Different Fuzz boxes distortion levels

[Danny_CKone]

Im going to build a fuzz box, with the fuzz tones of Fu-Manchu or Kyuss in one hand and Husker Dü or Fugazi in the other. What fuzz could be good for my tastes? are the gain in the rocket or the hornet near the level of the Big Muff, the Distortion+ or the Rat?

Heeelp!!  

[R.G.]

Gain is not equal to distortion.

[Rory]

For Kyuss and Fu-Manchu, I'd suggest the Bass Fuzz from www.runoffgroove.com with slightly larger cap values.  As for Fugazi, I think you'd be better off with a distortion box rather than a fuzz.  Maybe a tube screamer, or even possibly just a boost pedal into a mid-gain tube amp.

[Danny_CKone]

Gain is not equal to distortion.

I know...sorry; i edited the post :wink:

[Mark Hammer]

When it comes to distortion boxes gain IS and IS NOT equal to distortion.

Confound #1: Gain vs output level.  Certainly it takes gain to bring signal levels up to a point where they will be heavily clipped in some instances.  Of course, not every ounce of gain finds its way to the output.  A good case in point is the MXR Distortion+, which has a fair amount of gain, but not a whole lot of output, unless maxed.  Here, the clipping diodes to ground place a low ceiling on how much signal can make it through to the output level control.  Change the diodes, though, and without any change whatsoever in the gain, the volume goes up.

Confound #2: Gain required and input signal level.  Not every circuit clips the same way irrespective of input signal level.  Some things that sound great with hot humbuckers, sound like crap with standard issue single coils, and vice versa.  In some instances, simply altering how much low end is introduced at the input will change how much distortion occurs even though there is no change whatsoever in the gain applied.  That being said, sticking a clean booster ahead of ANY distortion pedal will increase how distorted it can sound when maxed out.  The gain does not HAVE to come entirely from within the pedal itself.  You may see two pedals as distinct objects, but from the signal's point of view, it's all one big circuit.

Confound #3: How much gain vs where it is applied  Things after the pedal clip too, and if amps are thoughtfully designed they clip nicely when pushed hard by a large signal.  That signal *could* be clipped itself, but doesn't need to be.  For years I've been playing a small tube amp (that goes to 12) with a humbucker and an on-board clean preamp that boosts the signal x4, and everything above a "6" setting on the amp volume is pure grind even though everything in the signal path leading up to the input jack is clean, clean, clean.

So, long story short, gain and distortion are not precisely the same thing, but they are inter-related as far as audible outcomes go.  I'm not entirely familiar with the bands you mention, and whatever counts as their "signature" tone.  In many instances, even though we aim to build or purchase pedals that will replicate a certain tone through teeny practice amps, the recorded tone we are attempting to model is very much a product of large amps (sometimes multiple amps), volume levels, speaker breakup, mic'ing strategies, maybe tape distortion, and a bunch of other things that no gain structure in a little box can capture.

What'd be nice would be if it was theoretically possible to have a sound sample of a single chord or note that epitomized the desired tone, do a Fourier transfrom on it and then ask what would produce that sort of harmonic distribution.  I, uh, don't see that around the corner.