Zvex Fuzz Probe

The fuzz probe is an analog noise making fuzz pedal. This is a twisted take on the classic fuzz design with a copper plate hooked to a stability (stab) control that allows you to change the texture by hovering your hand or foot over the plate.

Typical simple ZVEX interface with a single true bypass stomp switch, standard 1/4" input and output jacks, 5 knobs to adjust the sound. It runs off of a 9v battery but you can also purchase a plate that allows you to use a 9v DC power supply.

The controls are volume,gate,comp (compression),drive, and stab (stability)

UTILIZATION

Like with most Zvex pedals it is easy to set up and get a sound out of the pedal. Also like most Zvex pedals the best way to go about learning the pedal is to just start twisting knobs. The manual is written well enough to get you the general idea of what the controls do but they are so interactive with each other that it really needs to be heard to understand.

SOUND QUALITY

This is another effect pedal that is useful in many applications. I mainly use mine with guitar but have had great results processing vocals and drums through it. There are many different fuzz tones available but I bought this for the disgustingly over the top sounds it can produce. I typically set the drive pretty high and comp midway then adjust the gate so it barely contains the noise. Stab is adjusted depending on how I want the probe plate to react. Higher stab settings give you less control with the plate and slightly more predictable results. I say slightly because this pedal seems to sound different day to day. Some might see this as a down side but being more of a special effect in my set up I appreciate the unpredictability of it. Whatever your settings are you can almost be sure that your source signal will be mangled in the meanest of ways.

OVERALL OPINION

If you are looking for a fuzz pedal to use as a constant drive sound you might want to look elsewhere. There is no tone control or anything to help smooth the sound of this pedal out. You can mess with the controls a lot and get it somewhat stable and "normal" sounding but I don't think that is what it was intended for. It is pricey as well for something you might not use too much but that it how it is for a lot of Zvex gear. You are paying for the weirdness of it and the quality that it is built to. I have thought about selling it but every time I do I plug it in and decide to keep it. I think if I ever did get rid of it I would probably end up buying one again because there is nothing like it.

Zvex has recently gone beyond making pedals and started making something the world has never seen before. Basically, he attached the fuzz factory to a huge piece of copper that allows you to manipulate the RF field manually to create all kinds of bizarre sounds that would make even the most indie punk band blush. There are five knobs - volume, gate, comp, drive and stab. However, you'll be messing with the RF field the most.

UTILIZATION

Zvex did an amazing job in the way he laid out this pedal. It's easy to use, yet it's not. Just plugging into the pedal and playing will get you some neat fuzz tone going on. However, once you start moving things towards that RF field, all hell breaks loose. The pedal is really only limited to your imagination. Zvex's manuals are usually a bit haggard, so I recommend just trying to play with some settings and watch his videos to get a good description as to what this does.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound is bizarre, and I'm not sure I mean that in a good way. First of all, it sounds like an over the top fuzz once you just turn the thing on and start messing with the knobs. However, once you start moving your foot (or fingers) around the RF field generator, you get all kinds of wacky and crazy tones that don't seem to be replicable a second time. It's this human interaction with the sound that makes the pedal extremely fun to play, but it also is pretty impractical in a live setting.

OVERALL OPINION

If you're into noise makers, check out this pedal. It's a unique take on what an interactive RF field generating noise maker should be. To be honest, I don't recall having seen anything like this on the market besides that Zvex is doing. Be sure to take a look at the videos that Zvex has on his website so you can get a grasp as to how this thing works and what it exactly does.

Premire thing to note: The Fuzz Probe is nothing more than a Fuzz Factory with the button "Stab" is connected to a "plate CONTRL". So 90% are identical CHARACTERISTICS those of the Fuzz Factory. (See the excellent advice posted on this PDAL)

The PDAL is the result of a cross between a unique and indict Fuzz pedals and Thrmin (for more info on this instrument: http://www.thereminworld.com/)

And I warn prfre right away: this is intended to express pedals sound, this is not a distortion pedals as another store between one and a Big Muff Metal Zone, no!

So this is a Fuzz Factory pedals on which are fixed two plates of transparent plexiglass. On the top plate is available to a copper plate, whose sensitivity is adjustable through a Trounev.

This plate is used to vary the "Stab" between the position of the button "Stab" and the maximum possible. So if you turn the "Stab" Basically, you disable the plate, makes sense. Moreover, a red LED lights when the plate begins to act (that is quite handy ...).

The sensitivity of the plate is in position RULES mean for us to ask the earth and pedals to vary the sound by approaching the foot. It's really hard dcrire the behavior of the pedals. I suggest you to visit the site of vidos www.zvex.com to get an ide.

Personally, I use that appeared the most effective is to play this plate fingers, while my brother played his part in the guitar ...

Latest "dtails" pedals this is done by hand, hand painted by an artist named Jason Myold (www.jasonmyrold.com) numrote, each copy is unique. The bypass is a true bypass. It is even possible to contact directly Zvex for a particular look or customization of the pedals custom ... The PDAL is tudie to use the minimum possible, against 3mA 40mA for the Tube Screamer for example. It runs on 9 volt battery (included). You can buy a plate specially to connect the pedals called on the sector. Last but not least, these pedals are guaranteed for life Zvex!

UTILIZATION

Using the buttons rglages is really not easy, so I put a little 5. The buttons interact with each other and no mastery never really what you do. In beginners, adsoriente much. But when you understand that it is the intrt the pedals, you play the game and has become Tripp: It's almost always by chance we came across a cool sound!

Large positive, the manual supplied with dpart provides examples of providing a good dj ventail of what can bte. A quick ride on the forum www.zvex.com will allow you to glean from other posts rglages by other users of the FP.

A board nanmoins: I got the "recall sheet" and I note my systmatiquement rglages and prcisment (dixime a turn and the sound can change normment). Otherwise, I could lose a lot of time.

The use of the plate is plutt easy, even if a is less than wha wha: instead of running his foot about an axis, one approach or on the moves away, it supports more or less strong.

For those who have a DJ Fuzz Factory, know that the impact of the plate dpend bcp rglages and sounds. In some cases, has brought almost nothing, in other cases, it's pretty deadly.
Reaching the foot gently turn the knob back stab upwards. But the most fun is to tap the plate, and you can not make you IDE as you will not have the pedals in the hands ... This plate has much more impact than the rgalge "core" of the stab is low.

It's hard enough to make use of music, I feel a particular fate of the sound effects and one-off effects (intro, launching solo brothel end). seems to me a fairly complicated to use rgulirement scne (less than 4 feet get on the floor between each song to change rglages ...)

In this regard, a minor complaint Mr. Zvex, which could have put the buttons on the top of the pedals and not on the edge, even when t would have a more convenient!

SOUND QUALITY

- Effects are they effective, suitable and adequate ralistes?
Uh, the effects are mostly trs typs! will sound a "near normal" sounds frankly bar. The pedals can be rules for the Manir produce a continuous feedback, which we shall adopt ds resumes playing. allows a specific riffs trs, trs intrssants ... Especially since the "height" of the feedback is adjustable (with stab the button) and can vary if we approach the foot of the copper plate (those who know it well followed stab control button)

- Which instruments do you use?
Essentially the electric guitar (Les Paul ... Tl) For a big sound rhythm, it seems that the double coils are more suitable (and we do not use the copper plate). For sounds chelous, sound effects and other feedback, the simple T wonders. Note that the sound of the pedals dpend normment output level of the guitar. If chaining effect, it is advisable to put the first APRS Zvex guitar. I tried the system with a lot of effects including whammy, the wha wha, a truly open fields can be incredible, even if the final result is not destiny any music. .. In some cases, it also happens that mug on the radio (especially with the Tl and especially if the stab is below)!

I tried also on bass. Not bad, but clearly lacks low: the pedals does not make frquences bass produced by the instrument, it is a shame. I think cr has a Zvex pedals specially for low, the Woolly Mammoth, but it's not exactly the same thing as the Fuzz Factory and there's no brass plate.

I also tried on a lot of synth sounds, and with about the results BAR trs variables. I can not wait to try on a voice ...

OVERALL OPINION

- How long have you use it?
I use it for two months and I am delighted. But beware: this is clearly exprimentale pedals (especially the Fuzz Probe), intended to sound chelous, rough, aggressive. Lovers of great public sounds, rock FM, sounds clean and smooth, go your way. Fan of 70's fuzz and blues, forget too. The pedals are destined for big groups of rock, mtal and even trip hop, industrial, exprimentale of zik. For those who are not clibataires, prvoyez to test the pedals when your other half is missing, if you want to keep ...

The PDAL is filthy, unhealthy and rare and this is its strength!

Attention as a "dtail" yes, Muse uses a lot (Fuzz Factory Fuzz Probe), notament of Origin Of Symmetry, and in most of Muse lives between 2001 and 2003 beginners. The Fuzz Factory is fairly Submitted on Absolution (TSP, Blackout and some dubbing the sound of the Diezel on Stockholm Syndrome Hysteria or even). Klawn thank you for such precision.

But the sound coming out of the pedals feature a heavy t: with a big compression ratio, EQ drastically. And it especially as it gets to use real music. Personally, passes through a plug or LA2A 1176 Universal Audio and Galise to remove the top mdium a bit too aggressive and the fact carrment!

Zvex also warns users about using the button "Volume": the output level of the pedals of his dpend normment rglages is suddenly screw up the amp ( and ears). There should be appropriate physical, but a sound one, I am a sr that can range from 1 10!

- How do you report qualitprix?
So the it's a great question: yes it is expensive for what it is: a s'achte do on the Internet to USD. $ 299 on MusicToyz.
But hey, for a unique sound that no other pedals can not approach, To create sounds never heard elsewhere and pedals for a handmade, hand painted, numrote I think this is an excellent quality price. Limited budgets can aisment on just a Fuzz Factory to start!

- With the exprience, you do again this choice? ...
Yes, faster! I have a lot hsit I would not! At the versatile modlisation who wants to do everything, but in the end is not all good, was good to use a product that REALLY the characters, with a good use SPECIFICATIONS, who pedals a request rsiste and be tame, tame. was good in this Socit consumption, finally, I found ...

The advice of a professional who does post I offer my vision amateur.
The Fuzz Probe is a Fuzz Factory combines a Theremin is saying simply put, an antenna capturing the movements of the foot and acting like a rocker pedal.
As always with Zvex, construction type is vintage / modern.
- For the vintage, found among other NOS germanium transistors. For those who do not know too much, NOS means New Old Stock, this means "new old stock". The germanium transistors are no longer manufactured for a long time and have been replaced by silicon transistors, more efficient and more reliable. But then guitar in the imperfection of the old component is more musical, because the more "organic" and less "synthetic". This is true for many other components: lights against silicon diode rectification, Resistors Carbon mtal cons ... So the solution is to source with stocks of new transistors, made this glorious era, but which remain unsold. The difficulty is that it takes a two transistors and their fuzz CHARACTERISTICS should be similar. We must correct "pair" for a good fuzz (as for the power tubes in push-pull). This is done select the hand and only 10% of tests will utiliss transistors.
- For the modern look at the Theremin! A copper plate and captures a field cre radiofrquence modulated by your foot, hand or whatever you want. The issue then assign a parameter: a wah, volume or by a "stabilitquot; is to say the pitch (pitch) of the feedback.

Ct quality of construction, nothing wrong. Manufacturing is artisanal, hand-assembled and painted by hand. The painter (for mine My lord Jason) and Zack Vex affix their respective signatures on the pedals, including that of Zack, and severe based on copper antenna. PDAL each is unique.
The pedals have confidence: heavy, solid, well built, it is built to last.
With a little luck you can even get a custom finish!

Ct found rglages gain, volume, noise gate, compressor and the famous button "stabilitquot;. An input / output instrument complte the table.
Although a sr Switch on / off allows you to enable leffet.
The PDAL is powered by a 9V battery. No power supply possible. But rest assured you Zvex pedals consumes little trs.

The PDAL is a book in cardboard tui atypical wrapped in a cloth closed by ds fantasies.

UTILIZATION

An input / output for the guitar and Switch on / off: it's easy.

But then later to get complicated. Rgler to the pedals there are several paramtres interacting. To get a good sound you must tell the truth and express it falls on a sound we like by chance

The manual provided is more fun quinformatif As usual. Any fawn, Zack Vex we prvient ds The beginning: he does not know what will make lon this because he even does not know what to do!

The Theremin is against trs prcis ractif and even when the User with the fingers for an even more spectacular.

Despite these default I put 10/10 as your exact is surprising: we do not have pedals that what you will, it is plutt playing with us.

SOUND QUALITY

Well, let the sound. For the fuzz, cest happiness. The Fuzz Factory is the flagship product of dailleurs in Zvex. The compressor Intgr is useful and brings versatility. The noise gate shall adopt the unwanted ringing. But is not the intrt this pedals.

The characters of this effect is specific and trs trs spectacular to be simple, we like it or dtest. Dcrire impossible. Have a look and an ear on the Zvex site (very well done and really funny vidos). In any case you will not find anything comparable on the market.

If you like to express, you will not: 10/10.

If you like the sound and look for a classic fuzz mat: 0 / 10.

OVERALL OPINION

Among the Zvex pedals that offer, is there any need to remember, really unusual effects, the Fuzz Probe is certainly the most bizarre!
Finally his one true default is its quality: an extreme and indict that the practical limit that can not be for the amateur. For the professional with cons, it opens a field of exploration for the composition INTERESTED: Bellamy from Muse uses but are Korn and Tom Morello?

Ds when the problem is simple: you either love or you dtest. What also is quite true for all of Zack Vex pedals.

For those who love, outside sounds typs Zvex, you have also a very beautiful pedals, as original as his crateur.
Those who do not can not understand the craze for Zvex.

The price? Than the original! But when you love ...