Fuzz Face Reissue

NOTE:  THIS UNIT HAS BEEN MOD'ED WITH GERMANIUM NKT257 TRANSISTORS, BUT NOT BY ANALOGMAN!  I DON'T KNOW WHO DID IT. IN-FREAKIN-CREDIBLE!!!  Ignoring my weeping credit card, I purchased this and an Analogman Sun Face w/ Sun Dial containing NKT275 germaniums to compare side by side (yeah, I have to hurry up with my comparisons or I'm toast with my bills!).  DO NOT MISTAKE THIS:  BOTH pedals are incredible, but I can distinguish which hits me better.  I'm keeping the Arbiter Reissue.  Both pedals put you in the Jimi zone with that sweet buzzy glow, but the Arbiter has more mid/low foundation and a more complete spectrum.  The Sun Face has more highs.  Unfortunately, the Sun Face tops out on its FUZZ pot, but the Arbiter  hits the same level when its pot is only at 7, so you can keep cranking up the fuzz!  Now, the sun dial is something the Arbiter doesn't have. Per the description on Analog Mike's webpage, it's used to tweak the pedal for what kind of batteries you have installed.  YES: it is true whatever kind of batter you use makes a BIG difference in your overall tone.  His mod is supposed to maintain that tone as your batter fades.  I haven't used the pedal long enough to determine the accuracy of this, and I hope that doesn't kick me in the pants later.  Both pedals are beautiful, sound fantastic, and I would recommend either to fuzz freaks.  Unfortunately, I don't know who mod'ed my Arbiter, and it may just be a unique find!  REMEMBER!  It was moded!  BUT with all respect to Analog mike, if you find any Fuzz Face pedal (Dunlop, Arbiter, etc.), he CAN add those NKT275 germaniums and get that pedal back to life!  Really, don't mess around, get the germaniums in that!  I give it a 10 - some equipment takes a while to get what you want out of it, but the moment I flipped the switch on this, it spoke right to me.

Haven't had it long enough and put it through the ringer to say.

NOTE:  THIS UNIT HAS BEEN MOD'ED WITH GERMANIUM NKT257 TRANSISTORS, BUT NOT BY ANALOGMAN!  I DON'T KNOW WHO DID IT. If you have problems using this pedal, you probably wake in sheer terror of having to tie your shoes that day.  Two knobs aren't hard to juggle.    (I try not to give things 9's or 10's unless there's something that normally is obnoxious to use but some manufacturer solves through innovation)

Forget it.  It's mod'ed.  I'm talking to Analog Mike if this think poo's out on me (analogman that is, check the webpage!).

If you want 60's sounds and want to get closer to JIMI in heaven, don't hesitate to fork over the $$$, pay for the appropriate germaniums (nkt275) and get to business!  IMPORTANTLY:  If you're buying a fuzz face, you know how crappy some of the reissues over the years look.  Those dunlops look nasty.  This really looks as if it was stored in a nuclear bomb shelter since the 60's in case the war happened and you needed a little fuzz in your post-apocalyptic life to give hope to us all and carry on our genetic code. 

I just built some of my own silicon and germanium fuzz face clones, picked germanium transistors with gains of 70 in the first stage and 125 (hfe) in the second stage, set the transistor voltage bias correctly( ie 1/2 the battery voltage, nominaly 4.5v) and they are far better than the arbiter re-issue or any other mass produced models. I removed the ac128 transistors in the re issue and measured their gains.I found 485ish for no 1, and 500ish for no2, very high leakage I would guess, cannot all be gain??). The mass produced Fuzz faces are usually (unless you pick a good one/lucky one that happens amazingly to have the correct gains and resistor values for the transistors)are simply just fuzzes. they only do ..........FUZZ........, a properly set up fuzz face circuit does alot more..which you control from you guitars volume knob.Ask Mr Hendrix ;]

This is a follow up to my previous review. BTW the Arbiter England, re-issue Fuzz Face comissioned by Ivor Arbiter and built by Dennis Cornells firm in the late 1990's, does have the correct first issue knobs, ie the ones with a silver numbered skirt around them. I found an advert on the net for the original Arbiter Fuzz Face(from 1966?) and 'lo and behold' it ( and the bass and treble fuzz!!!!!!) had numbered silver skirted knobs. If you see one of these for sale I would buy it as Ivor is dead, Arbiter is gone and they are usually cheaper amazingly than the Dunlop version, but don't expect it to work as well as a handmade clone, but it will sound like a Fuzz. You cannot factory make one of these circuits without a 'carbon based life form' measuring a few of the components parameters if you want it to sound like MORE than just a fuzz. But, they are worth a bit because they are -Arbiter England, Fuzz Faces.

I would recomend everyone to have a go at building their own Fuzz Face clone, the commercial ones set the blueprint for what is a fab circuit, but because transistors gains/hfe are never what they are supposed to be, you have to measure their gain, and the voltage at the collector leg of the 2nd transistor once the circuit is built and then put the correct resistor inplace to get that voltage to 4.5v or so. Dont worry if it sounds a bit hard to do, it is not, there is plenty of advise and complete instructions for building A GOOD ONE on the net. To save a lot of hasle, buy your transistors from small bear electronics (especially if you live in the States), he also gives you build instructions.

Can't compare to the original because I've never tried one. But this is the kind of sound I was expecting. Using it with a Vox Cambridge 15 with Strat and ES-335. I find it sounds best with the Strat. You get some nice creamy sustain most of the time, but it dissappears on some notes (something to do with phase?). There's also a fair bit of gating so its best to add some distortion from the amp. MAKE SURE YOU TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!! Mine was bought at Soho Soundhouse in London. I went in on a busy day and said I wanted to buy one but would try it first. The guy was quite busy so he took me to their Fuzz Face stash and left me there to try out as many as I wanted. I must have tried about 30. The majority are awfull - some barely even sound at all. Be very careful. If you get a good one, though, they're great. You've been worned.

Build quality seems pretty good. Die-cast casing should last. Knobs look a bit flimsy, though.

Limited Edition one handwired - #48. Piece of cake to use - two knobs: Volume, Fuzz and footswitch. Sound is pretty much what what you would expect out of a vintage fuzz - a bit harsh sounding if fuzz set to maximum. Roll off the fuzz to get a smoother tone. Volume works well.

Haven't had any problems so far.

Overall, if you're after that classic fuzz face, but don't want to pay for a vintage one, then this is it (especially for the money). Inconsistency lets it down - try before you buy.