Did Tom Quayle just find his new favourite fuzz?.
I've known Tom for a number of years and am also privileged to call him a friend. He's an utterly awesome human being and a monster of a guitarist. Tom's website was one of our earliest music related sites which we worked on and since then i have been lucky to work with Tom a number of times over the years demoing pedals.
If you've followed Tom Quayle's gear demos for any length of time, you'll know he doesn't hand out praise lightly. So when he opens a video by saying a pedal might be his new favourite, it's worth sitting up and taking notice. That's exactly what happened with the Purple Ohm Fuzz. In this mind-blowingly good demo, Tom puts it through its paces, talks a bit about our origin story, then delivers some utterly sublime performances - the results truly speak for themselves.
A Different Take on the Muff Formula
Muff-style fuzz has a long, well-loved history, but it's also a crowded space. Plenty of pedals lean on the name without doing much to earn it. The Purple Ohm takes a different approach - it's a transistor based fuzz that reacts much like a hybrid fuzz-distortion style pedal.
Watching Tom work through utterly sensational riffs, what stands out is how usable that fuzzy distorted tone. The fuzz stays thick and creamy without turning to mush, and there's a clarity to the note definition that a lot of vintage-style Muffs struggle to hold onto once the gain climbs. And that sustain...
What You'll Hear in the Demo
Tom's demo covers a lot of ground in a short space of time. Highlights include:
- Tone character - slides from smooth, saturated Ram's Head-style fuzz right through to that gnarlier Sovtek bite
- Sustain - crank the fuzz and it still holds its shape - no mush, no noise, just notes and chords you can actually hear
- Playability across styles - works just as well for atmospheric, sustained lines as it does for quick, articulate fusion runs - this thing's got range
Watch the Full Demo
You can watch Tom's complete rundown of the Purple Ohm Fuzz here:
If you've been on the hunt for a Muff-style fuzz that doesn't ask you to compromise between vintage character and modern usability, this is worth the ten minutes, and then some! I am so grateful to Tom for doing this demo for us - it is way beyond what I expected. Go check out Tom's site here and make sure to check out his amazing apps on your phone!