Frantone Sweet

its has 3 knobs very simple to use.. if you can use a big muff you can use this. volume, sustain, and tone control.

heres the thing, yes its noisy and yes it has an insane amount of fuzz and yes you the controls really dont shape the sound to much. but what thing pedal is, is a very high quality big muff clone for the most part. the price is steep but what you get is a very warm gooey germanium fuzz with a tone of low end.
i use this with a divided by 13 lDW with a fender mustang and a fender 62 strat both loaded with fralin pick ups. the sound is more like black sabbath rather then hendrix. i have owned many fuzz pedals "fulltone,analog man, lovetone, ect and for all out gain, the only thing that beats this is a Wattson super fuzz.
this is a very good pedal, if u can deal with some noise, i would buy it.

solid as a rock, but it does drain the battery fast

I emailed fran with some questions and she got back to me with in the hour

to hear this pedal check out http://www.myspace.com/blackcurrent i used this and a divide by 13 joyride for lower gain tones. its got a nice rich tone for a more brutal fuzz tone. if u are looking for a more hendrix type fuzz, i would highly recommend the fulltone 70 pedal. but for something outside the box, give this a spin. i am only giving this an 8 because the price of this thing is well over 200$. which to me is pretty expensive.

All the controls make sense. Volume, Gain, and Tone. They are all pretty interactice, and lots of tonal options are available.

I play a strat, a les paul, and a tele. I usually play through a deluxe reverb, tweed deluxe, or a vox style el84 amp. The pedal does produce a bit of white noise due to the dual germanium transistors in it. Thats just kind of the deal with vintage style stuff, and it is barely noticeable. Especially if you don't crank the gain. and unlike most other fuzz pedals where they only sound good with the gain all the way up, this one sounds great with the gain anywhere you set it. All the way down it has a nice hendrixy mild gain thing happening that is very touch sensitive. Start to increase it and you get a nice violin like sustain. All the way up is over the top siamese dream kinda stuff. Lots of snarl, but still very warm. The volume control has a nice sweep, and I actually like the gain kinda low, and the volume up a bit to push the amp, and get the fuzz color in there as well. The tone control works just like a big muff if you are familiar with them. All the way down is all bass and bottom growl. All the way up is all treble. The middle settings give you a nice blend of the two. All in all it has a really "sweet" haha, fuzz tone. I'm gonna give it an 8 though cuz of the background noise. for this price, they should really fix that.

Seems well built....I always have my big muff as a back up, but thats a totally different sound.

Haven't contacted them, but I hear good things.

I play all styles of music, but my main focus is on music stylings of the 60's and 70's. I love classic guitar tones. I'm kind of a gear addict, and I believe I have a very good ear for tone. As far as comparing it to similar items in the boutique world, it definitely stands out, along wth all of the other frantone products. They definitely have a great look to them, and they all give a sound that is slightly unique in their category. For example with the sweet...it has a ton more gain on tap than any other germanium fuzz I have ever played, but it still shares the same characteristic of other germanium fuzzes in that the tone is very thick and warm. I wish the noise floor came down with the gain, but it really doesn't bother me in live settings. Overall, a really great fuzz box, and if I lost it, I would definitely buy another.

No matter what I did (on the pedal, my guitar, my amp) I just couldn't get the sound I wanted. It is just WAY to aggressive for my tastes, I guess I bought it on a bit of a whim...

Mean. Very aggressive, lots of white noise and ridiculous feedback. Loud as hell, screeches and blood cuddling howls. I hated it.

I only had it for a little while, but it felt solid and very reliable.

Never had to deal.

If you like angry, war-like fuzz with unmusical tone and evil feed back, then this one might be for you. I've seen this pedal described as a warm, even 'chewy' fuzz, which is not true in the least! I hated it, you might like it!

After two years of attempting to tweak this pedal I'm giving up. I give it 7 out of 10 here because it does only have three knobs. That's an intuitive enough setup, but that doesn't help much because setting them is so frustrating. They change the overall volume, the overall intensity of fuzz and bass, but not the quality of sound.

As mentioned above, the sound isn't very dynamic. I've only been able to get harsh fuss. The only substantial difference I can make is with the tone. It gets way too much bass in a hurry. The sustain also goes from broken-up sounding to razors edge with no happy medium. If anyone is looking for the smooth Hendrix fuzz tone, KEEP LOOKING! This pedal will not give classic tones Hendrix produced, or anything remotely close - no matter what the folks at Frantone advertise. And, it's easily the nosiest pedal I've ever owned. I remember having the cheaper "Little Big Muff" 30 years ago, and it was sheer creamy tone. A friend of mine was lucky enough to be able to afford the "Big Muff Pi" and it was so much more superior to the Frantone "The Sweet". This is just a harsh one dimensional pedal. And it ain't cheap.

I don't have any idea how deoendable it is in acyuallity, since it has never held my interest more than 15 minutes at a time in the two years I've owned it. It does appear to be well built so I'll give them an 8 here. The electronics must be stable because it produces the exact sound anytime I've played it.

I did talk to Mia once on the phone out of concern about the sound quality, and I was told the bit about it being such a high output device, and to not load it up with other drive/distortion devices in my effects chain, etc... Looking back, all I can give them is that they were accessible.

I play classic, grunge and southern rock styles, as well as country, blues and jazz. I've been at it for 37 years, have done studio work, bar bands etc... I've also bought a fair amount of good and bad equipment along the way. This effect is probably the worst investment of all my gear, dollar for dollar, ever. It's way over-priced, regardless of quality parts, if it can't deliver a good sound. I'd be happy if it would have delivered at least "ONE" quality sound, without a wall of noise introduced into my pristine sounding Fender Twin reverb, which is completely retubed, re-biased, and almost dead quiet with all my other pedals.

The Sweet is very easy to use. It has three knobs (left to right): Volume, Sustain, Tone. The manual is basically non-existent, but since the Sweet is so easy to use it is not needed. As far as getting a "good" sound out of it I think that's pretty subjective. Overall, I am pleased with the sound. Definitely good for alternative rock.

I agree with previous reviewers on a few points. First, the pedal is MOST DEFINITELY noisy. Turn up the sustain and tone knobs (don't play your guitar) and listen to the white noise coming from the pedal. Yes, it is high gain, and yes, it is a fuzz, but the noise is pronounced. That being said, noise is not much of a problem if you have a good noise suppressor @ the end of your chain or (in most cases) if you happen to be playing. Believe me, the fuzz will EASILY outweigh any noise issues. That's why it's not a big deal to me.

Second, this thing will feedback like it's going out of style. If you like that sort of thing, you will not be disappointed. By rolling off the sustain this problem is fixed, otherwise you'll need to find that sweet spot between you and your amp that will minimize this tendency.

Third, I can see why people think this is a one trick pony. I think it was designed to provide that paint peeling, house rattling, wall of fuzz sound so prominent in the 90's alternative/grunge scene. Someone with a lot of experience playing may be able to coax more subtle sounds out of it. It can rip you to shreds even on low sustain levels.

The Sweet has plenty of output to drive your amp. The tone knob is effective, providing good low end all the way up to more shrill treble sounds. The harmonics on this thing are rich and frightening. Through a loud clean Fender Twin Reverb it is absolutely deafening. Sizzling highs, well defined lows. I have not tried it through a distorted amp. BTW, I've used it with a Mustang and Tele.

Those who have complained about it having too much low end...I think this is a matter of the equipment being used. The low end never completely disappears even at high tone settings, but I don't think it is ever too dark or muddy (to my ears). Notes stayed defined with the Twin and those two guitars. Now, they do lose some definition and attack with lower tone and higher sustain settings (at least with my setup), but I never felt it was mushy.

Seems rock solid to me. Well built. The Hammond box is sturdy and the insides are nice and clean.

I e-mailed Fran one time and she got back to me very quickly. So, I haven't had any problems yet.

Overall, I like it. It will suit some, but not others. If you are looking for more tame overdrive sounds, this is not your box. If you want to deafen people and send them to therapy, then you're in the ballpark with this thing. I had my Twin on 3 and the volume of the Sweet @ 9 o'clock and was ready to plug my ears. This thing brings the volume and the fuzz.

Super easy to dial in the right sound. Like all fuzz pedals- use your guitar volume to get just the right amount of fuzz for you.

I searched high and wide for the right fuzz...zvex, electro-harmonix, Home Brew, Fulltone, Foxx, on and on and on- aaah! Finally, I came across the Sweet- oooh Fran, thank you so much. Warm, gooey, chewy, fuzzy goodness at higher volumes and a very discernible distortion at lower guitar volumes. I really love Jay Mascis and Stephen Malkmus' fuzz and this emulates that sound. I play a USA Jazzmaster RI and an ASAT classic- and I can dial in that tone I'm looking for every time.

Built like a tank- sure the paint might chip, but it adds to the character- I'm not worried about the insides one bit.

Haven't dealt with them.

This really is one of my favorite pedals on my board- I play styles that float between alt-country, experimental and straight up rock. I really think you should give this a try if you want really thick fuzz action- this baby is crazy loud and is hard to contain when your guitar volume is at 10...FUN!

Basic, easy

I think this pedal rocks! It has the longest sustain you've ever heard it makes my guitar sing like a violin. I basicly use it kind of Santana-like, especially for lead guitar, playing a relic strat (no matter which pick up) or a Gibson B.B. King Lucille, a . Well, it's true: It's not as musical as some other pedals, but that's the choice you make with that kind of sustain I guess...

Seems to be totally reliable

Never dealt with them...

I'm a professional player from Germany since 20 years, playing Blues, pop, Funk and mainly Jazz (with that pedal rather fusion I guess). I got the pedal instead of any kind of Muff (big, russian, vintage, little big etc.) after checking quite some.

I think it's really fun to play. I'd also say - and this might bother some players - you have to adjust a little bit to the pedal, it's not gonna do all you want like a tube screamer, simply because it has a totally different concept. "Turning the knobs" i.e. doesn't change a lot - it only adjusts the sound elements to what's required. In fact this pedal has only 1 sound. That singing sustain and full, warm sound you get out of it...you just gotta use it like an extreme effect, then it really works.

It's a fuzz pedal. Easy.

My main guitar is a Warmoth Jaguar outfitted with DiMarzio humbuckers (Super Distortion bridge, Air Norton neck). The neck pickup can also be coil split (to run like a single coil). I run this into a Mesa Studio Preamp and then into a Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10, and I play everything from Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins to Muse, Sonic Youth, Secret Machines, Underoath... so alt-rock basically.

It definitely does the Smashing Pumpkins thing quite well. Dialed in to the right spot and with an overdrive running before as a treble boost, it takes on a singing quality perfect for playing lead or chording. By itself, it's a thick, hoary monster with a big fat bottom end, maybe a little too much for my taste. It's also incredibly noisy, and I say this having owned at least 4 other dirt boxes that have been quieter. My Effector 13 Disaster Fuzz spits out less unwanted hiss than this pedal, and if you know anything about E13, you know what that says about the Sweet.

Still, sometimes you need the churning, heavy fuzz that the Sweet can put out. I have enough tools in my arsenal to get the sound that I want from it. The biggest gripe is the noise.

Seems solid enough. I power my pedals with a Visual Sound 1Spot, and the Sweet hasn't given me trouble yet.

Thumbs up here. Prompt, friendly reply when I inquired, never had to contact them since, which speaks to the quality of the product.

Of the two fuzz pedals I own, this is the more vanilla one, and the bassiest. In fact, it would probably sound awesome with a bass guitar setup. Also since it's a fuzz pedal, the overall sound is fairly murky compared to my Visual Sound Jekyll&Hyde distortion, but again, it's just doing what it was designed to do. Works great for big soundscape washes, and can nail the Siamese Dream tone with the right settings, and with a lot fewer guitars, too. I have a couple clips posted at www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=499516 for anyone to check out ("out there w/ the sweet" and "sweet starla"). Both are single tracks, although I am running the "Jekyll" side of my J&H as a boost. Personally, I think the tone I can get playing "Starla" by the Pumpkins is better than the actual recording in some respects. It's a rich, creamy crunch.

Within 30 seconds of plugging into this pedal, I dialed up the tone I was looking for. With only three controls (Volume, Sustain, Tone), it can't be that complicated.

Also, the LED indicator is nice for knowing when its engaged, but really isn't all that necessary because you'll probably know when this sucker is engaged just by the fury coming out of your amp :).

I want to preface this with a note about what I was looking for in a fuzz. I didn't want an extremely musical, Hendrix-type fuzz. I wanted an extremely brutal fuzz that would suit my tastes (think Pelican, Isis, anything featuring Wino on guitar) for rhythm work.

Like I said, I was almost immediately floored with the tone that this beast puts out. Frantone describes it as a "truly insane fuzztone". I'd have to agree, its warm, thick, and HUGE. You can tailor it to your tastes with the Sustain and Tone controls.

I'm using this with my two PRSs (Singlecut w/ #7 pickups - standard tuning, Standard 22 w/ EMGs - down 2 1/2 steps). My amplification consists of an Engl preamp and a Mesa/Boogie poweramp. My other effects include various pieces by Analogman, ZVex, Electro-Harmonix, and a Line 6 DL4. I use this to play two general types of music: jazz and metal.

I will say that I wouldn't look at this pedal if I was looking for a very dynamic, musical fuzz (something like that of AnalogMan's SunFace). However, if you're looking for an ultra-thick fuzz that is well-suited for indie metal ranging from doom to experimetal, this is awesome.

I give it a 10 for what I bought it for. I'd give it a 7 for the more musical type fuzz tones....

I opened this to install a battery, and was floored by the construction. I won't go into detail, but the ladies at Frantone know what they're doing. Top components and careful attention to the smallest details are evident here.

The construction is clearly built to be used. I'm confident it could take a serious beating and still work great. I haven't been disappointed so far.

I'm unwilling to give it a reliability rating because I haven't had it for all that long.

Mia @ Frantone is exceptoinally helpful and nice, too. She answered the questions I had, no matter how annoying they were. She also offered to ship the pedal directly to a nearby guitar store so I could try it before I bought it. This is exactly the kind of service I like to see.

Like I mentioned, I primarily play jazz and metal. I bought this pedal to use in my Pelican-esque instrumetal dabblings, and was extremely satisfied. It is a huge sounding pedal that never sounds harsh or bassy (at least in my rig).

The only thing I don't care for is the amount of feedback this thing can create, but honestly I've grown to love it and learn to use it and manipulate it in ways I never have before.

I had considered a vintage Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, a USA reissue Big Muff Pi, a "green monster" russion Big Muff Pi, an AnalogMan Sun Face NKT-275, AnalogMan SunLion, and a ZVex Fuzz Factory. Upon recommendation, I checked out The Sweet and I'm thrilled I did. Its always exciting when you get a piece of equipment that NAILS the tone you've been hearing in your head for a long time....

If it was taken from me, I'd get another. No question. My search for "brutal fuzz" ends at the Frantone Sweet.

simple to use

Another reviewer said the pedal sounds bassy. I second that. It works ok for single coils on ash/alder. Trying it on a baritone yielded big lush tone. Not everyone says it;'s bassy, so maybe it's dependent on something internal, such as the selected transistors, which are germanium btw.

I put the Sustain on only a fraction of what is recommended, around 8 oclock, and turn down the guitar from there for milder overdrive/boost.

It works fine and it's been kicked around the schoolyard. Fran uses quality parts, and builds them herself.

Mia

It nice to see a manufacturer from Brooklyn. This was a nice pedal. I'd be happy to try more!