1. Overview
2. Initial thoughts
3. Video Overview
4. Samples
5. Picture Gallery
6. Construction and cosmetic concerns
7. Conclusion
8. View All

From the maker:

Just like its brother, MessDrive Hybrid+ is also designed for bass guitars, it is not just another fuzz pedal with bass modifications. It started as a “MessDrive on steroids” project, but morph into something totally different. It is not a MessDrive with gain control, in fact, the only thing that is similliar betwen those two are that they are both fuzz pedals and have metal enclosure. With the vintage-modern toggle, gain and tone controls, it is possible for every bassist to find her/his signature sound. Posibilities are endless! If you enjoy the thick fuzzy bass, this one will stay on your board forever!

Bass Fuzz effects pedal

• Volume, tone and mess (gain) controls as well as the channel toggle
• Two gain modes: Vintage (less clarity more control) and Modern (fat and fuzzy)
• Operated with a 9V Battery (included) or a 9Vdc stompbox power supply
• Reliable and sturdy full metal construction with orange color
• Heavy duty true bypass switch
• Ultra bright status led
• 1/4″ female output, 1/4″ female input jack (Input jack acts as a on-off switch)
• Input transformer allows it to be compatible with both active and passive basses
• Output buffer at the end of circuit helps to preserve the overdrived bass tone

Initial thoughts:

I love how compact this pedal is, as it seems the rare bass fuzz that makes it into an enclosure this small. The sonic versitility of the box adds all the more goodness to the package. I can see where a lot of people might find this a perfect ‘all-around’ fuzz, where they can dial in what they need at the moment. I do find that the pedal gets a little mushy to my ears in the lower tone range, notes are very blurred and it’s more mud than ‘wall of fuzz’. No need to dial into that though, because there are plenty of other places the knobs can be!  The low end retention of this pedal is excellent in all modes (beyond the muddiness described above) and lives up to its billing as a bass fuzz.

I’ve shared a few e-mails with Os from ElectroniX and found him to be upfront, funny, and easy to speak with in our correspondence.  He expressed some interest in the site here and was quick to respond to my request for an interview. I’ve seen him reply to comments and questions on talkbass, and while I’ve not had the need to contract him for customer support, I can only imagine it would be no problem.

Samples

Positions for Testing (in o’clocks):

1. volume: 3, mess: 12, tone 12, switch: vintage
2. volume: 3, mess: 3, tone: 3, switch: modern
3. volume 3, mess 10, tone 5, switch: modern
    

Note: Headphones or good speakers required. Bass samples!

P Bass

Position	Sample
1	1
2
3
1	2
2
3
1	3
2
3
	Mix

 
Active J

Position	Sample
3	1
	2
	3

Fretless

Position	Sample
3	1
	2
	3

Short 5

Position	Sample
3	1
	1.5
	2
	3

Picture Gallery

Construction and cosmetic concerns:

Pedal is well built and packs alot of punch into a very small form factor. The top mounted power jack is my prefered location making easy for me. I actually wish this was a ’standard’ on pedals, it’s annoying to have one on the left one on the right, below the output, over the output… just stick them all on the top (Your milage may vary). Graphics and markings are placed using clear stickers. Just working with it here in the house, I’ve scratched some of the ink off, and the small sticker by the power jack is peeling a little. The paint seems very solid and has so far resisted chipping when I’ve been a little careless. Wiring and soldiering looks well done, and is nice and compact. New pedal came with a battery, which is something I always appreciate. Access to the battery is four screws as seen on many botique pedals. The knobs seem a little odd on the clean lines of this pedal, but I’m really just being a nit-picky bitch now. There are certainly no durability concerns with this pedal.

Conclusion:

A versatile and solid boutique fuzz pedal at an affordable price.  This isn’t going to please wall of fuzz seeking noise musicians, but for classic sounds in a small space this pedal is hard to beat.  Functioning well with both active and passive basses, and having excellent low end retention makes this pedal an easy pick for a bass player who wants to give fuzz a try or someone looking for an affordable and flexible pedal. 

Note: A rating of 5 = acceptable and should considered a ‘good’ basic score