NPD: The Skreddy Hybrid Fuzz Driver

Help!I'maRock!

Help!I'maRock!

Mediocringly Derivative
First impression: At bedroom levels, it definitely has more character than the GGG Red Llama, which has been my standard dirt for almost a decade now. There are more knobs and more control, and therefore a wider range of tones. This whole "humbucker tuned" thing is a sack of crap. It's definitely a stable fuzz, but that just means it doesn't get overloaded easily, like a regular Fuzz Face would.

Onto the pedalboard we go!
 
Kerouac said:
Or better yet a Tele? :embarrassed:
Click to expand...

Haven't gotten to the Telecaster yet. That's next.

So far, the thing I predicted would happen has happened. The Super Duper is now driving the Skreddy. And it's fan-damn-tastic. Which means I still need a Channel 2, but only as a buffer at the end of the chain.

The character of the silicon/germanium transistors really stands out against the Double Pickle Drive. Now mind you, I love the Pickle Drive. But there's a complexity to the Skreddy that the Llama circuit just doesn't have. It can play kinda stiff *chuckle* and can get farty at high gain. The Skreddy gets kinda soupy at high gain. There will be a lot of experimentation at rehearsal tonight.
 
tumblr_nik3v7wCgA1r1df3ao1_540.jpg


This is big.
 
Last edited:
So...rehearsal. I played through a Dr. Z KT45 into a Diezel 2x12.

First off, it took the Telecaster like a champ. IMO, the real test of this thing will be the Ric. But we'll get to that down the line. I have a gig on the 30th so everything right now is in prep for that gig. Guitars are the PRS and Telecaster.

So yes, the Hybrid Fuzz is a more stable fuzz. That quality is what drew me to the Llama all those years ago. If I could compare the two, I would say the Skreddy is vintage while the Llama is modern. The Skreddy has all of those fuzzy characteristics you're looking for in a fuzz without getting sputtery. The Llama is more linear and driving, with brazen mids.

As pictured above, I ended up with the Super Duper driving the Skreddy. Mostly using the red side. I'm going to use the yellow side to help normalize the levels of especially low output pickups on my Ric and Danos. I'm still looking for a Channel 2 to go after everything, as I need a buffer at the end for rehearsals.

I haven't quite figured out all the controls yet. But the advertising for the pedal is spot on. Use your guitar's volume and tone controls. Use your boosts in front of it. There's an incredible variety of tones and gain levels available simply by rolling back your controls. And for you single coil players, the mids control is really a pre-gain knob and works very well with single coils.
 
I've been playing this for almost a month now and have some ongoing impressions.

1. It doesn't necessarily like being driven by a dirty boost.
2. It doesn't really like boosts at all, but will tolerate a clean boost at long as you don't boost the ever living shit out of it.
3. Volume is really the most important thing. More = Better; which is why it loved that Dr. Z setup so much.

The Double Pickle Drive is back on the board, before the Skreddy. As noted before they have a modern vs. vintage vibe when played side by side. I still want to experiment with the Pickle boosting the HFD at volume so we'll leave it for now. I may bring back the Super Duper and run it totally clean, instead of as a dirty boost like I had been. But Marc is all about controlling it from your guitar's volume, and I'll be able to be more accurate with it if/when our singer joins us next month, and I can focus solely on guitar.
 
Rehearsal tonight. Playing through a shitty JCM900 combo that had the only half decent clean tone in the room. I normally play through the VHT Pittbull in that room, but it seems to have developed a faulty reverb tank that's impacting the sound even when off.

Anyway, I ran with the Pickle -> HFD combo today and it was awesome. I did boost the HFD with the gain way down on the A side of the Pickle, and it sounded great. Like a pushed amp about to explode, but without the fizz. I was able to manage the volume knob well and I dig the whole setup with the two dirt pedals. So we'll go with this for a while.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top