Hey everybody, I was fortunate to be included on the mystoury fuzz tour and wanted to provide some thoughts.
I. Your gear
Nash strat w/ maple neck, fatback neck, one-piece body, Van Zandts
Victoria 35210 (tweed fender super with 2 ten inch Jensens and a Victoria Reverberato (reverb) through a BJF SBEQ
II. Your circumstances - here's where you tell where you played it, under what conditions, and for how long
Played it at moderate volume levels for a total a couple hrs
III. General thoughts - Here's where you can tell us you loved it/hated it, etc....whatever random thoughts you want to provide (i.e. your opinion)
This is a great fuzz pedal. It seems to be a cousin of the Folk Fuzz, except with broader shoulders and more hair on its chest.
It strikes me as a fuzz that is more univerally usable than some of BJ's other fuzzes (i.e. where you might use the Candy Apple for a song or two per set, you might leave the Mystoury Fuzz on half the night).
IV. Evaluation of functionality - Here's where you provide feedback about each aspect of the pedal --- for instance, the drive, the nature, the volume....feedback about range, interactivity, dynamics, etc
The Mystoury has three knobs - one of then is Volume, and there seems to be tone and drive. At first I thought the tone and drive were interactive, but the more I mess with it, the more I think the tone is just a standard tone control.
Volume (left most control) -- plenty of volume on tap, plenty.
Tone -- Usuable across the dial, takes it from dark to open sounding. All usuable though.
Drive -- Quite a spectrum of drive here. From more of an OD type of feel to full on serious fuzz. One thing I noted was that the dial is not fully usable. If you turn the fuzz fully counterclockwise, you really don't get anything UNLESS the volume on the pedal is at unity with your amp. For example, if volume is at 9 o'clock and fuzz is at 7 o'clock, the pedal is not much use (granted not many people would use those settings)
. However, if you adjust the volume to unity, the pedal is providing the slightest bit of fuzz (PERFECT for rhthym playing...subtle but noticable....excellent!).
V Stacking - Did you stack it? With what? How'd it go?
I am not much of a stacker right now, although what I have found is that the honey bee and the sparkling yellow complement everything very well.
My wah interacted with it above average for a fuzz pedal.
VI Comparisons to other BJF pedals / other popular pedals (how does it fit in with the rest of the line...is it different enough, etc)
I think the Mystoury fuzz covers some of the same type of ground that the Folk Fuzz covers. They are definitely distinct, but out of all the BJF fuzzes, the Mystoury is most similar to the Folk. Like I said, I think the Mystoury is a bit more of a sound that you would use for lots of stuff. If you have a moderate amount of fuzz, you can hear a bit of the Black Crowes in there. If you have the fuzz wide open, it is heavy rock for sure, almost metalic. If the fuzz is relatively low, you get kind of a nice overdrive sound that is good for lots of stuff....blues, classic rock, etc.
Overall, the fundamental tone of the Mystoury is very usuable and good. Whereas some fuzzes are a tasty treat, this one seems to be the workhorse.
VII What situations / kind of music can you see using the pedal for?
Classic rock, hard rock, blues if drive is set low.
And I say this for every BJF pedal, but the Mystoury is equally usuable for rhythm and for lead. As I am typing this, I have the drive set low and the leads are buttery smooth. Very nice!
VII Suggested improvements
Might look at how the drive and volume work with each other when the volume is less than unity and when the fuzz is set low. Not a huge deal. Nit picking really. Could also be attributed to my rig.
I'm guessing that the knobs and layout were experimentational too? If so, the knobs are unreadable if you play standing up. Need something with bigger, more defined hash marks.
Also, the layout with the knob in the middle raised instead of lowered makes it hard to adjust with your foot. The other way (normal), you can adjust every knob with your foot if you're careful.
VIII Bottom line --- ...is it a keeper? What does it knock off your board?
It's definitely a keeper (of course!!!). If I had the opportunity to own a Mystoury, I think I'd switch it back and forth with the Folk Fuzz. The Mystoury has more edge so for those applications, it might beat out the Folk.
Hope that helps![/b]