An homage to one of the legendary early fuzz pedals, The Maestro FZ-1A. You can read more about the history of the FZ-1 series here:
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/history-of-the-maestro-fz1
I wanted to recreate the sound and feel of the classic pedal, but with some modern improvements, namely the ability to use a standard 9V power supply.
So I designed a -1.5V “power plant” PCB to sit underneath the main PCB, attached by headers. So you don’t see any of the modern components needed for the power section when you open the pedal. Just classic tone making components, except for a modern style PCB.
Components include:
Ultra rare 2N2613 germanium transistors, same spec as the original FZ-1A
NOS Allen Bradley carbon comp resistors
NOS Mallory and GE axial film caps
NOS Sprague axial electrolytic capacitors
24mm Alpha carbon comp potentiometers
Lumberg DC and audio jacks
Alpha footswitch
Vintage amber LED lens
Authentic Davies knobs
The enclosure for this I actually designed myself and had fabricated. It is my first sheet metal enclosure design. It’s made from heavy duty 16 gauge steel, powder coated and laser etched.
Even though the FZ-1A circuit is a very early fuzz pedal design, it actually has high input impedance, which allows it to be placed in locations other than first in your signal chain.
I tested the builds with several different guitars (plugged directly into it) and wanted to offer my feedback to you. The Fuzz One A seems to prefer guitars with higher output pickups. Here is a summary:
Gibson Les Paul Standard (HH)- Sounds great no matter the setting
Fender Player Strat (SSS) - Not really enough to drive the pedal, but has good tone at higher Attack settings. Recommend boosting before pedal
Fender Telecaster (SS) - Same as the Strat, even a little worse, not enough juice
Epiphone SG (P90s) - Probably the best sounding, even better than the Les Paul
Gretsch G5120 (HH) - Sounds amazing at high Attack settings, not quite as good at lower settings
Again, this is plugged directly into the pedal, and since it’s a high impedance pedal, you can buffer and boost to suit your needs.
Use only a standard Boss style 9V center negative power supply.
An homage to one of the legendary early fuzz pedals, The Maestro FZ-1A. You can read more about the history of the FZ-1 series here:
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/history-of-the-maestro-fz1
I wanted to recreate the sound and feel of the classic pedal, but with some modern improvements, namely the ability to use a standard 9V power supply.
So I designed a -1.5V “power plant” PCB to sit underneath the main PCB, attached by headers. So you don’t see any of the modern components needed for the power section when you open the pedal. Just classic tone making components, except for a modern style PCB.
Components include:
Ultra rare 2N2613 germanium transistors, same spec as the original FZ-1A
NOS Allen Bradley carbon comp resistors
NOS Mallory and GE axial film caps
NOS Sprague axial electrolytic capacitors
24mm Alpha carbon comp potentiometers
Lumberg DC and audio jacks
Alpha footswitch
Vintage amber LED lens
Authentic Davies knobs
The enclosure for this I actually designed myself and had fabricated. It is my first sheet metal enclosure design. It’s made from heavy duty 16 gauge steel, powder coated and laser etched.
Even though the FZ-1A circuit is a very early fuzz pedal design, it actually has high input impedance, which allows it to be placed in locations other than first in your signal chain.
I tested the builds with several different guitars (plugged directly into it) and wanted to offer my feedback to you. The Fuzz One A seems to prefer guitars with higher output pickups. Here is a summary:
Gibson Les Paul Standard (HH)- Sounds great no matter the setting
Fender Player Strat (SSS) - Not really enough to drive the pedal, but has good tone at higher Attack settings. Recommend boosting before pedal
Fender Telecaster (SS) - Same as the Strat, even a little worse, not enough juice
Epiphone SG (P90s) - Probably the best sounding, even better than the Les Paul
Gretsch G5120 (HH) - Sounds amazing at high Attack settings, not quite as good at lower settings
Again, this is plugged directly into the pedal, and since it’s a high impedance pedal, you can buffer and boost to suit your needs.
Use only a standard Boss style 9V center negative power supply.
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