Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I was at the local music store, wanting to alter my sound. Rather than the onboard overdrive on my amp, I thought I should get some classic Fuzz. So, I special ordered a Dunlop Fuzz Face. Anyone own one of these pedals? Can I get that Hendrix fuzz-tone? The Keith Richards "Satisfaction" tone? What about "I Can See for Miles" by The Who?

How versatile is a Fuzz Face?

You'll find out.

It's actually fairly versatile. If you turn the fuzz down and the volume up it can work as a nice boost for solos. I used mine on the bass in this vid

Yeah, you'll find out.

If you're anything like me, you'll spend quite some time hating it, REALLY hating it because you can't get it too sound the way you want, then someone will show you the proper way to set up a fuzz, and all will be well..

When I get it, I'll probably wing it. Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting it. Hope I can get the "Satisfaction", "I Can See for Miles", "Think for Yourself", etc. sound.

JakeK wrote:When I get it, I'll probably wing it. Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting it. Hope I can get the "Satisfaction", "I Can See for Miles", "Think for Yourself", etc. sound.

I hope you can get your own sound.

Jake, the fuzz sound on I can see for miles is pretty terrible, I'm not sure why you'd want your guitar to sound like that.

The Fuzz Face is Hendrix's tone, but the Satisfaction tone was the Gibson Maestro FZ-1A pedal, which is more raw and raunchy.....less compressed.....same with Think for Yourself, though I think that was a Sola-Sound fuzz pedal on that one. The Fuzz Face is a cool pedal and does what it does well. Congrats on your purchase.

Greg

Nice vid Wes!!

soundmasterg wrote:The Fuzz Face is Hendrix's tone, but the Satisfaction tone was the Gibson Maestro FZ-1A pedal, which is more raw and raunchy.....less compressed.....same with Think for Yourself, though I think that was a Sola-Sound fuzz pedal on that one. The Fuzz Face is a cool pedal and does what it does well. Congrats on your purchase.

Yeah, the fuzz face is definitely produces a more compressed sound then the FZ-1s and Tone Benders, it's sort of an evolution of those original designs.

So many fuzzes, so little time...........

I have several fuzzboxes, and they all sound different. I have yet to find a fuzz that will nail all of the sounds that you are looking for. The fuzzface is a good place to start, and will probably suit your needs better than the more aggressive ones. Keep in mind, most of those players used their fuzzboxes in conjunction with the volume knob on their guitars. Backing the volume off just a hair can really help shape the sound to offer greater versatility.

The vintage fuzzboxes are going for insane prices, so I'd stay away from those unless you are planning on collecting them. Tons of people make clones of all the old boxes for a fraction of what the old ones are going for, with updated features like true or buffered bypass and ac adapter plugs.

There are also companies on the web that sell kits to make your own fuzzbox that are very simple. Once you understand how it all works, you can build your own fuzz to suit your tastes. Have fun.

There is a lot of technique involved with being able to use a fuzz box, especially the ones that are based off of the straight vintage ones. It took a while to make my Fuzztone usable. The Tone Bender was much more accessible right after plugging in. Best of luck with the Fuzz Face, Jake.

lennon211 wrote:There is a lot of technique involved with being able to use a fuzz box,...

No kidding.... They're kind of like Germino amps. you can't just set and forget. The first dozen times you play it, you're learning the amp, or in this case, you're learning the pedal.

1965 wrote:Jake, the fuzz sound on I can see for miles is pretty terrible, I'm not sure why you'd want your guitar to sound like that.

Wow, the millions of people who have listened to and/or bought that track would disagree with you there. The tone is big and powerfull on that song, and I think I'll back up Pete Townshend on that one.

If you are "just kidding" again, throw one of these guys on the end of your statements, so people will know.

If you are not kidding, IYO, what exactly is it about the fuzz on that song that is "pretty terrible"?

Well...the fuzz face came in today. I immediately rushed to the store to pick it up. I've been playing around with it the last half-hour and it's a fun pedal. "Satisfaction" and "I Can See for Miles" sound great through it, as well as a number of Kinks tunes. Even works well for Tom Petty's "Saving Grace" and "Runnin' Down a Dream". Can't wait to play with it some more! And if it sounds good through a solid-state amp, imagine how good it would sound with a Vox or a Fender tube amp!