THIS MAMMOTH CAN ROAR
First thing’s first – they don’t call this pedal a ‘mammoth’ for no reason. Even at its lowest setting, the fuzz comes across with a fat, bone rattling quality. The wool dial controls the amount of fuzz that is brought into the mix, but even at its highest setting the effect remains relatively pronounced and smooth. Some fuzz pedals can get overly sludgy when cranked, but the Wooly Mammoth offers a full spectrum of usable sounds. Tonally, the pedal is voiced to be warm and rounded, with just the right amount of midrange honk to give it a more modern sound.
Consequently, the EQ knob is used more to refine an already pleasing tone to your taste, rather than sculpt something entirely new. You’ll either be using it to add a dash of cutting treble, or to push and emphasise the lows. Finally, the pinch control is added to change the harmonic structure and waveform quality, altering the way overtones come into play.
A RARE BREED
Aside from offering a killer fuzz sound straight out of the box, the Wooly Mammoth has plenty of quirks to set it apart from the myriad of other like-minded pedals. In true ZVEX style, this pedal is loaded with an element of unpredictability that in turn, fosters a lot of inspiration. There is an inbuilt soft gate that completely silences the instrument between notes that works perfectly for stuttering, glitchy effects. At higher wool settings, the sustain is almost infinite and the harmonics will respond to vibrato in a way that makes notes bloom and morph the longer they are held. To cap it off, the circuit draws less than one-hundredth the amount of power taken by similar pedals, meaning it is able to run on a battery for an absurdly long amount of time.
SUCCESSFULLY SIMPLE
Ultimately, the beauty of the Wooly Mammoth lies in its simplicity and intuitive design, making it easy to get a roaring sound right out of the box. If you’re after a fuzz that’s inherently musical, touch responsive and most importantly designed with bass in mind – you’d be hard pressed to find a better option than this.