Stacking Pedals (Commodity Fuzz & Buffalo Days)
Brace yourself for a clashing of titans as we combine the dreamy reverb of Buffalo Days with the chaotic breakup of Commodity Fuzz for some absolutely wild sounds. We’ll begin each clip with a quick sample of the bypass signal before adding some reverb from Buffalo Days, and finally adding some some dirt from Commodity Fuzz, let’s go!
0:00 - 1:15 Spring de-cleaning.
In this first clip, we’ll use Buffalo Day’s spring mode with a high mix and medium depth to create some lush space around our guitar. It’s a dramatic verb sound with tons of vibe, but the decay is short enough to keep it from getting muddy. Now that we have our reverb where we want, let’s add Commodity Fuzz. With volume and fuzz both around eleven o’clock and the filter set to about three, we get a ripping fuzz tone with a flubby low end and prickly treble characteristic. This pairing works exceptionally well for achieving maximum griminess while also creating a sense of atmosphere.
1:16 - 2:15 Gatecreeper.
Next, let’s check out Buffalo Day’s room mode paired with a nastier Commodity Fuzz setting. With medium mix and depth levels, you can achieve a very convincing room sound that helps to warm up a dry signal. Adding Commodity Fuzz to the mix, we get a thick gated fuzz tone, with a velcro-like breakup. When combined, they create an aggressive sound that works well for big chords and dissonant bends, all while adding a subtle decay to help soften the edges.
2:16 - 3:34 Big verb for big fuzz.
Now let’s check out some plate sounds! Buffalo Day’s plate mode crates a bright and reflective reverb, with a slightly metallic quality. We’ve dialed in a medium mix and low depth for a big reverb with a quick decay. With our reverb all set, we can move on to adding some grit with Commodity Fuzz! For this section we’ve set the fuzz control to about two o’clock, giving us a searing fuzz tone that conjures up images of burning amplifiers and blown speakers. The resulting combination is an in your face lead tone with a noticeable reverb trail, perfect for when the riff must be HUGE.
3:35 - 4:35 Infinite aura.
Now that we’ve heard some mild reverb sounds, let’s dial in something more spacious. With Buffalo Day’s room mode set to a high mix and depth, we can achieve some serious ambience. Single notes are stretched with a long and slow decay, creating a “cushion” of sound. Adding Commodity Fuzz to the mix gives us a big increase in sustain, while also adding tons of interesting textural variation. This combo is like having a cheat code to elevate simple ideas into inspiring musical passages.
4:36 - 5:57 Wet and wild.
Let’s explore the room mode a little more, but this time we’ll dial back the depth control. In addition to lowering the reverb depth, we’ll also reduce Commodity Fuzz’s gain while opening up the filter to produce a completely different tonality. Increasing the filter control will introduce more of the octave up sound, making the fuzz sound more sputtery. This fuzz and reverb combination creates a “broken amp down a well” kind of tone that is as fun as it is unique.
5:58 - 6: 57 Sweet and salty,
For this section, we’ve dialed Buffalo Days to a bouncy spring reverb sound. This creates bright and lively reflections with a percussive “drip” on the attack of each note. As far as Commodity Fuzz goes, we’ve maxed out the fuzz control to create a roaring wall of gain. The low end is loose, the mids are focused, while the highs stay smooth and controllable. This combo demonstrates how mixing subtle and extreme settings can result in surprisingly useable tones.
6:58 - 8:10 Subtle like a bear trap.
Lastly, let’s revisit Buffalo Day’s hall setting to create some warm and spacious atmosphere around our playing. We’ve dialed in medium amounts of both mix and depth for a reverb that sounds big but doesn’t hang around too long. Now let’s toughen up this signal chain with some help from Commodity Fuzz. Even with a modest setting of the fuzz control, we get a robust and aggressive sound, with wooly lows and complexly jagged highs. This pairs nicely with our reverb setting to create a unique and intense lead sound with loads of character.
Let’s make some noise!
Now that we’ve explored the possible, let’s go and create the impossible. Click the button below to purchase Commodity Fuzz.
