Recording Fuzz Guitar

[canesheadcase]

Hey all I finally got my set of recording equipment back from a friend and I recently acquired a Big Muff (russian model) and I'm getting really great tone, however I can't seem to duplicate the right fuzz on the recording's I'm doing... I messed with mic placement, EQ, the Muff itself, etc. However I keep getting this nasty grainy sound that is just this disgusting sand coming out of everything else that has been recorded. I'm looking to restore the full body fuzz I hear audibly somewhere in between like a Queens of the Stone Age lead guitar and Smashing Pumpkins sound.

I read up on gain staging and it didn't help much but I suppose hear are my "stages"

Hagstrom Ultra-Swede (neck, double coil pickups)
Russian Big Muff
Silvertone Twin Twelve (cranked)
2 Samson CO2 mic's (one on each speaker panned L&R)
Alesis Multimix 8 USB Mixer
And finally computer...

I also own a Tube Screamer (TS808) which adds a nice crunch and bright flavor to the top end of the Muff when it's used and it was suggested to try using the tube screamer as a sort of pre-amp but I didn't find it to be helping much...

So any suggestions on how to record with a Big Muff and fatten the tone? (now that I've written a novel...)

[Roguetitan]

Originally Posted by canesheadcase

So any suggestions on how to record with a Big Muff and fatten the tone? (now that I've written a novel...)

that was a short novel LOL so I shortened it down a bit more LOL

here is my advice: record a master track DI clean and dry and perfect then you can re amp until you get the sound you want. make several tracks for comparison and use a process of elimination. Let your band mates listen to the tracks for their opinions which track they thinks sounds best.

this is my opinion only and I am sure there will be others who do not agree but there is nothing written in stone when it comes to recording.
hear out everyone's advice, give their method a try then decide which method works best for you.

[canesheadcase]

ok so when you say record clean and dry do you mean like as little fuzz as possible (and no reverb naturally)? Or literally just record a track as I am and then go from there?

And I suppose this may be a newb question but what do you mean re-amp it? I'm using audacity and it has the "amplifier" on it but somehow I don't think that's what you mean...

And other problem...no band-mates either hahaha. This is like a solo project sort-of so I'm just kinda going by ear hahaha

[fuzzrhythm]

I'm waiting on a mix where we used these techniques. Should be done this weekend (or so I've been told...). It was sounding really good during tracking.

Start with Big Muff volume @ 2:00ish, sustain all the way down, tone all the way up. On your amp, turn your pre-amp all the way down, and master gain all the way up. Start playing and turn up your pre-amp gain until it's roaring pretty nicely, then start to turn up the sustain on the Big Muff. Not too much saturation for recording...turn down the tone knob on the Big Muff if you want more low end.

Track the rhythm stuff at least 4 times. 2 left and 2 right. Use some different chord voicings, maybe blend in regular overdriven guitars as well.

And the bass guitar will also be very important (at least for rhythm guitar tone)

[tmix]

My experiance is you have to use at least a third less fuzz,distortion,whatever than what you think you do.

For some reason the way it translates by close micing, you don't need as much.
Kind of like air freshener... in the room several squirts...up your nose....sniff the cap!