ElectroHarmonix

120 Guitarist November 2009
FUZZ Pedals £59-£275
EffEcts
The Bottom Line
We like: Cool looks;
authentic vintage sound
We dislike: Expensive; fiddly
battery access; no LED; no
power adaptor socket
The Bottom Line
We like: Range of vintage and
modern sounds
We dislike: Four screws for
battery access
GUitarist ratinG GUitarist ratinG
B
ased on the 1969-70 Dallas
Arbiter Fuzz Face that Jimi
Hendrix used, this modern
re-issue accurately recreates
the look of that pedal and is
built around a pair of BC108
silicon transistors, with hand-
wired circuitry carefully
matched to the original specs.
Sounds
The Hendrix edition has the
vintage Fuzz Face sound down.
With a bright tonality that cuts
through, this is a smooth fuzz
that oozes sustain and cleans up
quite nicely when you roll your
volume back
Verdict
An iconic stompbox. Great if
you want to look the part as well
as sound it, but it’s not the most
practical of pedals.
T
he Superfuzz is based on
the rare Jordan
Electronics Bosstone from
1968, but adds unique tone and
resonance circuits to take the
sound further.
Sounds
Designed to provide a variety
of both vintage and modern
tones, the Superfuzz does just
that. You can dial in a nice dose
of buzzy, raspy fuzz typical of
sixties US garage and psych.
But with a Resonance control
that beefs up the bottom end
and a Tone control that can
scoop out the mid-range or
boost it to honkiness, there’s
plenty of variation on tap.
Verdict
It’s a fuzz with more available
tonal tweaking than most.
Dunlop JH-F1
Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face
Voodoo Lab
Superfuzz
CONTACT: JHS PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.jhs.co.uk CONTACT: Sounds Great Music PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.soundsgreatmusic.com
An icon re-issued in authentic form Vintage fuzz with tweakable tone options
Spec
PriCe: £229
OriGin: USA
Fe atUres: BC108 Silicon transistors
COntrOls: Volume, fuzz
COnneCtiOns: Input, output
POWer: 9V battery
diMensiOns: 180 (diameter)
x 50mm (h)
ranGe OPtiOns: JHF2 Fuzz Face
£169
Spec
PriCe: £129
OriGin: USA
Fe atUres: LED
COntrOls: Volume, resonance, tone,
attack
COnneCtiOns: Input, output
POWer: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied)
or 9V battery
diMensiOns: 124 (l) x 95 (w)
x 55mm (h)
ranGe OPtiOns: Proctavia fuzz/
octave pedal (£119)
Fuzztest
You want fuzz? Guitarist selects eight
contenders to square off your sound
by Trevor Curwen
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMANDA THOMAS
GIT322.rev_fuzz 120 8/10/09 15:49:57