Let’s face it. There are boutique pedal makers the world over. And just cause it’s a hand-painted, custom-designed pedal doesn’t instantly mean it should be worth $400. But more often than not, if it bears the Z-Vex name, chances are it should be. These pedals simply sound one-of-a-kind. Most famous for their Fuzz Factory (think every guitar line Matt Bellamy has ever played), Z-Vex’s Woolly Mammoth is the only pedal in their collecton declared as a bass effect. While it doesn’t quite have the sonic breadth of a Big Muff, the Woolly Mammoth has a fat bottom end (which most bass distortions lose when they’re engaged), and a fantastic buzz-saw growl in the upper-frequencies. It’s perfect for cutting through a mix.
Although this pedal lacks both a power jack (apparently the current draw is so low you could leave it on for months and it won’t sound any different) and a power-on LED (according to Z-Vex, “you’ll know when it’s on!”), Z-Vex eventually came around and built both into the re-release, and I’d recommend grabbing one of those over the original. You’ll thank yourself for it when playing live.
Also the ‘Pinch’ knob adds a very cool low-fi gate effect which will gradually crumble your signal like a valve radio slowly fritzing out. Our friends Decortica used this to great effect on the last track of their album. Antoinette (their bass player) made me a pile of home-baked pies and cookies for the favour, and I’d just like to announce that similar arrangements are welcome for any of these pedals. But that better be a damn good pie.