ZVex Fuzz Factory - I heard a lot of great stuff about this thing!

Everyone references this pedals as the "must have" of Fuzzes... so let's check it out!
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[@will0wisp258]

So, the thing i hear quite often about this pedal is that the knobs dont really do a thing on their own, but that they interact extremely heavy with each other. So, testing it knob by knob might not be the way to go here.

[@alexisschrodinger75]

This pedal requires a previous reading of the manual, every pot has effect on the others, specially Stab. Not a good video to demostrate the Fuzz Factory possibilities.

[@EytschPi42]

I would fully agree with that!

[@frantisekvtelensky820]

Many people still bitchin' about this crazy cool effect, mostly, cuz they don't know how to play with it. It can sounds great and very versatile if you want. You must play with all knobs, cuz they are connected togehter and tney interact with each other. Also, you must play with your volume and tone on guitar. I love this pedal to death, so inspirational! From almost clean, overdrive, over light fuzz, Hendrix, big wall of doom, self oscilation and velcro ripping. To me, nothing on the market is simillar to this. If you know how to use it (and believe me, it's simple), you'll maybe find your new favourite fuzz! :) (Matt Bellamy, Jack White, Queens of the stone age, Trent Reznor, John Frusciante, Billy Gibbons, Stephen Carpenter and tons of other players.)

[@algarridm]

František Vtelenský Fuzz Factory was my favourite pedal... currently, my favourite pedal is Fuzz Factory 7.

[@peelarat9578]

Amazing fuzz like hendrix old orbit .. also does mimic the blown speaker sound smash mouth used a broken pedal to get. Bassy rich fat fuzz my favorite.. little turn of knob makes wonders

[@izzybella2936]

Yep it sure is a great fuzz. But jack white actually plays the whooly mamoth.

[@pauk.w]

This is definitely a pedal to look up reference charts for settings. The versatility and sounds you can get out of it are crazy - online I found sounds I never would have found alone in a thousand years. It's certainly not a pedal to twiddle knobs for five minutes and leave it at that. Some of the great sounding settings are balancing on a knife point with crazy ear-destroying buzz on either side. Lack of control is definitely a valid criticism though. I'm on the look out on a fuzz that is easier to dial in to accompany my fuzz factory. Tempted by the JHS pollinator or some kind of tonebender clone.

[@RobbieTayVaughan]

Scribble I picked up a slash edition octave fuzz with blend controls for up and lower and cab do either by themselves or just fuzz. Its nuts

[@stefankarlssonice]

This is a classic tweakers' pedal which involves interplay between the 5 different dials and the guitar's volume and tone knobs. As another reader states below it does not work to simply try each dial in isolation - you need to work across all the different parameters - therefore not for the press and play crew. It's mostly intended for more gnarlier gated and velcro sounds anyway.

[@frozencons]

Love the Fuzz Factory for the "everything's exploding" type sound. That headstock is terrible.

[@ethanmichael7940]

It's amazing

[@geraldfriend256]

80s. Straight headstocks on curvy guitars nope

[@predz23]

No humbuckers, p90s or different amps to test the ZVex with for the video....?

[@qzgrd]

Might be a trick to read the manual

[@anthonysclafani3963]

It takes a while to figure out the right settings for this one. It's very wild & unpredictable

[@gurrgurr1023]

OMG, the pedal has no problem, it's you. You can get very useful tones out of that fuzz, just turn tge stability all the way up instead of down and use the gate knob. Then use the guitar volume for backing off the gain. Bad demo, there are a lot of demos showing the pedal's potential.

[@jayceburns8246]

Bad Henning... no soup for you!

[@quadrogong1111]

Love you bro.. please burn that shirt. That is all.

[@DusterBuglas]

You gotta have the “stab” all the way to the right to get normal fuzz sounds. It’s odd but that’s why you should read the manual

[@drearynonsense203]

That because it’s a stability knob, all the way up is stable, all the way down is unstable

[@wisteela]

I love the crazy sounds

[@jsalmons84]

It’s a gnarly fuzz that’s hard to tame, but no other fuzz can do what it can. It’s basically a germanium fuzz face with a pot for every parameter of the circuit.

[@yaire8648]

Haha, dear Henning, everybody knows you don't like fuzz. This is so bad for you that you almost forgot your animals at the end. My 2c; Yes, it is a destruction box which I can turn into a sweet overdrive when I turn my guitar volume 10% down on my Ibanez with P90s. The stab knob = stability, The pedal goes into raging self-oscillation quite quickly which can be fun, but the stab knob gives you the opportunity to ceate a 'cleaner' fuzz tone. And user error? No. But all the knobs interact quite heavily and take some time to understand (and looking at the presets on the ZVex site gives you some pretty different tones).

[@TheToneLounge]

I'm going to make a vdeo explaining how to use this pedal. It does crazy stuff, but it doesn't have too. You can use it like a normal fuzz if you understand how to set it up. I think it's a fantastic pedal and I use it a lot. I like the fact that you were honest, without bashing this pedal. Great review! Cheers

[@Raklarpt]

If you want a cheaper and more controllable alternative to the Fuzz Factory, look into the Mastotron. There's a lot less interaction between the dials, so it's easier to get the sound you want out of it.

[@belmontxr100]

You need to cut out all the shenanigans and stick to playing music

[@EytschPi42]

so I should stop exactly what makes me tons of money, gets me tons of gear and makes me happy because YOU tell me to? Good idea! What else do you have for me?

[@doomerius1300]

Destruction 100 😆

[@MeneerKB]

I really like those Macmull guitars! Too bad I don't have the moneys. Maybe one day...

[@Subtle-System]

The best fuzz circuit ever made

[@kaicottrell1560]

And the Mosrite Fuzzrite by ed sanner

[@centocerez]

I had it a while ago. It could be a great studio pedal because it has a lot of different tones, from 60's fuzz face to selfoscillating madness to broken bitchrusher. That being said, it's completely unusable in live applications exept for the selfoscillating madness part, because the germanium transistor change the sound response depending on the source of power, on the temperature/humidity and how they damn feel like that day. Add the fact that even a microadjustment on one of the pots could completely change the sound and you can undertand the results.

[@peelarat9578]

bsaid the magic word micro adjustment and the stab the main time change with interacts with the other knobs including your time and volumes on your guitar .

[@steezorteez9829]

Why do people judge so much about headstocks?? I dont give a shit..

[@charleyeastman1795]

I would be very interested to see a follow up video to this one now that all the literature is out on the pedal and there are tons of settings examples in different places. One of those videos where the you of today gets to laugh at the you of yesteryear.

[@lapinmaki]

In early 80:s I got one cheap fuzz pedal that sounds almost same. When it's battery is almost run out. Sounds shitty.

[@geraldfriend256]

Exactly what the stab on the fuzzz factory does..mimicks a dying battery..

[@sergiopedro4668]

I own the Fuzz Factory and it takes a little while to learn its idiosyncrasies. It ranges from punchy to spitty and does have some interesting versatility. For example, with your guitar volume turned it down got some--dare I say, more "subtle" dirt? Finally, even though I disagree with you here a little, I very much appreciate your videos, sometimes even the humor. :)) Please keep up the great work.

[@atalayo3o0o]

the best farting sound ever! i want one.

[@aaatmusic]

I sold mine as it was constantly picking up radio stations.

[@peelarat9578]

He doesn't know how to use it .. he never dailed in bassy fuzz... this amazing pedal

[@bryanmcmanus2788]

The headstock isn't that bad. It looks like any Strat neck can be repurposed as a Macmull just by sawing off the curved parts.

[@johnstitt2615]

Do a show on pedals and coffee. I don’t know. Thinking of anything.

[@krispatel1]

I have the probe version, it's awesome. I run it through an octave down pedal to bring back the missing bass and make it synthy

[@brainsplosion3000]

awesome tip, thanks!

[@geraldfriend256]

Like the hack..definately one way to take the shreik out..

[@sadhappy8860]

Fuzz is the hardest effect to get right. It is just instant fun though. Even for you that shirt is terrible

[@michael_staples757]

Hi, do you know a cheap alternative to this pedal?

[@felixXawesome]

You can buy the pcb and build one yourself. I just did that, came out really great and is amazingly cheap.

[@Meccarox]

Lol he doesn’t even know how to use the pedal.

[@borututuforte]

obnoxious guy

[@brainsplosion3000]

LOVE THE SWEATER!

[@rickymize8673]

Almost sounds like it has octave going on

[@therealjulez7886]

this pedal is a joke if u don't use it correctly .. I also heard it can damage ur gear. wish someone would post proper settings.

[@williamolsen20]

I have done some cool stuff with this pedal, but it is a hard one to get under control. It is not for everyone either, and if you already don't care for fuzz, then you will despise this.

[@dragonsquare2802]

I think It might have been either the more expensive version or just another pedal where I got the subtleness from... 🤔 i tested quite a few pedals back then..😅

[@Illuminatus5]

My first thought was that he was in the effects Loop after the preamp and thats why the signal was too high xD but i get the volume knob thing

[@EnderRap1]

Thanks for the slow-motion claw sound explanation hahahaha.

[@eraritjaritjaka1]

vorher einfach mal die Gebrauchsanleitung lesen ;((

[@Tombo_Glock]

2:48 fookin' creepy 😅

[@anguspotter-irwin7126]

The best that's what she said .

[@DerEchteBold]

Häh? Helge Schneider is dein Bruder?!?

[@liamtahaney713]

I love the sound hahaha

[@cvtataryn]

Such a strange ass pedal! I'm Die Hard ZVEX, but, I'll admit my FuzzFactory has been collecting dust for years now..

[@nsrfreak]

Yeah I ended up selling mine, along with 27 others. I had a bit of an obsession for a while with collecting pedals but in the end if I wasn't getting much use I let it go.

[@geraldfriend256]

Yep

i just love it :)

[@Kurt1969]

Thank god for overdrive and distortion ;)

[@Obigrobi666]

I love Fuzzes, I played a Fuzz Factory and I dont like it at all.

[@EasyHeat]

Love Zack's stuff, and the awesome burger sweater.

[@KenGotGuitar]

Thanks for the entertaining video for a horrible sounding pedal.

[@I.am_Groot]

Somebody figured out a way to take a pedal, and make farting fuzz sounds with a guitar. Cool?

[@guyfromnj]

I like fuzz. I have the veteran from thorpyfx. You should try to check out the thorpy line Henning. They are really great sounding pedals. I like subtle silicon fuzz that can get cleaned up real nice with the volume knob. I don't understand the purpose of some of these crazy fuzzes is. They sound like bees in a can. I dig stoner metal and doom so like I get the whole wall of sound droney fuzz thing but idk. Just not my thang I suppose. You did get some decent tones out of this though. If anyone can it's Mr. Henning. Check out thorpy! The veteran is my favorite silicon fuzz. Very Hendrix. Love it.

[@markferguson3745]

It says something that the FF is still a pertinent subject so long after it's release.Number one vital bit of info for those non germanium savvy- NO buffers any where before , or even directly after; in some cases, it might still function,but they will deprive ( the Ge fuzz)of their most vital capacity- volume knob clean up and control.Many(most) wahs, volume pedals, tuners, and compressors their worst enemies.

[@the-np4mr]

Lol

[@markferguson3745]

@@the-np4mr Meaning what?

[@RockmannMusic]

Thanks for the effort. Well done as always . . Nonetheless the pedal sounds like a wet fart. A good ol' EH Big Muff, slightly modded, is still doing a better job

[@IPushHard]

No fuzz is worth that much money. Of the zillions of pedal builders out there, something else will do the same thing...maybe even better for less money. 5 dollars worth of electronics. Less than 1 dollar worth of wire (maybe). A PCB. A metal box. A couple of knobs and switches. A screen printed graphic. Nope. I can find a flubby, farty, fuzz anywhere. Me thinks this pedal suffers from delusions of grandeur.

[@greendragon2471]

IPushHard it's only like 200$ dude. And I havent seen anything cheap like that

[@IPushHard]

green dragon Id guess that youre not looking very hard. In my book, 200.00 is a lot for a pedal. There are at least 100 options out there. Why spend more when you dont have to? Also, i didnt think the fuzz was better than average. Give me some smooth velvety fuzz anytime instead of some random mystery fuzz. The Biyang Baby Boom Fuzz sounds better. Ebay 40-60 dollars. Theres a good value.

[@greendragon2471]

IPushHard not totally disagreeing with you. But sometimes I only find what I need in the more expensive shit. Most I don't need, some of it is really good and original. But I'm down wit cheap shit too. Id tell anyone a boss sd-1 for 50 is better than a tube screamer for 180. Even if the tube screamer was 50. But it's all apples and oranges deep down.

[@JimijaymesProductions]

IPushHard find me a really good sounding tonebender mk 2 for under 100 bucks then, some pedals can be done cheap cos they use current parts others can't because you have to screen loads of vintage parts to find ones in the right values and that costs money. Also most of those costs go to rnd, business costs, dealers, advertising etc plus a company needs to profit.

[@greendragon2471]

JimijaymesGuitarist and depending where it's made as well. This shit has to be assembled and put together and tested and shit

[@micha-elcleveland1265]

My $100 Peavey Predator sounds better than your multi-thousand $ guitar. Why you may ask? It has a functional volume pot, and when I use it in conjuction with the tone pot I get fabulous fuzz tones. Too bad your guitar does not do that.

[@micha-elcleveland1265]

You were of no help in my fuzz journey. Go learn from Dan and Mick please before you do another flat fuzz review.

[@DerEchteBold]

Henning doesn't like Fuzzes and he isn't a Blues Guy, so you can't expect a Blues guy Fuzz usage video from him ; ) Btw, Dan&Mick may be very knowledgable in certain fields but I don't find their videos very entertaining, it's been quite some time since I watched one of theirs for longer than 1-2 minutes.

[@JimijaymesProductions]

DerEchteBold exactly, Dan and mick are great but even they struggle out of their comfort zone like their shoegaze video which sounded nothing like shoegaze. That's why if you want to know anything you listen to different youtubers and demo's.

[@zhou_sei]

any electric guitar can be easily modified to have the same level of control as you think you have

[@albert1908]

lol

[@ShaneGelven]

I have three rules for guitar gear, 1) your guitar must stay in tune, 2) your guitar must be comfortable to hold and 3) your amp needs to NOT sound like your next door neighbors lawn mower. This pedal breaks rule number three.