The Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster is a Mr Black fuzz pedal. Close alternatives include the Greer Tarpit and the Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz. It pairs well with the Fender Vibrolux 6G11 and the Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp.
Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster
Mr Black · pedal
The Mr. Black SludgeMaster is a fuzz based on a classic 1970s IC-based fuzz circuit, delivering a super-heavy, harmonically full fuzz tone with a woolly character, punchy and articulate midrange, and thick op-amp grind, cleaned up to run quieter and sound sweeter than the vintage circuit that inspired it. Volume, Tone, and Sustain controls shape the saturation, readily fattening single coils and driving humbuckers into a dense wall-of-sound. Tuned specifically for sludge, doom, and low-tuned heavy playing, it's still surprisingly versatile beyond that core use case. It suits doom, sludge, and stoner players wanting a powerful, saturated, characterful fuzz with real midrange punch rather than a scooped, thin heavy-fuzz voicing.
What stands out
“Black SludgeMaster is a fuzz based on a classic 1970s IC-based fuzz circuit, delivering a super-heavy, harmonically full fuzz tone with a woolly character, punchy and articulate midrange, and thick op-amp grind, cleaned up to run quieter an…”
— from the listing
“Black's heavy boutique fuzz, known for thick, extreme saturation and heavy low-end character”
— from the community notes
“Doom, sludge metal, and stoner rock players who want premium heavy fuzz quality find the Sludge Master a refined boutique option”
— from the community notes
“The Sludge Master delivers thick, saturated heavy fuzz with extreme low-end character from a boutique builder”
— from the reviews
“Heavy saturation and doom-ready tones suit sludge metal and stoner rock applications”
— from the reviews
Trade-offs
“thin heavy-fuzz voicing”
— from the listing
- thick
- fuzz
- sludge
- doom
- low end
- saturation
- stoner rock
- midrange
Genres the Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster is commonly used in
- Stoner Rock
- Metal
- Doom Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Noise Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Grunge
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Punk
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster
Fender Vibrolux 6G11
amplifier
19% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Run fuzzy into Fender Vibrolux 6G11 for more modulated on top
Comes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp
Gibson
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp stacks modulated on top of the fuzzy already here
Magnatone 510
Magnatone
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
Magnatone 510 stacks modulated on top of the fuzzy already here
Pedals that stack with the Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster
Walrus Audio Ages
Walrus Audio
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)
Put Walrus Audio Ages in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward clean boost
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp layers clean boost onto an already fuzzy signal
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
20% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster in the signal chain, clear of Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black
Walrus Audio
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black's ambient voice goes after Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster in the signal chain — it's not there to compete with Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster's own full character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Pigtronix Echolution
Pigtronix
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Keep Pigtronix Echolution after Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster in the signal chain, clear of Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Jackson Audio Bloom V2 Compressor/EQ
Jackson Audio
11% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster brings here leans toward full — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp
EarthQuaker Devices
tonal matchComes later in the signal chain
EarthQuaker Devices Utility Series Buffer Preamp layers clean boost onto an already fuzzy signal
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Greer Tarpit
Greer
70% similarityShared character: metal, thickness, fuzz
Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz
Black Arts Toneworks
63% similarityShared character: single coils, metal, fuzz
DOD Chthonic Fuzz
Dod
59% similarityShared character: fuzz
EarthQuaker Devices Barrows V1
EarthQuaker Devices
59% similarityShared character: thickness, fuzz, full
EarthQuaker Devices Barrows Fuzz
EarthQuaker Devices
59% similarityShared character: thickness, fuzz, full
Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace
Fuzzrocious
58% similarityShared character: metal, fuzz
Fjord Fuzz Berserk
Fjord Fuzz
57% similarityShared character: fuzz
Fjord Fuzz Odin
Fjord Fuzz
56% similarityShared character: fuzz
Fjord Fuzz Frei 2
Fjord Fuzz
56% similarityShared character: fuzz
Pigtronix Star Eater
Pigtronix
55% similarityShared character: fuzz
Electro-Harmonix Green Russian Big Muff
Electro-Harmonix
54% similarityShared character: volume, thickness, fuzz
Fuzzrocious 420 Fuzz V2
Fuzzrocious
53% similarityShared character: volume, metal, fuzz
See all alternatives to the Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster?+
The closest matches in character are the Greer Tarpit, the Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz, the DOD Chthonic Fuzz.
What pairs well with the Mr Black Mr. Black SludgeMaster?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fender Vibrolux 6G11, Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp, Magnatone 510 — Run fuzzy into Fender Vibrolux 6G11 for more modulated on top.
Compare
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