Tone Report Weekly Issue 159 | Page 22

As much appreciation as I have for thoughtful , emotive , deftly executed guitar playing , there are times when I just want to pick up my guitar and make loud , obnoxious noises . Plugging in , turning everything up as far as I dare , stepping on some kind of auditory doomsday box and making a wild , violent racket is one of the greatest joys in this electric guitarist ’ s life , and I believe this probably holds true for many of us . In fact , it seems to me that the noise factor is an important part of the appeal of the electric guitar in general , and an important part of its identity . Otherwise wouldn ’ t we just play JC120s at moderate volume all the time , or forget about the amps entirely and go acoustic ? To be sure , there are at least a few guitarists hanging around that still have no love for the grind and fuzz , but in the post-Hendrix , post- MBV , post-everything world that we live in , these players are fewer and farther between .
So what to do when you just want to plug in and destroy ? In an ideal scenario , I like to start with dangerous volume levels and an amp set to “ blitzkrieg .” Unfortunately this ideal scenario is not always practical or in strict accordance with local ordinances , but whether the volume level is positively Hendrix-ian or just above bedroom level , an unruly distortion or fuzz pedal will definitely be crucial to the experience . Our forebears might have been limited to something like a Fuzz Face , Tone Bender , or a Rat , but these days we can do the crazy a whole lot crazier than that . Today the crazy distortion box segment of the guitar pedal market is stronger than ever , with entire companies devoting themselves to this noisiest niche , and as such there are a whole lot of hideously beautiful , wild-ass filth machines to choose from . It ’ s a true bounty of unrepentant grime , ripe for the harvesting . Here are a few of our favorite horrifying noise boxes for when you just want to turn on , turn up , and wreck stuff .

As much appreciation as I have for thoughtful , emotive , deftly executed guitar playing , there are times when I just want to pick up my guitar and make loud , obnoxious noises . Plugging in , turning everything up as far as I dare , stepping on some kind of auditory doomsday box and making a wild , violent racket is one of the greatest joys in this electric guitarist ’ s life , and I believe this probably holds true for many of us . In fact , it seems to me that the noise factor is an important part of the appeal of the electric guitar in general , and an important part of its identity . Otherwise wouldn ’ t we just play JC120s at moderate volume all the time , or forget about the amps entirely and go acoustic ? To be sure , there are at least a few guitarists hanging around that still have no love for the grind and fuzz , but in the post-Hendrix , post- MBV , post-everything world that we live in , these players are fewer and farther between .

WORDS BY : JAMIE WOLFERT

So what to do when you just want to plug in and destroy ? In an ideal scenario , I like to start with dangerous volume levels and an amp set to “ blitzkrieg .” Unfortunately this ideal scenario is not always practical or in strict accordance with local ordinances , but whether the volume level is positively Hendrix-ian or just above bedroom level , an unruly distortion or fuzz pedal will definitely be crucial to the experience . Our forebears might have been limited to something like a Fuzz Face , Tone Bender , or a Rat , but these days we can do the crazy a whole lot crazier than that . Today the crazy distortion box segment of the guitar pedal market is stronger than ever , with entire companies devoting themselves to this noisiest niche , and as such there are a whole lot of hideously beautiful , wild-ass filth machines to choose from . It ’ s a true bounty of unrepentant grime , ripe for the harvesting . Here are a few of our favorite horrifying noise boxes for when you just want to turn on , turn up , and wreck stuff .
22 TONE TALK // A Fistful of Horrors : The 5 Most Savage Noise Boxes Ever Created