Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone (PAF)

[Richard Groff]

I'm crazy enough to not mind, but the man himself is on your side...

Jimmy Page interview from Guitar World magazine in 1993 commented about the remastering of Led Zeppelin tracks:

"The only real problem I can remember encountering was when we were putting the first boxed set together. There was an awfully squeaky bass drum pedal on "Since I've Been Loving You". It sounds louder and louder every time I hear it! [laughs]. That was something that was obviously sadly overlooked at the time"

[starlingbrothers]

Wouldn't life be boring for us committed fuzzslingers if there were really only two flavours

I've got hundreds (says he with a slight degree of embarassment ~ as at some smutty secret unwittingly revealed ) and to some degree or other they all have their idiosyncrasies (long word for charms!) like my kids HA!!

Greedy Grumpy Graham

Do you also have hundreds of kids ? Or is that just the fuzzy beasts that we all love ? And the surprise is that with all the gear obsessions that many of the forumites have that there are many with offspring as well - how did we find the time

[starlingbrothers]

I'm crazy enough to not mind, but the man himself is on your side...

Jimmy Page interview from Guitar World magazine in 1993 commented about the remastering of Led Zeppelin tracks:

"The only real problem I can remember encountering was when we were putting the first boxed set together. There was an awfully squeaky bass drum pedal on "Since I've Been Loving You". It sounds louder and louder every time I hear it! [laughs]. That was something that was obviously sadly overlooked at the time"

Nothing that a few drops of 3 in 1 oil wouldn't have cured - although all the extra noise adds to the character, I feel

[starlingbrothers]

Hey Bjorn, Really cool to see you here!! Very honored to have you aboard

How about a D*A*M/BJFE collaboration ?

[devnulljp]

Don't have a FZ-1, but I do have a couple of Maestro Fuzztones.
FZ-1A, which I just got, is #6612 -- so does that put it in the pre-xmas 1965 batch?
It's in pretty good shape and sounds great.
PAF stricker, RCA cans labelled 2N2614.

FZ-1B is a unique squelch gated thing -- Bjorn explained it nicely before -- interesting sound.
Mine's a 4-trannie circuit. Pot codes are from 1968.



FZ-1A






FZ-1B (need to take some better pics)





I still don't get WTF they were thinking with the attached cable though...

[psycho*daisies]

Here's my #323 FZ-1. (No PAF sticker)

Sent it to D. Main a few years ago & he graciously cleaned it up & got it working well.
He replaced the old bigger cans (broken stems etc) with some NOS RCA's (smaller) that came on the FZ-1A.
I suppose they're about the virtually the same on paper/in characteristics. (anyone know?)...

If not, I may be interested in finding the bigger cans for replacement, just to get it back to original...

[Scott]

that is on FINE looking pedal!!! Gotta get me one! If anyone is selling one of these, let me know.

[Mr. Min T. Fresh]

that is on FINE looking pedal!!! Gotta get me one! If anyone is selling one of these, let me know.

Holy crap that mofo is clean!!!

[DiscoFreq]

My FZ-1 (#3366) has those big cans (see first page of thread), but 2 caps and a resistor were replaced and I would like to have those replaced by originals :)

[devnulljp]

Anyone know if the numbering restarted with the FZ-1A or continued on from FZ-1 to FZ-1A? (So what was the first serial # for the FZ-1A: 5459?). Patent was awarded Oct 19, 1965, so presumably PAFs were made prior to (and probably a little after) that date?
I love how the patent describes it as "...a tone modifying attachment ... to produce electrically amplified and reproduced tones simulating other instruments such as trumpets, trombones, and tubas."