Features originaltype 2n26 npnpnp transistors, pointtopoint wiring, and a design thats entirely faithful to the original. Youre thinking of the original green maestro fuzz tone. Dec, 2014 then, in 1962, a nashville engineer named glen snoddy invented the box that came to be called the maestro fuzz tone, marketed by gibson. There are quite a few schematics posted on the internet, but i decided since i had the real mccoy right in front of me, the first thing to do was draw out a schematic. Feb 23, 2015 the year that the maestro fuzztone fz1 was born. International buyers are responsible for all taxes, duties.
Gibson maestro fz1a fuzztone fuzz box pete townshends. Noted dates include the monterey pop festival appearance and, according to auction lot notes, was taken from the stage at the whos 17 november 1967 date at shawnee mission, kansas. The gibson maestro fz1 is often called the satisfaction fuzz, because keith richards used it to create that memorable lick. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. The maestro fz1 fuzztone allowed guitarists to change their tone. Gibsons ad campaign improbably said the device would make. Pete townshend used a 1966 gibson maestro fuzztone fuzz box serial no. Dec 28, 2016 history in 1964 i designed my first fuzz guitar effects pedal that was used by jimmy page and big jim sullivan and featured on many early hit records. Maestro fuzztone fz1 fuzztone schematic corrected correct.
Shop for the maestro fuzztone reissue and receive free shipping on your order and the guaranteed lowest price. The fuzzatort was an almost identical circuit that was the basis of a kit offered by sentry manufacturing company. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. Unknown which fuzz it was, but roger mayer did design a fuzz pedal for jimmy in 1964 according to mayer, based on a maestro fuzztone. Gibson maestro fuzztone effects pedal demonstration record zctv 82437 demonstration record that explored the possibilities of the new and revolutionary gibson maestro fuzz pedal. Heavily inspired by the gibsonbuilt maestro fz1 fuzz tone, which was hard to obtain in england at the time, hurst produced a 3transistor circuit after being asked by session musician vic flick for a pedal that would emulate the sound of the fz1 but with more sustain. This quote seems a clear indication that page had stopped using the mayer fuzz after his session days, although he seems to think he used a maestro fuzztone for the yardbirds work. The response was muted as the story goes, gibson shipped no units at all in. Nyc guitarist producer vinnie zummo asked me the repair his vingtage maestro fz1 fuzz.
This is how the first fuzztone was introduced by gibson electronics in 1962. Mar 03, 2011 the maestro fz1 fuzz tone allowed guitarists to change their tone from clean to dirty with a tap of the foot, thanks to a rather simple circuit of three transistors and some capacitors and. At the end of the 1940s several guitar and bass players started to realize that the defects in their tube amps allowed them to get an original sound. This unit is a simple design, uses two germanium transistors and. Youre thinking of the original green maestro fuzztone. Glen states in the book fuzz and feedback by tony bacon. In the early 50s, blues guitarists started to push their amps to make it distort and create a weird, unusual guitar sound. Theres also a picture in the book of paul mccartney, apparently recording the solos for good morning good morning with a fender esquire and a selmer zodiac. The gibsonmaestro fz1 is often called the satisfaction fuzz, because keith richards used it to create that memorable lick. Mar 28, 2012 this is how the first fuzz tone was introduced by gibson electronics in 1962.
The gibson maestro fz1 fuzz tone was the first fuzz distortion device to become widely available on the market for electric guitars and basses, although there had been previous prototype devices. Then, in 1962, a nashville engineer named glen snoddy invented the box that came to be called the maestro fuzztone, marketed by gibson. Fuzz tone achieved a peak of popularity in the 1960s. For those not in the know, the tone bender is one of the classic fuzz pedals, taking pride of place alongside the fuzz face, fuzzrite, big muff and the maestro fuzztone a pedal that played a critical role in the tone benders development and was the buzz behind the rollings stones satisfaction. In the beginning, distortion was accidentally discovered by many amplifier owners simultaneouslyusually because of damage to valves or speakers. The first production version of the fuzztone was built into gibson bass guitars first commercial use february 16, 1962, as that was the original intended use.
Al casey used this fuzz box in recording sessions for the sanford clark song go on home, released in march 1960. It arrived in late 1966, in its iconic big, red and round enclosure. This is how the first fuzz tone was introduced by gibson electronics in 1962. Except for one instance, what he was usually seen using in live yardbirds performances was a tone bender in a gold colored professional mkii style case, so page may. The fuzztone, however, failed to catch on until the pedal got into the hands of a rolling stone. New listing maestro by gibson studio electric guitar lp jr neck open book headstock m18. Arbiter was famous for selling ringo starr a black oyster pearl ludwig kit in 62, which he hastily inscribed with the beatles across the front to make the sale, complete with the dropped t logo that became part of rock history. History of the maestro fuzz tone the maestro fuzz tone fz1 was the first fuzz pedal ever. One of the first records i know of that has the maestro fuzz tone sound is a phil spector production. This box made its world debut on the stones satisfaction in 1965 and revolutionized guitar tone. Maestro fuzztone fz1 fuzztone schematic corrected corr.
A rundown of the most mythical fuzz pedals audiofanzine. But due to the nature of vintage electronics is sold as is. Gibson maestro fz1 fuzztone lee hazelwood was an early pioneer of fuzz tone, it seems he had a fuzz box created by a radio station technician for use in the recording studio. Produced during the 60s and 70s, the maestro fuzztone fz1a is considered a classic vintage effect along with its sibling the fz1 and the legendary echoplex tape echo. Enter the 1962 maestro fuzztone, godfather of all fuzzboxes. The tones a marshall head combined with a good germanium fuzz face produce can verge on divine. We have an original that was bought new and it is a good sounding fuzztone. The bestknown early commercial distortion circuit was the maestro fz1 fuzztone, manufactured by gibson, released in 1962.
The oldest fuzz in our collection, this 1966 vox tone bender was made famous by that group of british lads known as the beatles. The incident caused a tube to become unseated, and anytime he wanted to get that fuzz tone back, hed loosen the tube a little. The first fuzz face was the one that started it all. Glenn snoddy, 96, accidental inventor of the fuzz tone. Lot 257 pete townshend maestro fuzz pedal 1967 gibson maestro fuzztone foot pedal with original battery, serial number 12362. Find a similar product below or contact us for a recommendation of a great alternative. Welcome back to the journey through the history of the fuzz pedal. Some players even made holes in the speaker to make the distortion even greater. They sold the design to the musical instrument company gibson, who marketed it as the maestro fuzztone guitar pedal. Well pick up in 1962, the year where things started to happen.
The originals are somewhat rare andor expensive, so it makes a good candidate for building a diy replica. Another documented early fuzz bass sound also grew out of a malfunction. There has been much confusion about this circuit, as the schematics on the patent, and on the original ieaflet that came with the pedal are both wrong. The tone bender timeline history the big muff pi page.
Of course the sound was undesirable to some, but surprising and appealing to others. In the us, engineer glen snoddy, seeing fuzz tone becoming increasingly popular since it appeared in the bass solo caused. Rothstein guitars serious tone for the serious player. That came out in 62, presumably mere weeks maybe a couple of months after the fuzz tone became available. Its probably a way harsh almost metal tone for the average fuzzster, but with the fuzz knob turned most of the way down, this thing offers a really nice tone that lies somewhere between a blown 3 speaker mixed 5050 with a clean line the harshest metal tone you can think of turned down to 10% josh hommes ball sweat this is a. Snoddy tells gary gottlieb in his book how does it sound now. The bestknown early commercial distortion circuit was the maestro fz1 fuzz tone, manufactured by gibson, released in 1962. The maestro fz1 fuzztone allowed guitarists to change their tone from clean to dirty with a tap of the foot, thanks to a rather simple circuit of three transistors and some capacitors and. But the quest for a distorted sound is older than this famous machine. The maestro fuzztone was a fuzztone, but to me the sound was closer to distortion than fuzz. The device was used by keith richards in the rolling stones 1965 hit satisfaction and became a favorite of many garage rock and psychedelic. Get the best deals on gibson maestro when you shop the largest online selection at ebay. The fuzz is considered the first ever distortion pedal in the history of guitar. One sided, 7, 33rpm noncommercial release, promoting the newest guitar accessory, the fuzz pedal.
Gigging advice gear howtos pedal projects gear history. At the end of the 1940s several guitar and bass players started to realize that the defects in their tube amps allowed them to. History in 1964 i designed my first fuzz guitar effects pedal that was used by jimmy page and big jim sullivan and featured on many early hit records. Before long the fuzz tone had become a hallmark of 60s guitar rock, especially among its more psychedelic exponents, like the jimi hendrix experience and cream. Get a low price and free shipping on thousands of items. History of the maestro fuzztone the maestro fuzztone fz1 was the first fuzz pedal ever. For those not in the know, the tone bender is one of the classic fuzz pedals, taking pride of place alongside the fuzz face, fuzzrite, big muff and the maestro fuzztone a pedal that played a critical role in the tone benders development and was. Maestro fuzz service manual see other formats manual no. The later fz1a used the same circuit with different transistors. Vintage 1964 gibson maestro fuzz tone guitar effect pedal. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in. New listing maestro by gibson studio electric guitar lp.
I photoshopped this up from philip bryants incorrect schematic at fuzz central and posted it on the freestompboxes forum in 2009. From tubedriven console to transitistorbased pedal the birth of the maestro fz1a fuzz tone. The first production version of the fuzz tone was built into gibson bass guitars first commercial use february 16, 1962, as that was the original intended use. In the us, engineer glen snoddy, seeing fuzz tone becoming increasingly popular since it appeared in the bass solo caused by a faulty tube preamp on marty robbins song dont worry, creates a transistor circuit to replicate the fuzz tone. Maestro fz1s this is a fuzz tone from the early 1970s. The only fuzz pedal that gets mentioned is the voxsola sound tonebender, but the vox amps that were made for the beatles in the mid sixties included built in fuzz. Nashville engineer who invented the fuzz tone made. The maestro fz1 fuzz tone was designed by recording engineer glenn snoddy and wsmtv engineer revis v. May 25, 2018 before long the fuzz tone had become a hallmark of 60s guitar rock, especially among its more psychedelic exponents, like the jimi hendrix experience and cream. The gibson company marketed the pedal, dubbed the maestro fuzztone fz1. Arbiters fuzz face mimicked the maestro fuzztone, but in a simple even simplistic design. The jordan bosstone produced a sound that i will describe as being similar to an electric circular saw. Produced during the 60s and 70s, the maestro fuzz tone fz1a is considered a classic vintage effect along with its sibling the fz1 and the legendary echoplex tape echo. Gibson introduced the fuzztone fz1 pedal under the maestro brand in 1962 and produced more than 5,000 units, which were all sent to their dealers that first year.
Its sound can be described as an electric razor sound. This may have also been a standard maestro fuzztone. Were talking about the late, moog designed pedal that was silver, had big foot operated knobs on the sides instead of little guitar style knobs in front, and used the entire upper surface of the pedal as a switch pad. This one is in very good condition and sounds fantastic. I am pleased to announce that after 40 years this early ground breaking fuzz will be available again. Top 10 greatest music stories never told anthony dalessandro june 2, 2011 if the history of the world had a playlist, it would run the gamut from bach to big boi. This quote seems a clear indication that page had stopped using the mayer fuzz after his session days, although he seems to think he used a maestro fuzz tone for the yardbirds work. The fuzz atort was an almost identical circuit that was the basis of a kit offered by sentry manufacturing company. Unfortunately, consumers didnt understand the device, and the fuzztone pedals sat idly on dealers shelves. Although it came to define the sound of rock guitar, fuzz appeared first.
The gibson maestro fz1 fuzztone was the first fuzz distortion device to become widely. The fuzz eone is a clone of the famous gibsonmaestro fz1a, the satisfaction fuzz. Its the sound of fury, aggravation, indignation, and considering the history of the most famous fuzzbox of all time, maestros fuzztone. Keith richards recorded the first genuine commercial fuzzlaced smash in. Gibson introduced the fz1 in 1962, the first commercially available fuzzbox to gain widespread acceptance. It uses oldstock, matched germanium transistors to nail that raspy, 60s70s tone, but has the features that let it play gracefully on a modern pedalboard.
410 330 516 1435 666 1160 1087 434 861 1327 1392 1230 740 1181 251 975 134 582 1035 190 1385 564 1020 730 555 757 736 1372 414 111 402 1089 1020 1142 708 284 394 368 687