.Lo and behold, the Bass Player issue from December 2006 turned up near the bottom of the final stack! In total, 39 pedals were tested, but bear in mind that they had their own criteria for inclusion (not that they were terribly consistent about it) and these are all pedals suitable for bass even if designed for guitar (there may be great fuzz pedals for guitar that would sound wiry on the bass and thus got overlooked).
To start out with, let's reiterate how they classify pedals. According to Bass Player magazine, "distortion" refers to all pedals that distort, and breaks down into two categories of "overdrive" and "fuzz", with pedals labeled as "distortion" being one or the other with no consistency. I think many people would challenge this definition, as I was taught early on that distortion refers to odd harmonics and overdrive to even harmonics.
They go on further to describe overdrive as being an emulation of vacuum tubes driven to distortion, with fuzz pedals being intentionally harsh and intense. I disagree with this definition of fuzz, but whatever
.Having gotten that out of the way, I have used my own criteria (namely my experience as a bassist and before that a guitarist) to determine which of the 39 pedals are worth noting for your purposes.
Bixonic Expandora EXP-2000R ($150) is a reissue of a classic pedal that I am not familiar with. It is said to have a pleasant midrange quality that is occasionally absent in other fuzz tones, but does not itself have a tone control (the one that is present serves only as a high-end rolloff). It is shaped like a tuna can and is quite attractive and durable. Distributed by Godlyke, who are mentioned in my previous post. Worth checking out.
Chunk Systems Brown Dog ($232) is a versatile fuzz box whose drive knob governs a fuzz-tone waveform by amplifying the signal before the clipping circuit. When turned all the way up in "hard" mode, it doles out a buzzsaw square wave tone (a contradiction!) according to the review. Less questionable is the comment that it allows for a crisp and precise fuzz sound with zero noise between plucking attacks. This description sounds rather opposite the character of the famous Maestro FuzzTone.
Frantone Electronics Bassweet ($235) is the bass version of "The Sweet" which I mentioned earlier, and I only list it here to possibly illimunate the guitar-oriented pedal in absence of a review of that one. It is said to be the best constructed, and to have a classic fuzz sound with a vivid harmonic signature. This sounds more your cup of tea. Of note is the limited lifetime warranty, which goes way beyond most manufacturers.
Gallien-Krueger Diesel Dawg ($199) is essentially a pedal version of the high gain circuit from the flagship GK 2001RB bass head, and I was hesitant to mention it before or include it here as it is so oriented towards bass players, but as it has the most flexible EQ control of any of the fuzz-oriented pedals and is easy to find in stores to try out, it is worth considering. It has a gritty fuzz tone with lots of sustain, adding chirpy harmonics at higher settings.
Homebrew Harmonics Hematoma ($155) sounds like a disease in title and apparently sounds like one in tone as well
. It has a switch that effectively flips it between two basic sounds, ranging from raspy low-gain fur to all-out squashed fuzz, with excellent note-to-note composure and control. There is an EQ SHIFT function that thickens the sound by extending the range.Prescription Electronics Depth Charge ($220) is a simple all-around fuzz pedal without the self-oscillating freak of some more extreme pedals. The blend knob helps preserve low-end, and the tone control is a set of active filters that substantially alter the sonic signature.
Roger Mayer Voodoo-Bass ($219) is a bass version of the famous Octavia pedal that Jimi Hendrix favoured. It has both a hard-wired output and two bufferred outputs. The fuzz is particularly colourful in the upper mids. The basic concept is an octave-up-plus-fuzz sound, so the bass version might even be more appropriate for regular electric guitar for many fuzz tones.
I will briefly mention the T.Rex Bass Juice and its identical (except for colour and logo) Vintage Bass Distortion model from TC Electronic, as there may be more guitar-appropriate pedals from that partnership that I haven't taken note of yet. The bass pedal at least is well thought of and is a reissue of a 1970's pedal that helped get TC started before they switched their focus over from analog guitar pedals to digital reverbs and effects. It is a fairly gritty fuzz tone pedal that can be pushed to extremes and is unlikely to match the sound of famous 60's British rock bands.
Most of the other pedals are clearly bad matches for your quest, but there are many esoteric ones that have no equivalents and as they are rarely found or seen discussed might be worth mentioning. Some are in the envelope shaper category, for instance. Let me know if you'd like a brief write-up of some of them.
