The Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass is a Tech 21 overdrive pedal. Close alternatives include the Electro-Harmonix Blogger and the Ashdown Stuart Zender Funk Face. It pairs well with the Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble and the Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus BG-450.
Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass
Tech 21 · pedal
The Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic delivers vintage germanium-style fuzz tones for bass through hand-biased, individually selected discrete components, ranging from fat, gritty 1960s bass fuzz through heavy rhythm tones to industrial, sludgy doom-metal drones. A 21dB boost function works fully independently of the fuzz, usable as a transparent clean lift or stacked with the fuzz for extra push, and four controls let players blend fuzz and boost into a wide range of gritty tones spanning distortion, overdrive, and fuzz territory. Buffered bypass with silent switching keeps it quiet on stage. It suits bass players wanting classic, characterful fuzz with a genuinely useful independent boost rather than a one-trick gain pedal.
What stands out
“It suits bass players wanting classic, characterful fuzz with a genuinely useful independent boost”
— from the listing
“Tech 21's bass fuzz and boost, valued for aggressive bass fuzz with boost capability”
— from the community notes
“A 21dB boost function works fully independently of the fuzz, usable as a transparent clean lift or stacked with the fuzz for extra push, and four controls let players blend fuzz and boost into a wide range of gritty tones spanning distortio…”
— from the listing
“Build quality is excellent”
— from the community notes
“The Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic delivers vintage germanium-style fuzz tones for bass through hand-biased, individually selected discrete components, ranging from fat, gritty 1960s bass fuzz through heavy rhythm tones to industrial, slu…”
— from the listing
- fuzz
- bass
- boost
- aggressive
- rhythm
- gritty
- buffered
- bypass
Genres the Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass is commonly used in
- Doom Metal
- Stoner Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Noise Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Grunge
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass
Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble
Boss
18% 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)
Put Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward modulated
Comes later in the signal chain
Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus BG-450
Phil Jones
12% matchPhil Jones Bass Compact Plus BG-450 leans toward high headroom, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
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 Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass
Cordovox FL-8
Cordovox
22% 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)
Put Cordovox FL-8 after Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass's own gain stage
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Ages
Walrus Audio
21% 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
Fender Blender
Fender
21% 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)
Fender Blender stacks octave on top of the fuzzy already here
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay V1
Walrus Audio
14% 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 Walrus Audio Mako D1 High-Fidelity Stereo Delay V1 after Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black
Walrus Audio
14% 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)
Run Walrus Audio Melee Wall of Noise Black after Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass in the signal chain, clear of Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass'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.
Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass's own fuzzy character is the real reason this is worth trying
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Subdecay Octave Theory Octave Modulator Synthesizer
Subdecay
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Put Subdecay Octave Theory Octave Modulator Synthesizer in front of Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass: pitch tracking is cleanest before anything colours the note
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
Alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Blogger
Electro-Harmonix
50% similarityShared character: true bypass, fuzz, bass
Ashdown Stuart Zender Funk Face
Ashdown
47% similarityShared character: wide range, bass, stage
Ashdown James LoMenzo Mega Drive
Ashdown
46% similarityShared character: bass, distortion, aggressive playing
Ashdown Jmy-dd
Ashdown
46% similarityShared character: fuzz, bass, distortion
Aguilar DB 925
Aguilar
45% similarityShared character: wide range, true bypass, boost
Laney Digbeth DB-Pre
Laney
45% similarityShared character: fat, true bypass, bass
Dunlop Way Huge WM91 Pork & Pickle
Dunlop
43% similarityShared character: wide range, fuzz, bass
Behringer BDI21
Behringer
42% similarityShared character: fat, bass, stage
Xotic Bass RC Booster V2
Xotic
42% similarityShared character: boost, transparent, bass
Roger Mayer Voodoo Bass
Roger Mayer
41% similarityShared character: fuzz, bass
Electro-Harmonix Nano Operation Overlord
Electro-Harmonix
41% similarityShared character: boost, bass, distortion
See all alternatives to the Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass?+
The closest matches in character are the Electro-Harmonix Blogger, the Ashdown Stuart Zender Funk Face, the Ashdown James LoMenzo Mega Drive.
What pairs well with the Tech 21 Bass Boost Fuzz Metallic Analog Bass?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble, Phil Jones Bass Compact Plus BG-450, Gibson Les Paul LP-1 Preamp — Put Boss CEB-3 Bass Chorus Ensemble in front and the fuzzy tone leans further toward modulated.