Shortly thereafter Martin had the good sense to record an instrumental on this console before the transformer completely failed . While I ’ m a big fan of instrumental guitar music , I must admit that I ’ d never heard this song before gathering content for this feature . It is highly probable the studio musicians like Jimmy Page did . In fact , it is rumored that Page had effects whiz Roger Mayer clone the FZ-1 circuit and house it in a Tone Bender casing , possibly in 1964 . Jeff Beck is on the short list of players who are supposed to have also had one of these pedals .
As you might imagine , Richards ’ use of the FZ1 also caught the attention of a young American guitarist named Jimi Hendrix who was touring as a backing musician with Curtis Knight and the Squires on the Chitlin ’ Circuit . Eventually , Hendrix headed to NYC to make a name for himself , and in mid-1966 that dream became a reality . In another ironic twist of fate , it was Richards ’ then girlfriend Linda Keith who brought Chas Chandler down to see Hendrix play . It is highly probable that Jimi was using the FZ1 on that fateful meeting .
Before we start our historical deep dive , it ’ s also worth mentioning that Hendrix ’ s FZ-1 wasn ’ t the only piece of Gibson / Maestro gear he used . In 1962 Jimi played an Epiphone Wilshire .
Maestro Mini Flying V
The Fuzz by Grady Martin
The real watershed moment came in 1965 when Keith Richards used the FZ-1 for the intro to “( I Can ’ t Get No ) Satisfaction ”. Richards apparently laid down what he thought would be a scratch track for a horn part and was shocked when he heard the final recording on the radio . Thanks to another happy accident , Fuzz was here to stay , and Gibson quickly sold through the FZ1 inventory that had been languishing for several years at this point .
Jimi ’ s Epiphone Wilshire
While he was best known as a ‘ Strat man ’, there are numerous photos and video clips of Jimi playing Gibsons , most notably at the Isle of White festival in the U . K . He also owned a Maestro Rhythm ‘ N Sound , which just might qualify as the first stand-alone multi-effects unit .
IS IT LIVE OR IS IT MEMOREX ? While you might not have been around when that Memorex ’ s iconic ad campaign ran , the duality between live and recorded sound has a lot to do with the evolution of effects . The FZ-1
and the Echoplex were both inspired by studio recordings and the gear used to make them . While studio recordings by Link Wray , Elvis ( with Scotty Moore on electric guitar ), Les Paul and Mary Ford , Marty Robbins ( Grady Martin on sixstring electric bass guitar aka baritone guitar ) were pivotal in the development of stand-alone effects , there were a number of innovations that came first . Unpacking these innovations and the people behind them is key to understanding the genius behind the surprising small number of people and companies who brought them to market .
THE BIRTH OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR If Gordon Gekko ( Michael Douglas ’ character in Wall Street ) had been a guitar player , chances are his slogan would been “ Loud is good !” And conversely , not being able to hear yourself can steal your joy if you ’ re not careful . The music of the Big Band Era was fueled by the
Jimi Hendrix w / Maestro FZ-1
Is It Live Or Is It Memorex Ad