Here's what my ear experienced in the room with the various set-ups:
1st up: DR (@ 2.3ish - which is loud through the red fang speaker) > DBD > PPF > Strat
Almost like distortion, but when notes sustained, the tone got a bit hairier. Single note runs exhibited a distinct fuzz character.
I ran the fuzz with nature @ 11 and fuzz @ 1:30.
2nd up: DR (a bit past 4 - which entered into the mild break-up stage) > DBD > PPF > Strat
A much more open clean tone (sorry for not including the dry signal @ 2.3), and this translated to a more open, hairy fuzz tone. At this volume, the PPF still exhibits a distortion/OD-like character until the notes sustain.
3rd up: DR (@ 2.3ish) > DBD > PPF > KLON > Strat
The KLON introduced an additional harshness to the fuzz tone, which I really was digging in the room (no dry signal again, stupid me!).
4th up: DR (@ 2.3ish) > DBD > KLON > PPF > Strat
Very British sounding tone, pushing the under side of the tone curve along. I have noticed when the KLON is placed after a more distorted/gainy pedal, it really warms up. I highly recommend this arrangement when your American-voiced rig is too bright when you increase the gain.
5th up: DR (@ 2.3ish) > SBEQ > DBD > PPF > PGC > KLON > Strat
This is what I picture when I imagine a Cornish NG2. The fuzz becomes increasingly balanced, and the stack is more dynamic. Killer lead tone or aggressive rhythm.
6th up: Dual Terror (@ 30W and a clean tone) > DBD > PPF > Strat
First of all: I LOVE the clean tone of the Dual Terror on both sides (in this case, the Tiny Terror side). The tone of this sub-$1000 amp is truly admirable... very warm and balanced. I should mention that the cabinet I used is loaded with 2 Celestion G12H speakers. This certainly shapes the amp tone some. The PPF takes on a more OD-like character with the Dual Terror, that is, until I flipped into the neck pick-up. At that point, the fuzz was certainly distinct.
7th up: Dual Terror (@ 15W and slightly driven) > DBD > PPF > Strat
The dry signal is, again, very warm and pleasing to the ear. I must say that when playing smaller gigs, I often opt towards the Dual Terror over my other amps because it can suit so many different venues and arrangements. I felt that this set-up exhibited the most fuzz character. The fuzz was hairy, compressed but distinctly open (thanks
!). On the neck pickup, the power cords were nice and lush. Overall, the PPF works wonders with clean amps and in stacks. When the amp is driven to break-up levels or pushed through amp gain, the PPF exhibits a more hairy quality, sounding like the fuzzes most ears are accustomed two. Distinct about the PPF is its openness. Compression is certainly evident in this fuzz, but it can really open up depending on the choice of rig, pick-up and/or stacking partner(s). The PPF can easily be shaped with EQ and Compression, or it can be altered by its stacking partner's gain and EQ. For these reasons, and many others, I am thankful for the PPF as my entry into the realm of fuzz. I also own a couple other fuzz pedals, but the PPF has earned its place as my favorite.
As for my recording chain, I used: a Heil PR-30 < a BLA Auteur < Digidesign 003 rack modified with the BLA signature series mod (incredible work there) < Protools (older version) < MacBook Pro.
If you have any questions, please let me know. I appreciate critiques, criticisms, questions and advice. Cheers, and thanks for reading!
**The audio file is now three posts down.
**I also linked the photos to my facebook account. Please, check out a visual of the set-up I used in this experiment.
