#fuzzology

Garen - Chambre de Distorsion

"... With an unexpectedly simple design, based more on basic transistor theory than on any specific fuzz pedal, the Garen Distortion was something unique that proud French players could call their own.  ... The circuit itself runs off three germanium transistors, and while the majority used are unlabeled, at least one unit has surfaced with AC182's. ... And like we said a second ago, it doesn't appear to borrow directly from any other fuzz at the time. The basic design has instead been described as three cascading gain stages followed by a selectable filter (you do see a similar circuit concept in the elusive Liverpool Fuzz, but a connection between the two is impossibly unlikely). ... The selectable filter is really unique though, and offers quite a range of tones. The first setting gives a nice fat, but still hairy 60s style fuzz. The middle position actually boosts the midrange, giving you a more focused but again, still fairly aggressive fuzz tone. And the final setting is the closest to that classic crispy icepick FZ-1A tone we all love but with a bit more gain on tap. ... I can't think of many other contemporary fuzzes that had filter/tone sections quite like this, except maybe the GM Fuzz Up FD3 and obviously the Honey Baby Crying Fuzz (and all its offshoots). Otherwise it was a pretty novel way to dial in your tone at the time.  ... The Garen Distortion is definitely more of a fuzz, and soundwise I would put it comfortably in the Maestro FZ-1 family. That being said, it offers a lot more gain than an FZ-1, and maybe lies a little closer to the Tone Bender end of this imaginary spectrum. ..."

G. P. ELECTRONICS - Harmonic Generator

"G. P. Electronics was a company in Bovey Tracey, Devon, founded by inventor Gerry Pope. G. P. manufactured guitar amplifiers and PA units during the 1960s & 70s, as well as treble & bass boosters, and a fuzz box, called the ‘Harmonic Generator’.

... Based on testimonies from the manufacturers, as well as from a former owner of a Harmonic Generator, we can ascertain that the G. P. fuzz box actually predated Jim Burns’ offering. Gerry Pope, himself, was reported to have returned from a trip to London expressing dismay after having discovered that the Burns guitar company had copied their product."

Ridinger Associates - Liverpool Fuzz

WEHR - Fuzz-Tone

part of the latest fuzzologic gossip on possible historic relations between the Rosa Nu-Fuzz, the Sierra Nu-Fuzz, the WEHR Fuzz-Tone and their predecessor, the Mosrite Fuzzrite, by Ed Skymall.

Ideal - Fuzz Master

" ... match what was inside the FZ-1A version [Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone] of the Sekova Fuzz. Same PCB, same components, same bottom plate and more."

TVM - fuzz

"TVM Manchester Ltd (also known as TVM Sound) was incorporated on the 26th of September 1957, and manufactured amplifiers and PA equipment during the 1960s and 1970s. The company was based in the city of Salford, (now) a Greater Manchester borough in the north west of England, between the cities Manchester and Liverpool.

TVM equipment is rather rare, and it probably wasn’t being sold widely at the time because the brand is not particularly well-known outside the Greater Manchester area.

The fuzz box pictured here is, at the time of writing, the only known surviving example of a TVM pedal. Its casing appears to be made of a kind of molded resin, and is fitted with a sheet of bent steel upon which the electronics are built. Its date of production is unknown, but the following visible features on the pedal look distinctly 1960s:

At least four germanium transistors, one of which appears to be an OC45 type

A laminated ‘wafer’ Bulgin DPDT footswitch, which is the same part found in some of the earliest Fuzz Faces, Tone Benders and Pep Boxes

A ‘patent applied for’ Rendar output jack socket (as seen in early Fuzz Faces and Rangemaster Treble Boosters, although the patent was only granted in 1964)

The patent number RadioSpares input socket being a mismatch with the output is a good indicator that this TVM fuzz box may have originally had a fixed input cable"

Northern Virginia Fuzz Summit!

"4 local builders get together to share and compare vintage fuzzes and personal builds. It’s always an eye opening experience. This time around we also had a couple others join in on the fun. Worked our way through Fuzz Face, Mk I, Mk 1.5 V828, Mk II, , FZ-1, and a couple other pedals thrown in for fun. Builders were myself (Mason FX), Purple Noise FX, Happening Effects, and JMAC Guitar Pedals."

EHX - Big Muff

"this is not the first batch. first batch had "fuzz" instead of "tone" and the power switch was on the volume knob. ... for the first couple months they were all assembled on perf board, and theres assorted variations even within that because they were kinda winging it frankly. ... the first version Big Muffs with the perfboard layout have the tone control sent to ground via the input socket and the rest of the circuit via the output socket. I've only ever seen the conventional triangle Big Muffs with the PCBs having the circuit sent to ground via the output socket because of how it's all laid out inside."