Why Is a Fuzz Pedal Good for Doom Metal?
There are currently hundreds of fuzz and distortion products on the market intended for a variety of different purposes. A fuzz box can sound jazzy, metal, garagey, or just weird. Some have an octave effect, giving your tone an expansive quality that becomes apparent with bends and high notes. So which pedal is the best for doom metal? It depends on your equipment, style, and taste.
What Is Fuzz?
At first, the world of fuzz effects can seem confusing, but fuzz is actually one of the easiest guitar effects to understand. All that happens to your signal is a simple“clipping” that makes a square waveform.
Visualization
At a micro level, there’s a lot more that goes into it, but the best pedals seem to come from companies with knowledgeable engineers, plenty of money, and plenty of experience. Some designers make products with a clear end goal, and others make them with a more exploratory mindset. You can sometimes tell from a pedal’s exterior art (or lack thereof) what the creators had in mind. Don’t let appearances fool you, though. You should never judge a book by its cover.
Why Are Fuzz Pedals Even Necessary?
The pioneers of metal like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath liked to push their guitars and amps to the limits. They quickly learned that the distortion gained from simply cranking a volume dial paled in comparison to the sound they could get from using an external modifier like a dedicated preamp or a treble booster. As distortion technology developed, they simply incorporated fuzz pedals and dedicated amps for all of their distortion needs.
Today, there’s no longer any need to get creative with clean amplifiers. Even companies that once exclusively sold clean amps now feature plenty of gain in most of their product lines. Amp distortion, however, can be limiting. Most high gain channels sound distinctly different from simpler fuzz effects. Some amps sound great for Lamb-of-god-style riffing or Meshuggah djentwork but terrible for slower, more methodical doom.
Pedals add versatility to your gear setup. If you love your amp distortion on its own, that’s great, but arrangements or parts often benefit from even higher gain. When you add a fuzzbox to your pedalboard, you are essentially doing what Tony Iommi and Jimmy Page were doing in the sixties. You’re exploring tonal possibilities only achievable by pushing the limits.
What Sounds Are Best for Doom or Stoner Music?
When it comes to heavy or Sabbathy sounds, the best pedals tend to have a bit of a “chainsaw” octave effect. Despite what many believe, low-end sounds aren’t necessarily the key to mean-sounding tones — in fact, Tony Iommi used a treble boost for much of his Sabbath work.
When playing live or recording, you should always try to separate your lead and rhythm tones. Lead lines don’t require as much gain as you might think. Try to think back to the guitar solos of the early ‘70s — they weren’t saturated in distortion, but they did have a crunchy sound that Orange and Marshal stacks have never really stopped trying to capture.
For rhythm parts, mid and bottom-end fuzz tones are usually best. Whether you tend to chug tuned-down power chords in low tempo or maximize your sustain for Sun O))) sound, bass is the true source of your power. Bass guitar through a fuzz pedal almost always sounds great lined up with your guitar.
Ultimately, The best sounds for you depend on your personal preferences, influences, and goals. Try things out, mess around, and don’t be afraid to return a device that doesn’t suit your needs.
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