Documented uses of bass distortion have been in the public eye since the early ‘60s—almost as long as distortion for electric guitar. However, four-string fuzz has existed on the fringe of effectology since then, and is only now being fully utilized.
There was a dark time in history—read: 1961–2008 or so—where bass effects were frowned upon within the mainstream unless a potential user was some type of hallowed bass visionary. Then and only then was it OK. Players like Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins were given the proverbial ticket to ride the effect train simply because they transcended “average Joe” status. If a regular bass player showed up to the gig with anything but a tuner, DI and maybe one other pedal, they were given a wedgie on site. I’m sorry, I don’t write the history, I just tell the tales.
However, it is only within the last decade or so that anyone not playing bass in a band lifted the pedal sanctions on rhythm sections everywhere. Band members realized that players like Al Cisernos of Sleep and others of his ilk used bass dirt to great effect. Nowadays, bands like Muse have seriously pushed bass dirt within reach of the six-strung pedestal. I invite you to take a trip into the seven best bass dirt boxes.
Z. Vex Woolly Mammoth
The very first box on this list was designed back in the ‘90s, before bass distortion was a widespread phenomenon, and the Mammoth is one of the harbingers of the movement. Gaining popularity due to Chris Wolstenholme of Muse, the circuit has come to be the true face of “bass fuzz,” due in part to the ubiquity of Z. Vex products and being on the pedalboard of one of the poster children for bass distortion. The circuit features four knobs: Pinch, Wool, EQ and Volume (although the earliest versions had no EQ control); Pinch is essentially a gating control and Wool acts as “fuzz.” Plugging a bass into the Mammoth, and the Mammoth into an amp with some headroom is almost a religious experience for any effects-shy bassists, it’s just that good. The pedal has always been made available in Z. Vex’s hand-painted line which puts it out of reach of the more miserly bassist, but a more wallet-friendly Vexter version is on the way.
MXR Bass Distortion
Players have been using the RAT pedal on bass guitar for a long time, way before using pedals on bass was met with a smile rather than a look of disgust. Stoner rock and doom bands have known about the magical qualities of the RAT for years and years, however it took until 2015 before Ryan Ratajski of Fuzzrocious Pedals and the folks at MXR got together to release the quintessential bass distortion; one so potent it could only bear the name “Bass Distortion.” The Bass Distortion is based on the RAT with updated features and a more bass-friendly component set, consisting of two crucial knobs, Wet and Dry, which let users truly dial in the boom. These two controls allow bass players to control just how much distortion enters the output, and how much clean low end enters as well. It’s much more comprehensive than a simple blend control and it lets thundergunners set the Bass Distortion to a light crackle or full-blown meltdown. If you’re the type of person to play in a band with a tube-amp-equipped bassist, hand this to them and head for the hills.
Mountainking Megalith
Straight from the “tear-your-face-off” file, the Mountainking Megalith will eat your signal for breakfast and beg for seconds. At its core, it’s a super-high-gain two-transistor fuzz box with a built in boost. There’s plenty of toneshaping options on the Megalith, from a three-position Notch Shift switch to actual Notch and Slope control. This group of three dials lets potential planet smashers dial in an ultra-specific midrange for all the boost or scoop one could ask for. And with crazy fuzz like this, mids are one of the most important things. If destroying galaxies simply isn’t enough and one wishes to simply destroy the entire universe, the More Heavy switch activates a gnarly boost circuit, where the amount is controlled by the appropriately-named “More Heavy” knob. With the More Heavy control set to zero, the eponymous switch still gives off a slight oomph, but if a player decides to redline it, he or she should probably notify the Pentagon in advance.
Human Gear Animato
Another from the archives of Muse, the Human Gear Animato is a pretty rare box from the Far East. Human Gear, the brand, actually makes a large array of boxes, yet the brand is relatively unknown. Unknown, that is, until Muse’s Chris Wolstenholme got ahold of one and used it as his always-on tone. The brainchild of Human Gear is Hiroshi Yagi, and the company’s pedals have stuck to a few design tenets: Aesthetically, they’re all the same—relatively no-frills. They’re a dull yellow—think MXR Script Distortion+—and feature a plain black font for model name, controls and jacks. The insides of all Human Gear pedals are built to withstand the apocalypse, as the circuit boards are fortified within large bricks of epoxy, making them impervious to cloners and whomever else. The Animato is a pretty dynamic fuzz with the same controls as a Big Muff—though it’s not a Big Muff. Utilizing a germanium front end, the Animato can get spongy before the silicon section shreds the signal. The Tone control is much improved, as it is a tilt type—the same kind found in immeasurably expensive hi-fi tube amps. The price might turn some players away, but it is a pretty original sound.
Earthquaker Devices Fuzz Master General
Back in the ‘70s, Japan had thick, unrelenting fuzz down to a science. Everything made over there in this era could rip an amplifier asunder and laugh about it later. Japan is responsible for the Univox Super Fuzz, the Shin-Ei Companion, the Roland Bee Baa and Double Beat fuzz, the Kay Fuzz, the Honey Special Fuzz and the Ace Tone Fuzz Master. Nearly all of these will get a bass amp cooking really well, but finding modern equivalents is a pretty arduous task. Enter: the EarthQuaker Fuzz Master General, a modernized version of the Ace Tone Fuzz Master, and one hell of a bass fuzz. The original Ace Tone version was pretty straightforward, with three knobs and full-on fuzz dominance. However, the good folks of EQD outfitted the Fuzz Master General with a three-way toggle switch that drastically changes the character of the fuzz; the right and left sides of the toggle introduce different clipping options that scoop the frequencies in some very musical ways, whereas the center position makes the General an extremely open and in-your-face amp kicker.
Smallsound/Bigsound Team Awesome Fuzz Machine
The flagship box from Smallsound/Bigsound, the TAFM is a germanium fuzz at heart featuring the magical two-word phrase that brings bass players to their knees: clean blend. Only three of the boxes in this list have it, even though it’s often seen as a must-have feature. For those not in the know, clean blend sets the balance of the dry and effected signal in order to retain the maximum amount of low frequencies. Nearly all pedals designed especially for bass feature the elusive clean blend circuit. However, this isn’t to say the TAFM is on this list just because it has a Clean control. In fact, the character of the pedal is so great and adaptable to all instruments that it likely would have shoehorned itself into this piece even without the Clean control. Either way, the TAFM has every bell and whistle a bass player could want, including fully-adjustable mids, an input gain knob and a phase correction switch, which is, surprisingly, a pretty unique feature. Add it all up, and the TAFM earns its name and then some.
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Bass Big Muff
It’s pretty tough to imagine a dirt box that’s more tailor-made for bassists than the Deluxe Bass Big Muff—it has so many options that bassists crave, in a relatively diminutive box. Let’s list the, shall we? In addition to the ubiquitous Big Muff Volume, Tone and Sustain knobs, there is a control for Blend, an adjustable noise gate, an input pad for passive or active pickups, a footswitchable filter crossover section, a dedicated DI output and a direct output for parallel processing. Of course, features are worthless without good source material, and the Deluxe Bass Big Muff delivers. The core circuit is based on the original green Russian Big Muff, which bassists and guitarists pay top dollar for on the used market. The original Russian Big Muff delivers thunderous, dirty lows despite not being designed specifically for bass guitar. However, the Bass Big Muff is, and it includes a Blend control to coax even more low end from your amp. Simply put, the Deluxe Bass Big Muff is a monster and should be considered if you’ve ever even thought about plucking the bass.