Noisemaker Effects Donner Party

So, after checking around, in several ways, I bought my super-high gain Fuzzbox. I went with the Donner Party from Noisemaker Effects.
Why this pedal? Because I've noticed that a lot of high gain Fuzz pedals either sound like a Big Muff with a dying battery or they sound like digital noise. I wanted something that was high gain, but emphasized the upper mids- in other words the frequencies that the electric guitar was actually made to make. See, I might like sludge metal bands, but a lot of them- even ones I like, make their guitars sound like basses, or possibly violas. Fair enough, but listen to an unprocessed electric guitar- humbuckers, P-90's, or single coils, the frequencies you hear first are in the upper midrange . As distorted and maxed out as I like the guitar, ultimately, I'm about the guitar, not the effect pedal. So, I wanted a fuzzbox that did that. The Donner Party stands out in that fashion- sure the harmonics are HUGE, and yes, this sucker is high, higher, highest gain, no one will think of Black Sabbath, here. Might I someday get something from Devi Ever, Dwarfcraft, or Earthquaker? Sure, I might, but this definitely has scratched the high gain fuzz itch, without resorting to sounds I've heard too often.
So,  the very first thing that captured me, before I even completed the purchase was the phenomenal commitment to customer service that Matt has. Seriously, this guy goes way above and beyond what you could and should expect.
But, then, I got it.Before it shipped I noticed the price- for a boutique ( i.e, "hand made") item, it's priced competitive to the mass market stuff- compare the Donner Party at 66 bucks to a Boss Hyper Fuzz (between 80 and 150) or the aforementioned Bug Muff  (70-90) .
But service and price are only worth it if the product is good. This is a good product. High quality components, with a great modern design- it both looks good, and is built well.
But the reason to get it is the sound. I could dial up everything from crunchy to glitchy in seconds of trying it out.
The thing is this- I'm not sure, because I haven't opened it up, but it acts like a kind of outrageous pre-amp. Very, very loud, with a fair amount of noise artifacts- I can't put the level up much past 9 AM on the dial without serious input frying volume boosts, so I paired it up with an attenuator (an EHX Signal Pad ) . Even then, you definitely do not need a line boost with this. With even my beloved MXR script logo Distortion +, there's some volume loss- so, again, this operates more like a pre-amp on crack, and with the extra volume control of the attentuator  - it's kind of like chaining an Amp into your amp. I can see how all the cliches about nuking the speakers, and bleeding eardrums might be possible with this thing but this isn't really a problem. I'm just trying to give you a heads up to avoid any potential problems.
The advantage of this model is the responsiveness- By adjusting my guitar's volume knob, I can go from noisy, fizzy overdrive to what-sort-of-8bit-nonsense is this? in less than 4 beats. That makes it pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Have you heard Aeges' Southern Comfort? Well, the noise they get on the bass ( I think. Could be a really down-tuned guitar)  is the floor of fuzz I was looking for- going from grainy to glitchy and back. But, don't take my word for it- listen to it. If I'm not mistaken my very pedal was used for the demo.
So, I know I've said things about boutique pedal makers, and etsy sellers, and makers of all descriptions that might seem to contradict this. I told you that I think it's complex. Noisemaker Effects and Matt are a standout. He genuinely is making something different, and his business practices are sound, and the amount of BS is kept below the minimum threshold. What I'm saying is this- yes, let your own tastes dictate, but if you want my example of someone getting it right, here it is.