ZVex Wooly Mammoth - Any Good?

[nick]

Hi all,
Has anybody had any experience of a Wooly Mammoth?

Found schematic for it , & I'm considering building one over Christmas period.

Would be grateful for any comments/opinions before I go down road of converting schematic to veroboard layout.

Many thanks

[Toasted]

Much better on passive bass than active bass.

[tayste_2000]

Plenty of better fuzz's for the money especially if you play an active bass

[BassBalls]

Which fuzzes/distortions are particularly good on active basses?

[tayste_2000]

MI Audio Neo and Gi Fuzz

Subdecay Flying Tomato

Zoom Ultra Fuzz

These all work well

[Toasted]

I need another ultra fuzz to add to the collection

[tayste_2000]

[quote name='Toasted' post='98860' date='Dec 4 2007, 02:36 PM']I need another ultra fuzz to add to the collection [/quote]

Not using mine...... or am I

[fretmeister]

Boss Hyper Fuzz.

Very nice on bass - totally nuts!

Like an idiot I sold mine!

[tayste_2000]

[quote name='fretmeister' post='98891' date='Dec 4 2007, 03:08 PM']Boss Hyper Fuzz.

Very nice on bass - totally nuts!

Like an idiot I sold mine! [/quote]

FZ-2? I love that fuzz on bass apparentl it's very very similar to the old Roland Beebaa which Barge concepts make a clone of I've been meaning to try. Only thing is I wouldn't pick this for for every day use its very industrial sounding for me, nails all the new Nine Inch Nails bass sounds

[nick]

From the replies, I gather not too many people keen on the Wooly Mammoth(?)

It's not cheap to buy, though I reckon I can at least build it for less than a tenner.
Guess I'll find out myself....

[Toasted]

It's a great fuzz, but you must use a high impedance signal into it

[bremen]

[quote name='Toasted' post='98959' date='Dec 4 2007, 04:45 PM']It's a great fuzz, but you must use a high impedance signal into it [/quote]

so if you're using an active bass, would it work to stick 220k - 1M in series with the input?

[Kev]

ye forget the woolly mammoth with a active bass, sounds horrible

i recently bought a 1 knob fuzz pedal from happy robot music i think, £35, almost identical sounding to the mammoth

zvex pedals are seriously overpriced

[Toasted]

[quote name='bremen' post='98965' date='Dec 4 2007, 04:50 PM']so if you're using an active bass, would it work to stick 220k - 1M in series with the input?[/quote]

I'm not an electronic engineer, sorry. I have a few friends who are and I will ask.

[Tee]

I have one. I think it's pretty cool, very full on. Reducing the fuzz, only does so slightly. The sound is huge imo. I use it with passive basses.

[Kev]

it sounded great with my passive 6 string, but i sold it becuase it wasnt worth the extra £150 from the cheap pedal i bougt, not even close

[ahpook]

i tried one when i was in new york a few years ago and was just plain appalled how such an expensive pedal sounds so horrible.

i couldn't get one useable sound out of it, even with the guy in the shop's help.


ymmv of course

[Silent Fly]

[quote name='bremen' post='98965' date='Dec 4 2007, 04:50 PM']so if you're using an active bass, would it work to stick 220k - 1M in series with the input?[/quote]

I looked at the schematics and it looks like it uses a combination of pickup impedance + internal capacitor to cut some of the higher frequencies.

I theory a resistor in series should help. I would use a trimpot inside the unit with an active/passive switch that remove the trimpot from the circuit.

[codebox]
\
------------o o----
| |
| -------------+---> [OUT]
| |
| v
[IN]>-----+--\/\/\/\/-
1M


[/codebox]

[nick]

[quote name='Silent Fly' post='99027' date='Dec 4 2007, 06:09 PM']I looked at the schematics and it looks like it uses a combination of pickup impedance + internal capacitor to cut some of the higher frequencies.

I theory a resistor in series should help. I would use a trimpot inside the unit with an active/passive switch that remove the trimpot from the circuit.

[codebox]
\
------------o o----
| |
| -------------+---> [OUT]
| |
| v
[IN]>-----+--\/\/\/\/-
1M


[/codebox][/quote]


That's a good idea Max.
Though I don't use any active basses myself, so fortunately don't have that issue.

Should say I've got few home made fuzz pedals already, including one knob colorsound clone, Univox squarewave,Red llama.....They all sound good to me.
It's just I'm intrigued by Wooly Mammoth, probably due to exhorbitant price, & the fact there's hardly anything in it!
Some good reviews on Harmony...[i]Don't believe the hype(?)[/i]
Guess I'll find out for myself without shelling out £150

[Silent Fly]

[quote name='nick' post='99056' date='Dec 4 2007, 06:55 PM'](...)
It's just I'm intrigued by Wooly Mammoth, probably due to exhorbitant price, & the fact there's hardly anything in it!
(...)[/quote]

+1

[quote name='nick' post='99056' date='Dec 4 2007, 06:55 PM'](...)
Guess I'll find out for myself without shelling out £150 [/quote]

Please keep us posted about your progress. I will do the same if I start before you

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='98992' date='Dec 4 2007, 05:21 PM']i recently bought a 1 knob fuzz pedal from happy robot music i think, £35, almost identical sounding to the mammoth[/quote]

was it one of [url="http://www.happyrobotmusic.co.uk/robotframes.html"]these[/url]

[nick]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='99368' date='Dec 5 2007, 09:21 AM']was it one of [url="http://www.happyrobotmusic.co.uk/robotframes.html"]these[/url][/quote]

Should imagine it was very similar to this one I built while ago:
[url="http://aronnelson.com/gallery/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album18/album144/COLORSOUND_ONE_KNOB_FUZZ_001.jpg.html"]http://aronnelson.com/gallery/v/DRAGONFLY-...ZZ_001.jpg.html[/url]

Cracking classic fuzz & a piece of p*ss to make, especially if you follow step-by-step instructions below:
[url="http://aronnelson.com/gallery/v/DRAGONFLY-LAYOUTS_0/album20/album21/"]http://aronnelson.com/gallery/v/DRAGONFLY-...lbum20/album21/[/url]

May be better than a Zvex(?) - Dunno

[john_the_bass]

there's a soldering iron going on my christmas list then

[nick]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='99471' date='Dec 5 2007, 11:53 AM']there's a soldering iron going on my christmas list then[/quote]

Good on you. First one can sometimes be a pig. But they get easier in time!

[Kev]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='99368' date='Dec 5 2007, 09:21 AM']was it one of [url="http://www.happyrobotmusic.co.uk/robotframes.html"]these[/url][/quote]
yup