Fuzz - The Sound that Revolutionised the World (Documentary)

[BigBassBob]

Hey guys,

I saw this over at Talkbass recently and after watching thought you guys may appreciate it.

It's a pretty well-done documentary chronicling fuzz boxes over the years with interviews with some big boutique names along with a look at the players vs. pedal hoarders/noise makers debate (and how online forums create hype and increase the value of certain pedals).

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibu4x3ae87M[/media]

A great way to kill 90 minutes

Edited December 8, 2013 by BigBassBob

[bartelby]

Is this the one with J Mascis and his collection?

[BigBassBob]

If you're on about a cupboard with about 20 muffs in it then yes

[GazWills]

love how mike matthews surrounds himself with south american women, not a man in sight!!!

[Kev]

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1386532086' post='2301168']
love how mike matthews surrounds himself with south american women, not a man in sight!!!
[/quote]

Did anyone find that rather creepy?

Enjoying the film though, nothing better to do on a Sunday evening.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed that.

[ratman]

That was entertaining.

[johnDeereJack]

Sounds cool, will watch when I get in from work

[uncle psychosis]

I've got it on DVD, its quite an interesting watch and if anyone is wondering, no you don't need to be a fuzz obsessive to enjoy it. Its more of an effects pedal documentary than a fuzz-specific one.

[Sibob]

Enjoying it so far, will be finishing it later

Si

[GazWills]

I'd seen this before but watched again last night, v interesting! I've been watching a few music docs recently, the iron maiden one ('flight 666') is on youtube and worth a watch, even if you don't like the band

[Sibob]

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1386607204' post='2302093']
I'd seen this before but watched again last night, v interesting! I've been watching a few music docs recently, the iron maiden one ('flight 666') is on youtube and worth a watch, even if you don't like the band
[/quote]

Yeah, same with me and Metallica's Some Kind Of Monster, can't stand the band, brilliant documentary!

Si

[GazWills]

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1386609388' post='2302129']
Yeah, same with me and Metallica's Some Kind Of Monster, can't stand the band, brilliant documentary!

Si
[/quote]

Hetfield having a strop, storming out and slamming the door behind him like a teenager from a Harry Enfield sketch is pure Spinal Tap (as is most of that film, actually!!)

[Left Foot]

very cool, its now 2.15 am,.... eek!

[bakerster135]

You know it's a goob bet if JMJ's on the video thumbnail [size=4] [/size]

Bjorn Juhl is hilariously insane! [size=4] [/size]

[bengreen49]

Very good. Some real characters in there (not least the film maker who has more costumes changes than Roger out of American dad)

[1976fenderhead]

Was I the only one bothered by the whole of the female South-american population working in the EHX factory? Funny sometimes in forums there will be someone criticising those who buy pedals or basses made in China because yes they're cheap but at the expense of low wages and poor working conditions so I prefer to buy made in the US of A. I too had this naive idea of EHX pedals being made in New York by New Yorkers being paid fair wages (similar to what you see in Warwick's german factory videos for example). Sadly, the fact they're all South-American women makes me doubt that. I suppose Tech 21 will be no different.

And how can the pedals say "Made in NYC" if the guts come assembled and tested from the 3rd world and those ladies simply assemble them in the boxes, add knobs switches and jacks and do the final testing?

[Left Foot]

My lasting impression is that everyone had a grumble or gripe about something and whilst the overall picture was quite insightful into how things are/have been done, the attitudes of pedal builders towards their profession and its linage, it could have been said by any of us. It was just cool hearing it from the people who learnt this first hand and observed the industry growing, people worth listening to. Who funded the film, there was a lot of Death By Audio and Zvex.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Left Foot

[Sibob]

JMJ........love that guy!

[IMG]http://i42.tinypic.com/1z1vb68.jpg[/IMG]

Si

[TheButler]

I found that very interesting. I would be surprised if it was funded by Zvex or DBA, as both promoted their products and had them inadvertently mocked by others in quite equal measure.

It highlighted that very fundamental GAS thing though; what motivates it and how easily we, as consumers of this stuff, can be persuaded. I find it incredibly ironic that we discuss these matters on the very media that indeed the issue comes from. Then again, that's just kinda how everything works these days - not just music gear. I have progressed in my playing the instrument more so in the last few years, than ever before. If that was plotted on a graph it would correspond quite neatly against my time spent on here, for example. I sold all of my effects (okay, I needed money more than anything - remember the 'resale' thing?), stopped making superficial nonsense with Ableton and stopped relgiously checking forums. Instead I played covers of Motown records, Soul, Funk, Disco in some of the finest and worst establishments this country has to offer - by no means the best/only way to get better, but it worked for me.

The annoying thing is now, however, that spell is over. I really just want to buy some gear. I think the important thing I omitted from the above was I basically wanted to get into an [i]in crowd [/i]and to make up for my lack of being able to play the instrument, I thought that my gear would be a means of doing so. I do intend to go crazy in the new year; buying some things i've wanted for a while now, but this time i'll do so with my ears, not my eyes, fanboi-ism, nor my 'e-penis'. I think, however, despite being conscious of this, it probably won't happen.

Edited December 11, 2013 by TheButler

[GazWills]

[quote name='TheButler' timestamp='1386754234' post='2303942'] It highlighted that very fundamental GAS thing though; what motivates it and how easily we, as consumers of this stuff, can be persuaded. [/quote]

very true...

There is definitely a role for the FX forums - pedals aren't cheap (especially whewn you're importing them from the states), and you don't get to try them out first, so hearing demo's is helpful... but as somebody said on the documentary, what is the value of somebodies opinion when they just buy the same pedals as the rest of the flock and haven't been playing long enough to form a proper opinion?

I do chuckle a bit when I come across a demo of some kid with a huge pedalboard full of all the must-have pedals of the week, and he can barely play his bass

[Skybone]

Got the DVD, a very entertaining film, though I found it incredibly humourous that, of all the people interviewed for the film, the only one to get sub-titled is D*A*M's Dave Main... from South Yorkshire!

[GazWills]

Also, and I can't remember who said this either, but the guy who said something like [i]"all those records you like, they were all made using worse pedals and gear than what you have available to you now"[/i]... in other words, turn off the computer and get out there playing,no magic pedal is going to make you play better

[TheButler]

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1386770153' post='2304248']
Also, and I can't remember who said this either, but the guy who said something like [i]"all those records you like, they were all made using worse pedals and gear than what you have available to you now"[/i]... in other words, turn off the computer and get out there playing,no magic pedal is going to make you play better
[/quote]

Indeed.

Let's face it, on forums we often refer to post count to decide the value of someone's opinion - which isn't the most reliable index. I seldom have an opinion, owing to the fact that I seldom have a clue. Yet I have a few posts on here, and over 1500 on 'the other forum'. Furthermore, people that are more devoted to increasing their post count, than they are to increasing their playing ability, are not those that I wish to take advice from. The beauty of it is though, nobody forces you to listen or pay attention - you can just fly over the posts, which I find is easier now I am not an 'eager to be in the cool crew' youngster.

Slightly OT: My brother used to work for a big media company. Part of his job was to promote the business on forums, without making it clear that he was affiliated. He was instructed to bad mouth select products from their lines, and balance it by singing the praises of other select products. He was challenged with building a reputation on the forum, in order to make this plot more fruitful. Needless to say he didn't remain comfortable with the practice and used it is one excuse to ditch the job!

[BigBassBob]

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1386538154' post='2301287']
Did anyone find that rather creepy?

Enjoying the film though, nothing better to do on a Sunday evening.
[/quote]
[quote name='1976fenderhead' timestamp='1386678343' post='2302913']
Was I the only one bothered by the whole of the female South-american population working in the EHX factory? Funny sometimes in forums there will be someone criticising those who buy pedals or basses made in China because yes they're cheap but at the expense of low wages and poor working conditions so I prefer to buy made in the US of A. I too had this naive idea of EHX pedals being made in New York by New Yorkers being paid fair wages (similar to what you see in Warwick's german factory videos for example). Sadly, the fact they're all South-American women makes me doubt that. I suppose Tech 21 will be no different.

[/quote]

I wasn't quite sure how to take all that in the video; I thought perhaps it's because he's a fella from another time. Then I wondered how much he pays his employees.

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1386770153' post='2304248']
Also, and I can't remember who said this either, but the guy who said something like [i]"all those records you like, they were all made using worse pedals and gear than what you have available to you now"[/i]... in other words, turn off the computer and get out there playing,no magic pedal is going to make you play better
[/quote]

As cynical as the dude in the shop was I think he was brutally honest at times which was kind of refreshing.

I think there's lots of great information and advice to be had on forums but there is also a lot of misinformation. I think if you're level-headed it's easy to discern who is a gigging musician and who's a bedroom player (the kind I find that tend to regurgitate popular opinion). Not having a pop at non-gigging guys at all but 90% of the time what you hear out of a 30-watt combo in your bedroom isn't going to be the same coming out of a 500 watt rig in a crowded room (not taking into account other instruments and the mix as a whole).

There's definitely a tendency for a certain product to be lauded with praise and hype for a month before the next thing comes along. Sometimes the praise is warranted. Sometimes it's not. I've been burned a few times by listening to others instead of my own ears and gut. I think a lot of guys have the realisation with GAS that their latest acquisitions may not really be that beneficial to them other than impressing a bunch of forumites and getting some short-term validation.

I'm starting to sound like a miserable sod BUT there is plenty of hope. For example, I'd never heard of Darkglass before. I picked up a Finnish B3K and fell in love. Then I got a US B7K and it was like "this... is it... there is never going to be anything that will replace this." And I do feel that statement is true. Sometimes a little gamble or impulse buy may be the very thing that leads to a something-something that will become an essential part of your rig as a whole.

With the amount of colouring fuzz does I can understand the fear some may have of losing their identity but (talking about effects in general now) when you take into account technique, plectrum gauge/right hand attack, string type/material/gauge, the instrument itself (including all the wood, hardware, pickups, wiring and setup), amplifier (and potentially individual valves), speakers (size, brand, material) cabinet (material, ported/unported, tweeters etc) then an overdrive, compressor and a few patch leads seem like very little in the whole equation

How many guys have B7Ks now? A lot. How many of them sound exactly like me? None. Always remember that even if you play with no pedals or have a Pedaltrain Pro filled with the crème of boutique stuff you are still going to play and sound like you I could gig without any pedals quite happily but it's nice to have a little spice for those guitar solos, lead breaks and those rare moments when the bass gets to shine.

And back into the cupboard goes my soapbox for another month

Edited December 12, 2013 by BigBassBob