about 5 or so or does it still have some low grade break up,,,, does it ever go 'crystal cleaner than clean' like the FFaces---- but this would be better for people who dont want it to clean up totally (gritty rhythym to overthe top as opposed to clean and overthe top),, a useful difference of opinion.........also if its truly a current bias control that would seem to be useful on a germanium circuit as we have typed ad nauseum about heat/time/age effecting Germaniums.....

Hey Carl, this might sound weird but you might not totally want to go with I said! Hey , if every one and his brother loves the thing but me, maybe you'd love it too! I only owned 1 London Fuzz and for all I know each sounds different.. I don't know how consistent transisters are.. You probably know more about that. As for the cleaning up part, No the London Fuzz does NOT clean up like the Fulltone 69 I own, nor anything like the Axis Research Fuzz Faze I own, or Rangemasters,etc. In fact it didn't clean up well. Maybe it was just mine? It sounded great for warm smooth creamy fuzz leads with 1 or 2 of my dozen amps. It wouldn't have worked out in my bands as it was too warm. It's one of those deals where I would have to completely alter my amp settings to accomodate the pedal. If it cleaned up like the Axis Research and 69 after that I would've kept it, but nah. It had 1 great sound and that's with the fuzz cranked all the way. Some people are mentioning liking it's od sounds when the fuzz isn't cranked but that did nothing for me at all. Once again, it's definitely a matter of opinion and what people have compared it too. The Fulltone 69 doesn't have much fuzz but has the tweaks necessary in a fuzz pedal, and the Axis Research is a good deal better........The only thing I've found with all the fuzzes I've owned is that they can be noisy, but that's the nature of the beast I guess........Man I just thought of the old SNL skit Point /Counterpoint with the "Jane you Ignorant Slut" bit.. My post was sort of like that. ERIC

Sorry to seem ignorant, but why would you want to have your fuzz clean up with the volume turned down? I always play with my volume knob cranked to get the most out of the pickups, and if I was always changing my volume to play clean parts then add volume to fuzz things up, how would I get a good mix through a PA without driving the soundman crazy? I always hear that the best fuzzes are the ones that clean up, but why is that a factor?

Well there is a special clean sound you can get from a germ/sili pedal on clean that sounds better than clean or 'cleaner than clean'- more headroom approaching 3D....and being able to go from that to Foxey lady fuzz just with your volume control is appealing for some-----------BUT being able to maintain your basic Fuzz tone at a lower volume is useful to others....just depends on what you want-----------and why we ask.....

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Originally posted by competitionblue:
Sorry to seem ignorant, but why would you want to have your fuzz clean up with the volume turned down? I always play with my volume knob cranked to get the most out of the pickups, and if I was always changing my volume to play clean parts then add volume to fuzz things up, how would I get a good mix through a PA without driving the soundman crazy? I always hear that the best fuzzes are the ones that clean up, but why is that a factor?

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Two basic reasons: dynamics and gain/saturation.

Unless you are playing an extremely agressive style of music that has one volume level, you'll more likely drive your audience crazy without proper use of dynamics to emphasize certain sections of your music. Sound techs love players that handle dynamics from the stage as long as volume is reasonable; less work for the tech.

Your volume knob on your guitar contains different tonal shades and subtle nuances from 0-10 that can be used to your advantage, same with the tone knob. For instance, you could play the verse at 6, the chorus at 8, and your lead at 10. Sure, you can pre-set pedals for different levels but it can sound like you're playing a bunch of pedals. The results are often more musical and natural sounding when gain and dynamics are controlled from the guitar.

Spontaneity is also a consideration. Have you ever played a rhythm, got inspired to fire off a quick lead passage, but forfeited because you didn't have time to stomp a pedal? Adept knob twiddlers have every shade of rage they need right there at the guitar. Not that he's a big fuzzbox user, but Eddie Van Halen comes to mind as a master of controlling dynamics and gain level from the guitar.

No need to apologize for your question; The folks that learn are the ones that ask questions, not necessarily the ones that have all the answers.

well,

i've never used or heard an original except for a few Duane Allman, Hendrix records. But i did have a '69 pedal. I also played a Germanium london Fuzz and that sucker was nice. the '69 was more frizzy sounding, whereas the London Fuzz was more thick and juicy. loved its mojo

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ericb:
[B]Hey Carl, this might sound weird but you might not totally want to go with I said! Hey , if every one and his brother loves the thing but me, maybe you'd love it too! I only owned 1 London Fuzz and for all I know each sounds different.. I don't know how consistent transisters are.. You probably know more about that. As for the cleaning up part, No the London Fuzz does NOT clean up like the Fulltone 69 I own, nor anything like the Axis Research Fuzz Faze I own, or Rangemasters,etc. In fact it didn't clean up well.

That does it for me. If I need fuzzes that don't clean up, I can get any of Roger Mayer's. I also saw a post by Analog Mike about the MJM, which I took into account.
The whole beauty of a germanium fuzz is the ability to work off your guitar's volume knob. If the fuzz don't clean up, what good is it? Like a Big Muff...useless to me.

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Originally posted by competitionblue:
Sorry to seem ignorant, but why would you want to have your fuzz clean up with the volume turned down? I always play with my volume knob cranked to get the most out of the pickups, and if I was always changing my volume to play clean parts then add volume to fuzz things up, how would I get a good mix through a PA without driving the soundman crazy? I always hear that the best fuzzes are the ones that clean up, but why is that a factor?

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Listen to Jimi at Monterey Pop Festival, specifically Like a Rolling Stone....it's a beutiful thing.

Carl nailed it. Like A Rolling Stone from Monterey is one great example of a Germ. fuzz and how it works properly. Monterey in general is one of my favs for fuzz inspiration!

I've had my London for almost a year now and I love the fatness I get from it. I haven't had a problem with cleaning it up with singles(Kinman's) but I have with humbuckers. Michael is a great guy to deal with ask him about it and I know he has a money back guarrantee. Good Luck.

The London Fuzz cleans up perfectly just like a Fuzz Face should period! Unbelievable tone and fatness.

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Originally posted by Troy T. Blues:
The London Fuzz cleans up perfectly just like a Fuzz Face should period! Unbelievable tone and fatness.

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Well, does it or doesn't it? or are they that inconsistant?

I guess everyone who has'nt tried the LOndon Fuzz should just go and try one. I mean it has a money back guaranty right? So you got nothing to lose except maybe a shipping bill.

sounds like a difference of description--- one is talking about it going from Fuzz to CLEAN---other is describing it cleaning up as going from fuzz to less fuzzy ....

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Originally posted by Carl:
Well, does it or doesn't it? or are they that inconsistant?

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It cleans up perfectly......They are NOT inconsistent. I don't know where this myth all started from??? All I can say is some people hear/don't hear certain things (wrong interpretation) and then it gets spread around like a disease. The vast majority will tell you that it cleans up great and and that is the finest Fuzz Face clone out there.