Blakemore Effects DreamsICle Fuzz

There are many Muff variants in the world, but tone purists know what they are looking for… “That” Muff sound is one of the defining charecteristics of a player’s persona. While none is definitively better, different takes on EHX’s iconic Big Muff circuit are one of the hottest (and most pricey) topics in guitar effects. Ironically, one of the most revered muff tones of the 90’s is both out of production by Electro-Harmonix and one of the few not readily cloned circuits around. Blakemore Effects is looking to change that with their current production DreamcICle Fuzz Pedal.

The Blakemore DreamsICle Fuzz is a homage to the EHX IC-based Muff circuit, and features true bypass, historically accurate controls over volume, tone, and fuzz (sustain), and is true bypass. Two stomp switches control on/off and the tone stack,and the pedal is powered by and standard Boss-style 9v power supply.

What You Need to Know

• The Blakemore DreamcICle Fuzz is an amazingly toneful take on the venerable Big Muff circuit that is unapologetically faithful to the original, IC-based Muff. The fuzz tone is brash and in-your-face with a more high-fidelity take and softer clipping than your typical muff.  Slightly less scooped the mids, the DreamcICle fuzz has a cutting tone that side-steps the classic muff problem of sounding great alone but getting lost in the mix in a live setting. The fuzz goes from "pretty fuzzy" to an oscllating wall of sound fuzz, and is more wooly than raspy in character.

• The secondary switch allows complete bypass of the tone circuit, resulting in more volume and more mids, dreating something like a Solo switch for dummies. The scooped nature of the fuzz circuit gives way to a boosted, silky smooth tone that soloists would (should?) kill for… something that cuts through any live mix and sounds as liquidy as any fuzz could hope to be.

Limitations

• The Big Muff circuit has never been known for its ability to clean up with the guitar’s volume knob, and the DreamsICle is no exception… embrace the fuzz or look elsewhere.

Conclusions

The Blakemore DreamcICle is pure rock. It is the fuzz people think of when they think of most 90’s icons, be it Smashing Pumpkins or Pink Floyd’s last album. The tone is dead on, and the ability to bypass the tone stack and increase the mids and volume with a single footswitch is a fuzz (and non-fuzz) lover’s dream. That, combined with the surprisingly non-elitist price point gives Blakemore a home run in the DreamsICle.

Resources

Blakemore DreamsICle Product Page (MRSP $159.00)