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:

SANFORD & SONNY BLUEBEARD DISTORTION/FUZZ PEDAL:
The Sanford & Sonny BlueBeard Fuzz/Distortion is a true-bypass pedal for bass or guitar that won’t lose the low end when engaged and won’t rob any of your signal when bypassed!

Controls are Volume, Tone, and Distortion — simple, and to the point.

This is NOT a clean boost — this is NOT a chilled-out blues overdrive. This pedal is designed to destroy and obliterate!! Think Cliff Burton with more low end or the sound of a Sunn Model T catching on fire and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what the BlueBeard sounds like.

It features a 9V negative tip jack for easy pedalboard integration.

Additionally I surfing around for info, I found the following quote attributed to Sonny, which explains a lot.

“Hello my name is Sonny friend of Surachai. I would like to clear up some things. Along time ago i tried a 70’s lamb’s head big muff that sounded very girthsome for bass. The guy Brian would not sell it too me but let me take it to Alfonso Hermida (www.hermidaaudio.com) to copy so that i could have a true bypass version with a barrel type power supply and a sturdier more beer proof hammond box. I am not an electrical wizard ALL credit goes to Alfonso. Alfonso said he had a friend who could make the PCBoards in small batches of ten this man’s name is JD Sleep El Presidente of generalguitargadgets www.generalguitargadgets.com Once i heard the prototype and a few changes were made my one pedal was going to be a batch of ten as I had several friends who wanted one. JD wanted to move into eventually making pedals full time and we struck a price for 10 assembled. Years and many pedals later I still do not have a web site just a myspace. JD makes pedals for lots of people and oh yeah the lack of paint… When I had the first ten no one wanted to wait for them to be painted and i didn’t want something cheap that would just flake off like alot of projects i had seen I think it would make the build seem cheap. So i looked into powder coating and with every batch i had people waiting saying no just give it to me and after 50 pedals and def after 100 I gave up on the idea of painting them and the idea of engraving or stamping did not work out so well. So I have nothing to hide and all I do is sell to friends and people who hear about me through friends. I pay JD to make the pedals. I do not. There are alot of things to talk about in the world and alot of things to spend time doing on the net but when anyone asks I tell them JD built it and if you get something you want built he is THE man he is now able to build pedals full time for alot of other people. I pass the pedal on to people who want it and in the, i guess 5 years i have been doing this I have always said if this pedal does not work with YOUR rig then you can return it for a 100% refund the only people I have had problems with is some dude that bought through Atomic and was more concerned about hatin online when he could have gotten his money back in full. I do not say that this pedal is the end all be all I waited for the EH BM reissue i even stupidly waited for the line 6 distortion modeler before i made it. I like to use an EQ after but not everyone does that is why i make it as a replacement fdor all the thin black eh out there. I like the green ones but the backdoors and the switches sucking oh yeah and being hella spensive. Well I never pretended to be anything other than a nerd looking for the best bass sound ever I talked to Mike Matthews about the buckets of parts put into the 70’s pedals there is a wide variety of parts in them all and the pedal i copied had aged a few years I am trying to build a pedal for people who want a solid pedal that will not crap out on them in ten years and will be just as awesome when they are old. man i hate typing. I have only taken out one ad and that was for an independent publication… I do NOT want to sell to crappy blues smooth overdrive guys I want to sell to people who kill kill kill. I am not putting out myself as anything other than a conduit. if you don’t like the taste don’t drink the water. I am not gonna proof read this I have to go play bass now nite nite Metal, Sonny”

Initial thoughts:

I never thought I would like this pedal. Frankly, I assumed part of the reason it never seemed to move past hype status was that is mostly what it was… hype. After spending just a few days with this pedal and several bass guitars, I have to retract any statements I made about it. This is an excellent sounding big muff clone, with what appears to be a really nice EQ centering for bass guitar and one of the most usable sustain knobs of any muff clone I’ve tried.

Video Overview

Overview Video:

Samples

Positions for Testing (in o’clocks):

1. Volume: 2 Tone: 12 Sustain: 12
2. Volume: 2 Tone: 8 Sustain: 12
3. Volume: 2 Tone: 12 Sustain: 5

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:

Plain silver hammond box is no-nonsense for sure, with the only labeling being the handwritten name and number on the front edge of the box. This austere exterior belies the well crafted, and nicely laid out interior.

Jacks and boss style power adapter are top mounted and ready for action. Solid and without much flash, if this explains you as a bass player you may have found your soul mate.

Conclusion:

So it rocks, despite the fact that I didn’t want to like it. I’m an ass, but at least I can admit it. This is a great muff clone for bass guitar use, my guess is that the only people that won’t like it are the people that don’t like the basic sound of the muff to begin with. Huge low end with great usability in both the tone and sustain knobs, and still retaining the top end sizzly sparkle. I liked the sound best on my hotter more mid-range voiced basses, because as with most muffs the mid scoop might make you disappear in the mix otherwise. I’d love to see a little more flash and dazzle in their marketing (for their sake), but why mess with a good thing?

UPDATE 11-2008
I got one of these for myself and took the liberty of rehousing into a more interesting box:

As always, if you have any questions, leave a comment or let me know

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