Way Huge Swollen Pickle Fuzz

This has more knobs then a fuzz box should have but they all do great stuff. I was tweeking this thing for hours. I think I have it down now and it's lethal. Fuzzier then a rotting peach, snorky and vial. Large with a great low end with fuzz on top. Man! I can't talk enough about this pedal. I don't usually like fuzz sounds because they're too brittle sounding, but this is fuzz heaven. Try one out.

The best fuss box I've ever used or heard. Very musical and usefull. I usually use an overdrive pedal to get the sounds to distort, but this is all together a different story. I can do those great sounds that an overdrive pedal just can't deliver. It'll make your balls rattle and the girls in the front row will be paying attention when you kick this thing in. A great arrray of fuzz sounds right under your big toe.

built well and sturdy.

no experience with OEM.

I'm fussy about my guitar sounds and I'll do without if it sounds bad. I play all original stuff and the songs we play have a richer pallet of sounds to choose from. I love this pedal so much I bought all 3 way huge pedals for my board.

Although 5 controls on a pedal is a little too much for me, on a Swollen Pickle they're all there for a reason; to get the highest possible level of euphoria in your brain. You can get what you want out of this pedal pretty quickly. It took me only a couple minutes to get the sound I wanted.

This pedal makes me not want to put down the guitar ever again, in fact I'm having trouble typing this right now, I think I'm gonna go play it real quick.... ok, I'm back, that was awesome. Anyway, this is the setup that I'm gonna stick with for a while. A guitar (who cares what kind as long as it's American made), a Crybaby Wah-Wah, the Swollen Pickle, an MXR Phase 90, and a Boss DD-6 digital-delay, into a nice tube amp, and that's that. I was going for an Eddie Hazel type of sound and I think I got it pretty close. Personally I think the Phase and Fuzz go hand-in-hand so I pretty much keep both of them on, and I for one think they sound wicked together.

Just got the thing

I don't know hopefully I won't have to call them

Pedal changed my life!! It is a must. I've been playing 12 years now mostly the acoustic while my electrics collected dust, but now I'm in a new band playing the electric, and I've been struggling to find my sound, but I think the search has ended. Besides the four I mentioned above, I'm getting rid of all my other pedals and pedalboards, they're garbage to me now. So I strongly advise you to get this thing otherwise you're a chump.

it's not a one knob treble booster... but it's close in simplicity.

here is where i disagree. HIGHLY OVERRATED. i know everyone's gonna get all mad and whatnot, but i don't think it's THAT great. yes it's collectible. yes it's outta production. yes collectors will try and justify spending tons for it. just like people paying millions for old muscle cars. but i think if you want great pick-sensitive fuzz just get a boutique clone. you can never go wrong with a keeley java. or roger mayer rocket series. these will do the job JUST fine for driving the front-end of your plexi reissue or what-have-you. also, i MUCH prefer BJF Electronics fuzz boxes to way huge. maybe it's just me... if you're a rich SOB and need the most expensive, rare, whatever-it-is... just to have it... then bid for one on ebay. but i don't think it's worth it.

very great. it's indestructable.

don't know.

i scooped this little guy up on ebay about 2 years ago. i was just searching music gear. amps. guitars. effects. just kinda snooping around. i entered "way huge"... this page for the pickle came up, and i found a swollen pickle with a 350 buy it now!!! it had only been listed for an hour. i hit buy it now without even thinking twice. over the last 2 years i got a lot of use out of it. compared it to my other boxes... and just wasn't all that impressed. and so sold it recently for quite a profit. i know tech-junkies will get all into it's platinum coated radioactive super high fidelity quantum mechanical nano whatnots... but lets face it... if i blind folded you... you probably would have no idea if it was the pickle or a keeley. nice for collectors. but there's other options out there. i'd say get some old TC electronics pedals if you got money to blow on vintage equipment. now there's some under-rated quality stuff!!

This is definitely easy to use. I had some trouble with the battery compartment (it didn't say which direction to install the battery), but after some trial and error it was all sorted out. Talk about mojo!!!

The sound quality is pure heaven. Imagine a Big Muff. A Big Muff is made up of a circuit board which costs several dollars, and a lot of resistors, capacitors and chips, all of which together probably cost like 20 or 30 dollars. Then there's the case, another five dollars. Okay, so that seems like not a lot of components, pretty cheap, right? Well, when those components come together to make a Big Muff, you get some okay sounds. When they come together to make a Swollen Pickle (or any other Way Huge step effect) what you get is PURE MOJO! Now, some people will tell you that a Swollen Pickle is just a Big Muff with a different name and look. But they are wrong. The difference is MOJO.

The sound coming out of this thing is pure heaven. Imagine the fuzz sounds from Siamese Dream. Now cross that with the steel drum sounds from Sargent Pepper's (or whichever Beatles album has that) and add the flanger sound from Bold As Love (which I believe was an MXR "Eddie Van Halen" model, but I could be wrong). Mix them all together and you have the Way Huge Swollen Pickle. Pure tonal bliss. Of course you won't get steel drum sounds, I just mean that as a metaphore for how good this sounds.

I'm using this with a PRS Goldtop, as well as a Fender reissue 50's Telecaster, running into a Barber Tone Press, Way Huge Swollen Pickle, FoxRox TZF Flanger, Red Wich Phaser, Analogman 808 Tube Screamer, Analogman King of Tone, Lovepedal Magic Boy, Skreddy Mayo, Liquid Sunshine, Klon Centaur, a DD-20 Delay (though that is only temporary until I find something better, preferrably boutique; my mom said she would get me a new delay for Christmas), into a Fuchs Overdrive Supreme.

I've been playing for nearly two years, so I'm not some n00b extolling the virtues of whatever Zoom piece of garbage. I know good tone, and my playing demands the best tones in the world.

If I wanted to, I could throw this against a big brick wall with several yards of razor wire on top and it would be fine. But I don't want to.

I don't think they make these any more, but I'm going to give them a 10 because it's not their fault they went out of business, and besides, I love the mojo tone of this thing.

Overall I'd say it's a fantastic deal. I know some people might say I paid too much for it, but they don't understand the importance of true tonal bliss. I'd pay twice this much for the satisfaction of pure mojo fuzz. I have tried the Ramm's Head Big Muff, and it was good, but it just didn't sound as good bypassed. I like the way the Swollen Pickle mellows out the highs when it is bypassed. It's great for smoothing out the harsh high end of my PRS neck humbucker.

I'm getting some original songs together, and soon I will form a band. It is just a matter of gettign the right people together who understand my artistic vision. Check out my website: http://www.shinnnesunliquid.com/py/py.htm and you can hear the Swollen Pickle on many songs. I would recommend this for anyone, except maybe for kids who think the POD is great tone. For everyone else, this is well worth the money for MOJO alone. I love looking at the green and yellow box on my pedalboard. It helps me make music. Even when it's not on, as I said, I think it improves my tone by mellowing out the harsh high end frequencies.

Basic knobs: volume, fuzz, tone.
It's very easy to get a good sound out of this pedal. However, this pedal is so interactive (with your playing, volume, dynamics, other pedals, amps) that it is kind of hard to get an incredible sound out of it.

Supposedly (please excuse my spelling) this is based off of a vintage big muff, Triangle version I think.
In my opinion, this is the greatest fuzz pedal ever. I've tried a lot of fuzzes (vintage fuzz faces, zvex fuzz factory and mammoth, vintage muffs, etc) and this just dominates in versatility, tone, and output. Very loud. My Ampeg VT-22 (120 Watts!) almost blew out from the volume of this pedal! And it sounds great with other effects, particularly Octave pedals and the ZVex Machine. It cleans up really nicely.
As far as the sound/tone goes, I'd have to say that it's somewhere between a big muff and a fuzz face.

Looks solid all over. Metal case (not the crappy EHX type case). The circuit craftsmanship is stellar. This is the "go-to" pedal.

Never had to and hopefully I'll never have to bring problems to Mr. Tripps. I've heard great things about him and he is usually lingering around the Harmony Central Discussion Board

For the longest time I have lusted for the Swollen Pickle. I saved up a bunch of money that I wasn't spending on necessities and finally got one on eBay. The most important thing to know is that this pedal is totally worth every single tree that went into making the paper that became the money I used to buy this pedal. For me, I have ended my fuzz search. I also use a Fuzz Factory which is an incredible pedal on it's own. If the price is hindering you or you are just skeptical of the worth of this pedal, I would have to recommend the ZVex Woolly Mammoth which comes pretty close to the sound of the Swollen Pickle. Also, I saw some pedal on eBay called the Protone Fuzz Hustler or something like that which claims to be an "over the top fuzz pedal like the Swollen Pickle" but I haven't heard it.

From what I've read the Harmony-Central boards, Way Huge pedals will never be remade. However, there are clones emerging: Mr. Sage (from the HC Board) is making the Black Pearl Distortion (Swollen Pickle clone) Pharoah Amps Rodeo Drive (Red Llama clone) and the Atomic Echo Clone (Aqua Puss clone).

The biggest point I wanted to make in this review is if you ever have the money and you want a fuzz to end all fuzz pedals, then you must buy this. It does everything and then some. I waited for 3 years, and it was totally worth it

It's almost impossible to get a bad sound out of it. It has so much output, that some amps might not be able to handle it.

I'm using this with a '52 reissue Fender Tele, a 5F6A Bassman, a Fullton Distortion Pro, and a Fulltone Choralflange. This thing is the most agressive stomp box I have ever heard. The tone control offers truckloads of treble or bass, as much as you could ever want. It's a shame Way Huge went out of business, because everyone who likes fuzz should hear this pedal. It is smoother and thicker sounding than the Big Muff. I think it sounds the best with 4x12 cabs. Sometimes my Bassman sounds like it might explode. I consider having one built to take full advantage of this pedal.

It seems tough. Poorly designed battery compartment. I'm sure the footswitch will need replaced before long.

Maybe they will start back up if we beg them. I want a Camel Toe. I want all my pedals to have perverse names.

It's truely amazing. I bought it based on it's reputation, and I found it's reputation to be deserved. This is the king of the filter fuzzes. If someone knows of a more agressive fuzz, let me know.

If you can not figure out how to use this pedal then you do not have a pulse. The pedal did not come with a manual due to how easy it is to use. It did not take long to get a good sound out of this pedal. As a fuzz head it is my number 1 fuzz pedal.

I am using a 1983 57 re-issue strat into a twin and when this pedal is kicked on it has enough gusto to knock things off of the walls...not to mention that this thing is super fuzzy! If you are a fuzz addict then this is your pedal....look no further.

Never had one single problem.

I am sure that if I ever needed any help I could get the pedal looked at or fixed without any problems.

I give this pedal a Way Huge 2 thumbs up! It is going to cost some bucks to pick one of these up but man is it worth it!!!! It is hands down one of the best fuzz pedals out there.

Extremely easy to use. Three knobs and a switch. What is beuatiful about this pedal is that when you plug in your recieve/send guitar plugs the jack's make a sweet ping noise. Which means your guitar plugs are locked in. Sweet.

Hoooooooo!!! This pedal is insane. Simple..... but there's a hell of alot to it. The three switches are volume, a filter and a sustain knob. As you move these knobs around you get completely different sounds. There are alot of sweet spots. Each knob compliments the other-however you move them, if that makes sense. Again, this isn't a one trick pony. I find it best with the dials around 11'oclock and maybe past 2'oclock. You can get an unbelievable sound out of this. Almost to the point (all dials on full) where you think your amp speakers will explode. This isn't a noisy pedal either. It has tru by-pass and when the moment is right you can just step on it a "WHAM" there it is. I believe this can be used on a bass but I haven't gotten there yet. Set up for this pedal. Well I have a Les Paul to a noise gate, to a wah, to the Swollen pickle, a super chorus and right to the pre-amp digitech then routed to a modified tube amp, to a modified speaker cabinet. It has an awesome sound with a delay running through it as well. This is with out a doubt my most prized possession. I can only imagine what it will sound like with other pedals somewhere in the mix. Which I will be expereimenting with soon. It's sounds heavenly with a tube amp. I've tried it with a Marshall stack. I will leave that up to your imagination. As far as nailing a sound - Smashing Pumkins, NIN and what ever your heart desires. If this was stolen there is no way I could get anther one of these. Let's just say I would have issues for a long time.

Built like a tank, no scratchy pots, no weak line plugs. Mr. Huge thank you- you really did your homework here on this! As per having a back-up. I don't need one and I probably couldn't afford one.

I have never dealt with Way huge. I know their out of business. I heard that Mr. Huge will repair any Way Huge pedal. He can be contacted on his web site. As per customer support, his product stands alone. Do I think I will ever need a repair? No way! However, what person in this industry stands by their work when they have gone out of business? For that alone he gets a ten!

I play heavy music. Not this Nu-metal grabage. This nails Monster Magnet and anything "heavy" in that kind of context. I love this pedal! The possibilities with this pedal are insane, if I had a better rig and other pedals more sonic aveneues would open up. I have been playing for about seven years. I am a weekend warrior, and a bed room rock star. I'm cool with that. Like I said I don't need a back up because it is extremly reliable (have never had a problem with it) and like I siad I couldn't afford another one. Anything I wished for this? Well that Mr. Huge starts making pedals again. Mr. Huge please make guiatar pedals again, please!!!!!! All I can say it that the pedal speaks for itself. I can talk about this like crazy but you have to hear it to believe it. My ultimate compliment to Mr. Huge "This is a simple and perfectly functioning work of art." If you find one in my opinion- you won the lottery of guitar pedals!

It takes awhile to get used to how the sustain and tone knobs interact with each other but once you figure it out its pretty easy. And it didnt come with any kind of manual, but I doubt it would have done much good anyway.

The sounds that I can get with this thing are just amazing to say the least. It can go from mild distorted fuzz to all out ARMAGEDON !!! Theres alot of power and tone in this unit. I am using this with my customized Ibanez AX120, and a Gibson SG Standard. Thru a halfstack that I hate, and in a chain with a bunch of other pedals. It is not noisy at all, cuz from what I am told it is true bypass.

there is something wrong with the footswitch, cause unless I step on it really hard it wont switch on, it will just kill my signal completely. And I really dont like stepping on any of my pedal that hard. But other than probably needing a new footswitch its a tank.

Company went out of business, and I have no idea why when they made such great gear. So no help there.

I have been playing fo about 7 years now and have never found a distortion/fuzz pedal that even compares to this unit, and belive me I have looked ! I own so many pedals because I am always looking for something better than what I have and when I got this pedal I knew I was done looking for an over-the-top distortion/fuzz pedal because the Swollen Pickle was it. I know the company is out of business now and the pedals are kinda hard to find and very pricey, but this pedal is worth the search and hard earned cash. If it was stolen (cause I would never lose it)I would try to get it back but if I coulndnt I would definitly buy it again.

3 Knobs (loudness, sustain, and filter) and a footswitch. Pretty classic. I was able to dial in a Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream sound in about 3 seconds.

My signal chain is as follows: Fender American Strat Deluxe -> Fulltone Clyde Wah -> Fulltone Fulldrive II TR100 -> Way Huge Swollen Pickle -> Way Huge Aqua Puss -> Fulltone Fat Boost -> '65 Fender Twin Reissue. I leave the fat boost on all the time. The pickle is dead quiet when off and is a pretty quiet fuzz (as far as fuzzes go) even when on. I have read several reviews of this green demon which compared hearing it for the first time to being hit in the face with a large blunt object. I could not agree more! It has a HUGE sound. I had it set as follows: loundess 9:00, Sustain 9:00, and Filter at 11:00 and I thought my poor twin was gonna explode. Note that twins arent known to be very fragile amps =). It nails the Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream sound with ease. It is a very thick and creamy fuzz, but it can become nasel too. Lots of bass in this thing. It makes my old TS-9 reissue sound like sand paper in comparison, but they are two different creatures all together.

Built like a tank, I would gig with it without a backup, but I dont use it too often.

Mr. Huge is a good guy, even though he is out of business he still keeps his website up for info and sound clips. I emailed him once in regards to where I could locate his pedals, and his repsonse was failry quick and very helpful. But, still, there is no Way Huge any more, so customer service is lacking in alot of aspects.

I play rock and the blues mostly, and for the music I play this pedal really has little practical application for me. Its just too much. I love the pedal though, not only is it a great collectable, but it makes for great conversation sitting next to my Way Huge Aqua Puss. =) I will use it for a few solos, maybe a cover or two, but its definately not something I will use often. I had thought about selling it right after I bought it becuase I cant really use such a great effect in my situation, but then I realized that I may never get the chance to own one of these again, and it may come in handy later. I'm giving it an 8 overall cause it is pretty limited in what it can do, but what it does it does very well. I'd like to compare it to a ZVex Fuzz Factory...