Slim Pickins' and Obscure Brands Pedal Selection in Antananarivo - Do I buy?

[Ted]

When I went to buy the noise gate, they accidentally brought out a pedal that wasn't on display: Hot Mushrooms by Dream Maker.

Later I did some research and found out it's a well-reviewed Caline compression pedal, based on the MXR Dyna Comp (only better, say two reviewers on YouTube). Such as this shootout video, with a racist touch at the very end:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzMiaHYzPoo

So I went back to buy the compressor over the weekend, and I really had to press them to look for the pedal. At first they were like, "We don't know what you are talking about. Everything we have is here in the display."

And I said, "I saw it in this guy's hand," gesturing to the sales guy. "It said 'Hot Mushrooms' and I went and researched it online, and now I want it!"

They looked at me like I was crazy. But they remembered me from the previous trip to the store, and they retraced their steps as best they could remember. Viola! They found it!

I did a little more research and discovered that Dream Maker was a short-lived Chinese guitar company. Their website was live for less than two years between 2016 and 2017 (per the Wayback machine).

But they must have gone to the factory that makes Caline pedals, and then had a bunch of identical pedals made with their brand name. Maybe these guys in Madagascar grabbed all the pedals when Dream Maker liquidated.

Anyway, I'm just happy that the limited selection here turns out to be decent quality.

[WarpCanada]

Can you order pedals and have them delivered from AliExpress?

MOSKY Black RAT Distortion Mini Guitar Effect Pedal True Bypass [aliexpress]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2255800002565474.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.569c5fddo0NLDK&algo_pvid=a39955b0-265f-416f-ad45-c32849c5989c&aem_p4p_detail=202301172012566310477068736050003384444&algo_exp_id=a39955b0-265f-416f-ad45-c32849c5989c-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2210000000706687360%22%7D&pdp_npi=2%40dis%21USD%2129.72%2121.99%21%21%21%21%21%40211bf14716740151763641204d06c8%2110000000706687360%21sea&curPageLogUid=ShhxtOFSWRsx&ad_pvid=202301172012566310477068736050003384444_1&ad_pvid=202301172012566310477068736050003384444_1

^ This one is around $20 and is as good as any $399 boutique fuzz pedal.

Fuzz pedals sound like trash unless you have a tube preamp to shove them in front of, frankly.

Also fuzz pedals are very sensitive to position in your signal chain, the only place that sounds good is where the fuzz pedal can "see your guitar". That means you plug your guitar into the fuzz pedal.    The guitar's electronics are part of the circuit, there's no buffer and no isolation in the fuzz pedal and if you put it somewhere else in your chain, it will be bad.

If you don't own a tube amp, and want the analog fuzz experience, I would save your coins up for a Blackstar HT 5R a small home practice size amp with a real great tube preamp circuit, and a fantastic clean and drive channel.   If you want fuzz at home without getting evicted from your apartment, that's the way.

These days you can great digitally modelled fuzz effects and you don't need a tube amp to do it.  The fuzz modelling in the Positive Grid Spark amp is genius, so is the Line6 PodGo, Line6 Helix, and frankly, have great fake fuzz that sounds great to me.

[Ted]

Can you order pedals and have them delivered from AliExpress?

I have never ordered anything from AliExpress. And I don't know anyone in Madagascar who has.

The shipping price is a little bit unbelievable. It might be worth ordering something inexpensive as a test.

I have received several packages here over the years that were just shipped standard post. Only one of those packages never made it.

As for fuzz: I got myself an MXR Poly Blue Octave pedal for Christmas. It has fuzz built into it, based on their Blue Box fuzz pedal. So I'm all set in the fuzz Department, unless I become dissatisfied.

BTW: The store here in Antananarivo assures me that the Dream Maker brand is still around (same OEM for pedals as Caline) and they had a Joyo brand multi-effects pedal (along with other petals from the same OEM but not branded Joyo).

$118 US

So it's not a complete pedal desert here.

[WarpCanada]

The thing is because it is coming from china and shipping from china is CHEEEEEP this may be your best bet for anything that was already made in China.

[Zoltan]

Fuzz pedals sound like trash unless you have a tube preamp to shove them in front of, frankly.

Also fuzz pedals are very sensitive to position in your signal chain

I'm not saying that i sound like much (i might sound better before i start mixing ), BUT not all fuzz pedals need a tube amp. And tube amps are not equal either. The only tube amp i have at the moment is a small Marshall amp, and it sounds like boobarella (not a real word i think!) with fuzz pedals. It truly hated the fuzz face pedal. Shrill...

Weirdly Boss Katana mini didn't sound that bad with (some) fuzz pedals. But i didn't try it out that much. Humboldt Simplifier worked great with most fuzz pedals and so does (to my ears) the UAD Dream 65 amp pedal.

Some youtube demos do make the fuzz & "add something solid state / digital here" to sound like *ss yet they're always claiming how "great" they sound. That can also lead to confusion.

I've tried about +/- 20 fuzz pedals now and only a few have been cranky (I'm looking at you Big Muff Rams head(*) and not all are that specific about the signal chain placement either. Especially some more modern updated circuits are far more forgiving with their placement on the chain.

One thing to remember with fuzz pedals is that they act a bit different compared to regular dirt pedals. For example with fuzz face the best tone is found dialing it with the guitars volume knob rather than with the pedal. This is something i sometimes forget when playing with fuzz pedals. And pedals like Fat Fuzz Factory truly change their feel / sound / everything with different levels of guitar volume. Nothing THIS magical happens with regular distortion/overdrive pedals.

(* I'm literally looking at the Big Muff pedal all the time. It's on the table. I guess i'm punishing myself for not liking it.

[WarpCanada]

Valid points.

I now have two amps that I like my fuzz pedals in front of.  One is a digital amp, a Line6 AX2 212  (2x12 cab and early 2000s digital modelling amp).

The other is a Fender 100W Evil Twin amp with 2x12 cab.

The magic formula for my ears and my fuzz pedals if there is one isn't tube or not, it's 2x12 or not.

I think it's that these 12" speakers have so little high end clarity that the Fuzz doesn't sound like a fizzy dog fart anymore.

Perhaps the same effect could be had with an EQ pedal.