"Face me at your own peril, if you dare face me at all." - Doctor Doom, 'New Avengers' #33
Have you heard the news? Op-amp fuzzes are so in right now. Really, you could time-travel to any musical era since the dawn of the circuit's inception and say the same. The timeless tones of op-amp fuzz have been written and rewritten so many times over, it can be hard to keep track. Wherever your op-amp story starts, it's sure to have similar beats and a satisfying third-act crisis involving devilishly succumbing to the temptations of the op-amp's dastardly, destructive fuzz tones.
Today, we're talking about turning gleefully to the dark side. Revenge is a dish best served cold, as they say, but this helping of doom is far from small. In fact, it's way huge.
This is the Way Huge Smalls Doom Hammer.
Project Doomsday
Introducing the Way Huge Smalls Doom Hammer Fuzz
In the vast, varied world of brands we're treated to in today's modern guitar market, Way Huge ranks among the community's fan favorites. The fabled effect brand, driven by the brilliant, inventive mind of Jeorge Tripps, still stays in the conversation and swings with the best of today's boutique pedals, even all these years removed. Tripps's effects remain popular through their eye-catching casings, reliable construction, and captivating tones. Way Huge continues to remain relevant into the 2020s with releases like the one at hand today, the Doom Hammer.
Way back when, in the warped and confusing times known as the "Late '90s," Jeorge Tripps was tasked with modifying a 1978 op-amp fuzz circuit for his buddies in the psychedelic rock band Oranger. The band's sound, driven by the tones of like vintage fuzzes, benefitted from such reliable modifications from Tripps. Famously spotty late-'70s fuzz circuits simply don't stand up to the trials of touring. Ask any fuzz-favoring act how much they love their original '70s circuits, how confident they are in their original components functioning perfectly, and how inclined they are to get onstage and roll those dice night after night.
Today's Doom Hammer follows in that past-preserving example. There's absolutely a reason the op-amp fuzzes of the time have endured in influence through to today. Way Huge and their boundless effect wisdom effectively preserve the tones of '70s op-amp circuits and their '90s revival for the players of today. Let's go.
Dropping the Hammer
Way Huge Smalls Doom Hammer Fuzz Design and Tones
At the center of the Way Huge Smalls Doom Hammer is an op-amp style fuzz tone too true to deny. The pedal's baseline tone follows in the spirit of that fabled, original Tripps op-amp mod as the Doom Hammer summons a hearty, authentic op-amp fuzz. Essentially going without saying, but for the sake of it, the Doom Hammer's faithful op-amp fuzz tone gets quite gnarly as its Tone and Fuzz ramp up. The classic op-amp tone remains firmly intact with this Way Huge model.
One thing to note, however, is the Doom Hammer's priorities for live playability. Tripps's original modification focused on serving up a tighter mid-frequency that was not as scooped as your usual op-amp fuzz. Where this landed that circuit is in a camp with a tighter low-end that translates more effectively in live scenarios. The Doom Hammer embodies this ethos wonderfully as its more mids-focused tone works effectively at live show volumes where other op-amp fuzzes might more easily succumb to the overwhelming nature of a live mix.
Playability is not the only thing to write home about with the Doom Hammer. As we mentioned, this pedal plays in a faithful way to your favorite, vintage op-amp fuzzes. If you're after your classic '90s alt-rock roars to fill a room with formidable, enveloping fuzz, the Doom Hammer reliably has you covered. The Doom Hammer swings with the best of similar op-amp-style fuzzes as it ranges from chunky, crispy drives to compressed, saturated crunches, to high-octane, all-out, drowning walls of fuzz. If you're fearful about missing out on that all-important op-amp "truth" in your sound, fear not, you're in good hands.
The Doom Hammer also comes fitted with a number of player-friendly, modern functions that bring its vintage fuzz profile comfortably into the twenty-first century. Way Huge's airtight true bypass switching steps forward first to keep your signal clean in the face of the op-amp's overwhelming voice. This, combined with a headache-less, standard nine-volt power connection and an internal nine-volt battery power connection means you've got a straightforward way to play and a backup just in case. The Doom Hammer's place in Way Huge's "Smalls" series makes it so the Doom Hammer takes up a modest amount of space on your pedalboard as it slides seamlessly into any existing rig. Dealing in doom rarely requires teamwork, but it doesn't hurt to play along.
Way Huge Smalls Doom Hammer Final Thoughts
Way Huge's Doom Hammer is a seamless addition to both the Way Huge lineup and your personal horde of fuzzes. Focusing on the modern needs of playability, the Doom Hammer slips in to play reliably and deliver the massive mountains of fuzz so many '90s-style-centric bands find so essential. When we talk about vintage sounds translating into the modern moment, we regret to mention that that specific care isn't always taken to meet the player-centric needs of today. This is not an issue for Way Huge and the Doom Hammer. Considerations for the practical needs of players rise to the top with all the essential op-amp tones you've come to know and love follow fully intact. For any fuzz fan, it's a no-brainer.
