April 2, 2009

Fuzz Review: Chunk Systems Brown Dog Gated Bass Fuzz

Stashed under: Reviews - Fuzz — grygrx @ 7:10 pm

front                      Manufacturer: Chunk Systems
Model:Brown Dog
MSRP/Paid: $350/$200
New/Used/Loan: Used
Battery: Yes
Power Supply: Yes
Size: 4.25″W x 5.25″D x 2.75″H (Aprox including Jacks and knobs)
Available from: Dealers Everywhere

From the maker:

Description:
The Brown Dog enables you to produce rampaging waves of meat with your bass guitar while still keeping your basslines tight and letting the character of your instrument’s tone shine through. With two fuzz modes (hard and soft), a mixing stage and a unique gating circuit the Brown Dog gives you a wide range of fuzzy and synthy bass tones.

features:
Suitable for bass guitar.
True bypass.
Four controls allow you to fine-tune your sound.
Switchable soft/hard fuzz mode.
Special gating circuit lets you keeps your basslines tight.
Output mixing stage allows you to keep the character of your instrument.
Runs from a single 9V battery or external power supply (not included).
Convenient form factor includes no-tools battery drawer.
Sturdy steel case finished in a luxurious chocolate brown.
High quality soft-feel foot switch.
Compatible with Agent 00Funk Mark II for crazy synth tones.
High quality analogue electronics throughout.
Lovingly manufactured in Australia.

The Brown Dog has four connectors on the back:
input – signal from your instrument comes in here.
envelope – connects to Agent 00Funk Mark II for maximum squelch.
output – signal goes out to your amplifier or Agent 00Funk Mark II here.
9vdc – plug in a regulated 9V DC 2.1mm supply here.

controls

In addition to the high-quality metal bypass switch, the Brown Dog has four knobs and a switch:

The dirty level controls the volume of the signal coming from the Brown Dog’s fuzz circuit in the output mix. To make the fuzz louder, turn it up. To make the fuzz quieter, turn it down.

The clean level controls the volume of the original input signal in the output mix. The Brown Dog mixes the dirty signal coming from its fuzz circuit with the original input signal so you can determine exactly how much fuzz you want and keep the tone of your instrument.

The gate control governs how loud the input signal must be for a fuzz tone to be produced. Especially in hard mode, you can use this gating effect to prevent hum from your pickups and the noise of your fingers on the strings from being amplified by the fuzz circuit. You can also ensure that your notes start and end cleanly, so your bass line remains clear even though you have massive amounts of fuzz applied.

The drive control alters the character of the fuzz produced by controlling how hard the fuzz circuit is driven. Driving the fuzz harder squares off your sound more and makes it sound harsher. In hard mode with maximum drive, you can get synth-like square wave tones. In soft mode, the drive control will alter the volume of the fuzz signal and you may find you need to compensate with the dirty level control.

Use the mode switch to switch between soft and hard fuzz, which have different characters. The hard fuzz produces very square-edged acidic tones. Use it for really hardcore metal sounds or turn up the gate for some great synth tones. The soft mode produces a classic warm bass fuzz.


1 Comment

  1. very informative. i knew very little on this box before this review. i thought the Brown Dog looked a bit bulky and the color scheme did not catch eye. Shows me how much emphasis i place on design appearance. :) The fuzz possibilities sound fantastic, and you show the construction to be functional. It is that price tag that however, that will keep this great fuzz from joining my ranks any time soon.

    Comment by sutarappa — July 24, 2009 @ 6:32 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.