Fuzz Or Distortion

[Dylfish]

Technically wise, What is the difference between fuzz and distortion setups (electronically speaking). Is it just the ranges that clip are different or is fuzz usually amplified to a larger signal that distortion and clipped so there is a bigger effect on the harmonics?

[R.G.]

There is no particular boundary between them. There is no technical definition of the difference.

Distortion is any change in waveshape (as it's use in musik-speak). Fuzz is some variant of distortion.

You will get replies describing a progression of overdrive to distortion to fuzz, most likely. But there is not a good definition.

With some good reason. Techinically, distortion can be measured, in some cases at least. One would think that one could label 0-X% distortion as one thing, X% to y% as another and so on. That doesn't work, because of the differences in harmonic distortion and intermodulation distortion and how they sound. X% of pure harmonic distortion is different from X% of intermodulation to the ear. All practical distortion mechanisms produce some varying amount of both harmonic and intermodulation, generally unique to the process.

Where the distinction between distortion, overdrive, fuzz, and any of the other distortion related labels is really useful is in advertising.

[R.G.]

I forgot to mention. This is is one of those questions that pops up every few months as curious people begin working on effects. It's not a bad question, and one that would seem to be simple to answer. But there are only contextual and semantic answers, not measurable ones.

[Mark Hammer]

You know what?  Maybe we need to get back to work on you know what. 

[LucifersTrip]

2 points:

1) what people think of as fuzz and distortion has changed over the last 50 years
2) with tweaking of my guitar and amp settings, I can almost always make something sold as a "distortion" sound like a "fuzz" and vice-versa
(but again, there is no definition)

[Dylfish]

Thank Guys, Ive been asking alot of questions lately and you guys have been a mountain of knowledge. Its good to know what i should be looking for

[teemuk]

Distortion is any change in waveshape

Exactly. Just like "Overdrive" is not a particular tone but just the process of forcing an amplifier or circuit or device past its rated linear operating range (which results to distortion).

Fuzz is some variant of distortion.

I'd say it's merely a subjective way to describe the perceived sound of the distortion. "Fuzz", "Crunch", "Higain", "Fart", "Your amp sounds like its broken" or whatever are not objectively quantifyable forms of distortion, as in things like amplitude distortion, phase distortion, frequency distortion, etc.

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IME, the characteristic "fuzz" sounding distortion occurs when you overdrive/clip/distort a signal with moderately wide bandwidth, especially towards the low end. Those low frequencies distorting is the typical "fuzz" tone.

When things turn towards more modern distortion sounds (that do not have such "fuzz" characteristic) it's usually result of drastic low frequency cutting before distortion. e.g. The response may start to fall down heavily already at 1kHz or so.


So basically the difference lies in the pre-distortion EQ:ing. Flat, wide bandwidth response pre-distortion = tone commonly characterized as "fuzzing". Narrow, mid-range band oriented response pre-distortion = less fuzzing and more "modern" sounding distortion.