NPD Boss Hyper Fuzz FZ-2

[Skyhook]

I'm usually very vocal about my fondness for the Behringer Super Fuzz SF300.
As time went by I started GAS:sing more and more for the original(yes I know it's kind of a copy also... one step at a time) so now I've finally got my mitts on one of these things.

Ladies and gentlemen! I give you... The Boss Hyper Fuzz FZ-2.

"... RAWR!!!"​

Notable difference between the SF300 and the FZ-2 is that my much-loved Fuzz 2 -mode on the SF300 is at Fuzz I on the FZ-2. This mode is chaos incarnate.
The other mode is mostly Big Muff -like, and nothing wrong with that, of course.

Is it better than the cheapo then?
Well, yes... but really not by that much at all. Seems to be a little bit more quality to the grain-age here. The wild ringmod-like things you can do with doublestops seem more pronounced on the SF300, actually. The grain quality on the FZ-2 on the other hand is awesome. It's a really high quality offering of broken chaos.

Only cloud to this silver lining is that the LED was busted. Had me scared as I thought the whole thing was a dud, but no... it's just the LED.
Better a working pedal and a busted LED than the other way around.

Now... let the chaos commence!

 

[johnny k]

I had one and i traded it or sold it . Probably the only piece of gear i ever sold. I sort of regret it. I think mine was defective because when i was on the gain boost, it was a clean sound full volume, but there was still a very little bit of fuzz in the background.

 

[Skyhook]

I had one and i traded it or sold it . Probably the only piece of gear i ever sold. I sort of regret it. I think mine was defective because when i was on the gain boost, it was a clean sound full volume, but there was still a very little bit of fuzz in the background.

Yeah.. there was probably some leak in there somewhere then because that boost should be clean as a whistle.
Which makes me wonder... WHY?! Not to you particularly, but more an open question to the design team...
Why would anybody buy a Fuzz pedal capable of producing sounds that can summon the elder gods and then use it as a clean boost?!

 

[johnny k]

I'm usually very vocal about my fondness for the Behringer Super Fuzz SF300.
As time went by I started GAS:sing more and more for the original(yes I know it's kind of a copy also... one step at a time) so now I've finally got my mitts on one of these things.

Ladies and gentlemen! I give you... The Boss Hyper Fuzz FZ-2.

View attachment 911608
"... RAWR!!!"​

Notable difference between the SF300 and the FZ-2 is that my much-loved Fuzz 2 -mode on the SF300 is at Fuzz I on the FZ-2. This mode is chaos incarnate.
The other mode is mostly Big Muff -like, and nothing wrong with that, of course.

Is it better than the cheapo then?
Well, yes... but really not by that much at all. Seems to be a little bit more quality to the grain-age here. The wild ringmod-like things you can do with doublestops seem more pronounced on the SF300, actually. The grain quality on the FZ-2 on the other hand is awesome. It's a really high quality offering of broken chaos.

Only cloud to this silver lining is that the LED was busted. Had me scared as I thought the whole thing was a dud, but no... it's just the LED.
Better a working pedal and a busted LED than the other way around.

Now... let the chaos commence!

Does yours do that too ?
Oh ok thanks for the answer. Yeah, weird choice there.

 

[fidopunk]

I got bored a couple months back and bought a bunch of SF-300's and re-housed them in metal enclosures and better (re: any) artwork.

I found that on certain settings, yes, weird ring mod action.

 

[Doomguy]

I was just messing around with some Dopethrone era Electric Wizard riffs today on my seven string and wishing mine was around (in storage while I move). I love this pedal so much.

 

[radiocaster]

I had one and i traded it or sold it . Probably the only piece of gear i ever sold. I sort of regret it. I think mine was defective because when i was on the gain boost, it was a clean sound full volume, but there was still a very little bit of fuzz in the background.

That's what it's supposed to do. On a clean amp anyway.

But if you put it on a very crunchy amp, you'll get more gain and distortion.

 

[Skyhook]

I was just messing around with some Dopethrone era Electric Wizard riffs today on my seven string and wishing mine was around (in storage while I move). I love this pedal so much.

If it's gonna be a while, do yourself a favor and pick up the SF300 to tide you over. It costs "nothing" and it gets you really close to the FZ-2.

EDIT: I'm 3 guitars deep in ERG:s myself. What kind of 7 are you playing?

 

[johnny k]

That's what it's supposed to do. On a clean amp anyway.

But if you put it on a very crunchy amp, you'll get more gain and distortion.

Well the OP said it was supposed to be very clean. I don't know.

 

[Doomguy]

If it's gonna be a while, do yourself a favor and pick up the SF300 to tide you over. It costs "nothing" and it gets you really close to the FZ-2.

EDIT: I'm 3 guitars deep in ERG:s myself. What kind of 7 are you playing?

I only have about a week left, I think I'll be okay. I'm playing an LTD SH-207. Signature model of one of the dudes from Korn. I'm not a Korn fan at all but he made a really solid guitar. Tuned to drop G# at the moment.

 

[Skyhook]

Well the OP said it was supposed to be very clean. I don't know.

It's a really loud boost. Might be it clips some waves here and there in whatever devices the output goes into, but from what I hear it's clean.

Both my FZ-2 and SF300 sound clean when boosting.

 

[johnny k]

It's a really loud boost. Might be it clips some waves here and there in whatever devices the output goes into, but from what I hear it's clean.

Both my FZ-2 and SF300 sound clean when boosting.

Well i was putting that on the clean channel of my peavey.
It was clean and loud, but i could hear the fuzz 1 effect very slightly in the background.

 

[radiocaster]

Well the OP said it was supposed to be very clean. I don't know.

That's what I said. On a clean amp, it doesn't distort. You have to put it on a distorted amp and crank the gain knob on the pedal to get more distortion.

 

[johnny k]

That's what I said. On a clean amp, it doesn't distort. You have to put it on a distorted amp and crank the gain knob on the pedal to get more distortion.

There is some kind of communication breakdown here. Don't worry, it also happens with my work mates.

I could hear a slight fuzz 1 sound with the gain boost on, on a clean amp. Is that how it is supposed to work ? I would need to find another one, but they are not so common nowadays.

I was probably using it wrong.

 

[radiocaster]

There is some kind of communication breakdown here. Don't worry, it also happens with my work mates.

I could hear a slight fuzz 1 sound with the gain boost on, on a clean amp. Is that how it is supposed to work ? I would need to find another one, but they are not so common nowadays.

I was probably using it wrong.

No, it's not of much use with a clean channel.

I think I had both the volume and gain at max, the tone doesn't do anything in boost mode (edit: although thinking about it, I'm not sure the volume knob did anything in that mode either), but the idea is to use it in a crunchy, fairly distorted amp, to get more distortion. That's how I used it. It may need to be a tube amp, not sure a solid-state will do that.

 

[johnny k]

yeah i was probably using it wrong.