BJFE / BearFoot fx Guitar Effects Community

DocRock wrote:Just checking in ... who has the tourbox right now?

I do...I PM'd "This call" for his address today, so just waiting to send out....I had posted about this on this thread---only had it longer because of a family emergency where I had to fly out of town last minute, and lost a bit of time on the TB, as I wanted to get some sort of demo(s) together which I banged out yesterday, and will be posting about it shortly.

Ok...so, I cobbled these demos together quickly and with no warming up and no edits as time was limited. I really only do this stuff for the BJF/Bearfoot stuff, and on occasion for pedals I've sold. I could spend the time to get a better sound, because that's my nature for recording, though at the same time, I'm not a "demo" person, and can't personally justify investing that much time into it, though again for the BJF stuff I make an exception to at least go beyond written word descriptions for my own head.

That being said, this was done with my I-phone(compression anyone?), and then through You Tube(more compression), and then because I was comparing the BJF/Bearfoot stuff, for ease of switching settings and preferring to let the sound breathe a bit through the room, you're also obviously getting the acoustic attack of my guitar(and I have a strong attack)....big breath....and then the mic is off to the side to get the view of both peds, and the filter/eq signature of the room factors in which isn't super ideal....ok, you get the picture:

Guitar is a '90's Peavey Wolfgang soley on the bridge p/u, through a '94 Matchless SC-30 Head and matching 2x12 open back cab with original Matchless voiced 25 and 30 watt Celestions, through channel 1(triode), with EQ set fairly flat...not overly bright, with the clean volume easily at gigging level.

Sorry in advance for the high tech "side view" on the video...didn't realize that was going to orient as such on YT, and didn't have the time(yet) to try and suss it out.

CAF: I focused on generally the three main nature settings, (and at higher fuzz settings), where I think this pedal rules:

1) around 3pm for the BIG arena rock fuzz from heaven tones
2)around 12 noon for the killer octave mayhem
3) around 9pm-full CCW for the pinched trumpet tones

So...now we find out after the fact, that the BF version at present is the more musically biased version, vs. the more psychotic "seek and destroy" set-up of the original.

The BJF CAF I have is an early one, and IMO an exceptional sounding one...I had a later one which I dug a long while ago, yet as many commented on, the high end was sometime a bit much to try and tame on some settings....not so with this one...no treble pot needed here...sounds awesome wherever you dial it in...cuts through without ever sounding too ice-picky.

To my very pleasant surprise, as I posted on my first impression, I really dig this BF version...to me it offers another perspective of this wonderful circuit that opens up MANY killer lead and rhythm sounds all across the nature knob....though not as wild, there is just enough of the original signature sound steeped with healthy amounts of germanium fuzz bliss that I found very inspiring to play.

Rolling down your geetar volume was also very nice and extended the inspiration as opposed to the more "flatulent" sounding fuzz chirps on the BJF, which are cool for that kind of vibe

The octave setting is there clearly, though not as pronounced and rude sounding as the BJF... the super cool muted trumpet sounds on the CCW setting are missing on the BF, but, what may not come across in the video, is that it "pinches" the fuzz tone at this setting creating a more percussive take on the fuzz voice which I really dug...again, probably because of the way this version is biased causing this to happen instead of the more extreme set-up on the BJF.

The 3pm setting is my favorite where you can get gobs of warm and open sounding fuzz gain, without any fizziness from the octave part of the circuit, AND for all that gain, it's still very quiet.

I would say my only suggestion would be to extend the high end content range of the treble pot, as I found I had it full up most of the time to allow all the definition of the fuzz flavors to come through. With the fuzz at 3/4, the circuit overall is actually less bright than full up, so all the more reason I feel this would easily put this pedal over the top..similar say, to the tweaking done the the Model H.

I found I only pulled the treble pot back a bit on the octave settings, where I found it helped round out the edges and warm up the already great sound even more.

All and all a great fuzz pedal that can cover a LOT of ground....EGDM/PPF/MF to follow.

Excellent, thanks so much for taking the time!!!

Ok...onto the EGDM. Please refer to the "disclaimer" on the previous CAF post recording the recording circumstances/short-comings/gear, etc.

In this demo, the comparison is just for reference, but I will point out these observations:

1) Voice knob works in reverse to the original

2) Available gain on both are about the same, though a bit hotter than the 3-knob version which I had a long while ago, but remember well.

3)Available treble is actually more realized throughout the sweep of the Voice pot more on the BJF than on the BF

4) BJF sounds more raw, bloated, and fuzzy on top, whereas the BF never really sounds fuzzy to me no matter where I put the voice knob

Overall, my initial impressions on the BF version remain largely the same. It certainly sounds like an EGDM but more modern, and again, I use the word refined because it's fitting...not a bad thing, just what I'm hearing.

While the BJF captures a more vintage tone(looser and more grungy), the BF comes across as an EGDM with a Dyna Red attitude(tighter and more immediate sounding), if that makes any sense, which I thought sounded very cool..and that translated in sound and feel..in fact, at certain settings because of that and the lack of any fuzziness on top, it imparts a very "stringy" quality to the sound, especially on single notes which I find not present in the BJF, that I liked a lot.

The only suggestion here I would offer is actually, like the CAF, I would like to hear/have a bit more treble available on tap to fully take advantage of the whole sweep of the voice pot, which there are many great textures to be had. From my observation, I'm only hearing it cut through just about half of the voice pot sweep, whereas the BJF version cuts through right across the whole range and adds that definition needed to be heard effectively in a mix.

It's always nice to have enough treble on tap, so that you have some play to back down if necessary, until the sound just opens up, and I think this would put the BF version over the top(...errr, no pun intended).

And for variance sake, I do have a 2nd BJFE EGDM(love this pedal), and the treble performs the same way FWIW.

Anyway, there are certainly other EGDM demos out there, so I focused on having the drive full up, and focusing on some dynamics, and mainly the sweep of the Voice pot to illustrate some of the aforementioned points.

Really cool to see the evolution of these pedals like this! The different sound palettes available are very apparent in all of them... Lots of fantastic tones going on

Ok, again, refer to the CAF post for gear used and recording short comings(the compression for some reason plagues this demo the most, and the volume wasn't any louder than the others), and like all these demos, best to listen to at louder volumes to pick up more of the details I'm trying to present here.

Also, as I've done in all these demos to help reduce the variables, I tend to stick to certain keys and familiar chord changes, and avoid playing cliched bits of classic songs so that attention is drawn and kept to the sonic differences/changes, and since all this is literally off the cuff, I try to play similar things for each pedal, opting for natural inspiration and flow, rather than playing through recycled stock lick and phrases.

Pink Purple Fuzz:

In the BF version, what was immediately apparent is the copious presence of lower mids compared with the original(sounding more lean and focused), which on certain settings I favored quite a bit over the original, especially from noon to full CCW.

That being said, aside from the low mid presence, there is less top end bite available than on the original, and as I've had another BJF PPF, I can attest to it having the same upper frequency presence.

Additionally, I tried to "illustrate" in the demo, how the nature knob swing from noon towards the CW end of the dial goes dark very soon after 1/1:30, rendering the rest of the taper not very useable IMO, as it could be(if you listen to Burg's Pro guitar shop demo you will hear the same thing).

What is great about the BJF version is how that "taper into darkness" on the nature knob is much more gradual giving you many more textures and shadings to work with before "blacking out".

Again, this current BJF I have, and the one I had prior, perform(ed) the same way in that regard, so I don't think it's something that's a result of parts variance or even the extra low mids on the BF.

As the demo progresses, here is where the BF version shines a bit more than the BJF, from noon to full CCW where there is ample top end definition, coupled with the beefier bottom end, translate into a more modern and authoritative punch both on chords and single notes that I thought sounded quite good.

They both also had similar available gain, with maybe a nudge to the BF version.

There is however, this top end fizzy sizzle or ring on the original that is missing on the BF, that characterizes some of the signature of the PPF for me, though it's not a "deal breaker" IMO.

If I had any suggestions to offer it would be:

1) to have an overall presence lift(like if you ran a BPB after it) for just a bit more extra slice overall(and no, I don't think this pedal needs a 4th knob presence pot per se, but of course it could be an option)

2) to dial in the nature knob swing from 12-CW as aforementioned to fully capitalize on all those extra tonal colors.

Loving your analysis and vids Marty! Very cool reviews!

thiscalltoarms wrote:Loving your analysis and vids Marty! Very cool reviews!

Agreed!

Thank you for the cool vids and for your insight.

Spent a couple hours with the tour box last night. I tested using a Gibson SG into a Morgan PR12 (kinda like blackface with more mids) and a Dr Z Maz JR NR (set to sound pretty vox-ish). I did not do any stacking, just each pedal trying to gauge what it sounds like with my fingers.

I owned an Emerald Green a few months ago- I love it through the Morgan, but not so much with the Z. The EGDM has this gorgeous exploding amp compression through a lot of its range that works better for me into Fender style amp circuit. As far as the gain range, I prefer it up to about 10:30, although running it flat out is a ton of fun. I think that I am ultimately a lower gain player- prefer the clarity of a less is more gain structure. I ran the Treble knob from 2:00-5:00, most of the time almost maxed out.

Next I ran the Pink Purple Fuzz through its paces. At lower fuzz settings it definitely does have a KILLER rhythm overdrive type tone. Kinda reminded me a bit of the Skreddy Screwdriver in some ways at lower gain. The tone knob was definitely too dark for me pretty much anywhere beyond noon, and I found myself running it pretty low to get the high end cut that I prefer. Gain wise, it was totally useful through out- great for rhythm tones at lower gain, and with Fuzz cranking it is a very singing lead tone- got some very Neil Young ish vibes off of it. Definitely has a lot of personality in the EQ and gain structure. Its been a long time (like 6 years) since I owned a PPF, but my recollection is that it shares quite a similarity. I remember the tone knob having a more useful range before it got so dark and dense, but other than that, it definitely does what I remember the PPF doing.

The AWF/Mystoury Fuzz is a pedal that I've had an on and off tone affair with since I got a SWF during one of the R&D lotteries back in 2008. Since then, I sold my first SWF to Marty around the time I got married, then I had an early AWF for a while, and finally I had an Arctic Light Fuzz last year. The AWF has always been a favorite of mine for stacking with a HBOD, but since this was a stackless run through, I was evaluating its raw tonality. It is definitely the smooth-est lead tone of the box- which is partly due to the loose-ness of the low end and the wooly-ness of the lower frequencies. I thought the Bearfoot had a bit more treble available on the T knob- maxed out seemed to be around 3:30 or so on my previous pedals. I really dug the extra treble content, and noticed perhaps a stronger woof to the gain structuring- a little looser and with a bigger low end.

The CAF is a ton of fun. Waves of searing gain, and lots of different shades of fuzz. With the nature around 3:00, I felt like leads just soared away from me. Around noon is the octave effect, but it seemed like pronounced and useful compared to my experiences with BJFE CAFs in the past. Perhaps I just need a stronger octave effect? The most interesting setting to me with with the nature a bit lower, the CAF develops a more trombone or brass like tonality. Very interesting texture.

I haven't directly compared my new Bearfoot AWF to the Mystoury Fuzz, but I will hopefully tomorrow afternoon. I am a big fan of stacking, and an ambient and post-rock player, so my next set of experiments with deal directly with stacking and using the Fuzzes in conjunction with delays and reverbs. So far, the PPF and EGDM are amazing, but I don't think they are really what I am looking for. The AWF I knew would be amazing in my rigs, but the surprise has been the CAF. I don't usually use high gain lead tones, but the CAF might be an exception to that rule. I expected the AWF to be clear winner in my rig, but so far it looks like the CAF might actually be what I need...

I am curious about the angry CAF version that Donner has mentioned- is the octave going to be stronger on the meaner CAF? I am also going to try boosting the CAF to see if I can get a more octave out of it...

Thanks for the side by side video demos! I am also glad you did this as I was starting to gas for a BJFE CAF and I remember why I sold it!

Melodichaotic, I am surprised with a Matchless you are having trouble getting enough Treble and or Presence! Maybe you just need a Tele!