FUZZ IT
UP
This article will primarily
focus on amp distortion,
but we’d be remiss not to
mention the groundbreaking
work in fuzz pedals from
the ‘60s onward, as they
played a massive part as
well. Engineer Glen Snoddy
was purposefully mimicking
the sound of distorted amps
when he gave the world
the first major commercially
available fuzz effects: the
Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz Tone,
sold through Gibson. It’s
thanks to this pedal we
have the famous riff from
“Satisfaction” by the Rolling
Stones, one of the all-time
great examples of distortion
on a pop record.
In 1965, England produced
its own fuzz in the form
of the MKI Tone Bender,
becoming a favorite of Jeff
Beck, Jimmy Page, and Mick
Ronson. Back in America,
Jimi Hendrix was making
good use of the Arbiter
Fuzz Face, along with doing
groundbreaking work on
octave fuzz with engineer
Roger Mayer. Using Mayer’s
skills and Jimi’s imagination,
they created the Octavia,
which doubled the octaves
of the note played and can
be heard on solos for “Purple
Haze” and “Foxy Lady.” The
beginning of the ‘70s gave
us the Big Muff Pi, and the
end of the decade gave us
the Ibanez Tube Screamer.
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