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Pros:
- Good build quality
- Great bang for the price
- Accentuates your bass nicely
Cons:
- Squeeze can cut some frequencies when used at its fullest
- Cannot be powered with batteries
When you’re just starting out, you don’t really have issues with the amount of pedals. You don’t have a big collection and you can easily afford to buy stompboxes without even thinking about the consequences. However, as you mature and your effects start to grow in number, you notice that you have to be more careful with your purchases. Your pedalboard gets more and more crowded and everything seems to be tightly squeezed on its body.
If you aren’t ready to sacrifice any of those effects, going for a mini can be the best solution. In today’s world, you see brands coming out with smaller versions of almost every model, just because they know how much important pedalboard space can make. Be it an affordable price range or a high-end market, they usually try to come out with units that could fit anywhere.
Today we’re going to talk about the pedal which is so compact that you could carry it around in your pocket. Mooer MFZ4 Fog has a small footprint which seems to be a huge virtue, at least for me. It definitely belongs to the inexpensive category of pedals, however, it delivers amazing performance. If you’re someone who has an overcrowded pedalboard and can’t afford to pay a lot of money for a single unit, you’re in the right place, my friend. Let’s get down to business and begin this article!
Features
The affordable range features the pedals that work beautifully and the ones that suck equally. Understanding which ones are worthy of your time and money can be a difficult task, however, it might be easier if you know where to search. Mooer is one of those brands that offers great quality in the majority of their products. Of course, they have their mishaps, but those are quite rare. Fog isn’t an exception to that rule – in fact, this manufacturer has a good reputation thanks to pedals like this.
It doesn’t offer anything extraordinary, yet its properties are both surprising and pleasing at this price point. It offers a standard package, which means its greatness stems from simplicity. This puppy knows how to treat your bass, that’s for sure, but it does also know how to act with your electric guitar. When you find an inexpensive pedal that can be utilized with both of these instruments, do you even have a choice other than buying it?
To be more specific, Fog is featured in a metal enclosure, which makes it more durable compared to its counterparts. I have to mention the design of this unit since I have one complaint: bright green surface has yellow writings that aren’t as defined as I would like them to be. Those who are shortsighted like me, will have to struggle quite a bit before they make out what is written on the surface. This puppy has true bypass, which means that it won’t suck your tones. Fog can’t be powered by batteries due to the tiny body, but you can always utilize the adapter. Lastly, but most importantly, the circuit is designed in a way that adds fuzz to your bass guitar without making it muddy or depriving its notes of distinction.
Controls
Mooer Fog has a control section that will satisfy the needs of every bassist. It’s meticulous and precise enough to let you alter various properties of your sound and shape the fuzz at the same time. The knobs are configured in an intelligent manner. The only complaint I have here is the same I had with design – I would prefer if the labels were easier to make out. Other than that we can easily say that the control section is perfect for our daily needs.
You’ll see two tiny knobs on top of the pedal and a huge encoder in the middle. First row features Volume (changes the level of the effected signal), Squeeze (lets you explore different shades of fuzz and travel through various results) and Tone (shapes the tonal content of your sound – it accentuates and attenuates either high or low frequencies). The big encoder I mentioned is labeled as Fuzz. It modifies the intensity of the effect and enables you to add more gain as you rotate it clockwise. The footswitch is responsible for activating or turning off the pedal, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at this point. It seems to be quite clear that Fog can be figured out quickly, which means you’ll have a lot of time for experimenting.
Mooer Fog Sound
You can’t even imagine how much power can be emitted with this little beast. Its enclosure might force you to think that it isn’t that strong, but trust me, it certainly is. Fog can create distinctive and powerful fuzz, regardless of the genre you’re playing and the type of effect you want to create. It will easily emulate the vibes of Muse – and this says a lot even if you aren’t into this band. This puppy operates noiselessly and doesn’t turn your sound into a messy mash.
Rather, it brings out your bass and defines individual notes even further. The only complaint here is that the Squeeze knob might remove some of the frequencies when cranked up to its maximum. But when used in moderation, it can yield really interesting results. I was really surprised when I played with Fog for the first time and it continues to amaze me every time I decide to plug it in and perform.
Conclusion
All in all, Mooer Fog is one of the best bass fuzz pedals in its price range. It offers powerful effect and it does so without creating a noisy, ear-bleeding disaster. It suits your bass guitar perfectly, and creates beautiful fuzz even when paired with electric guitar. I think that even such tiny pedals are all about flexibility and versatility and Fog is a great example of that. It will take only single experimentation to understand what I’m talking about. There’s nothing to contemplate about – this fella is wonderful. Good luck!
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