Thursday, July 31, 2025

Baby Fuzz / Distor Wha (70's France)

Continuing on with our vintage French pedal features (see the Garen Distortion post here), today we're going to take a look at the Baby Fuzz / Distor Wha. As we mentioned in the last post, quite a while back we highlighted the mysterious Baby Fuzz. Once thought to be of Japanese origin, it turned out to be a French built Vox/Jen Distortion Booster copy from (most likely) 1970 or so. As of now it is the only one I have ever seen, and I thought it had the potential to be either homemade or some kind of local electronics shop kit. But a couple of years ago I came across photos of an odd fuzz/wah I had never seen before. I did however, immediately recognize the font and what it was called...





The Baby Fuzz apparently had a big sister called the "Distor Wha". And luckily for us about a year after discovering this existed, another one popped up online and we got even more photos. 

After looking it over, it clearly uses many of the same components found in the Baby Fuzz, and even uses that same heavy grip tread. Additionally the font used on the input and output jacks "Guitare" & "Ampl." are identical to the font used on the Baby Fuzz.

So I think it is safe to say, they were made by the same manufacturer.







When comparing the two, while I am not anything close to a pedal builder (at all), it does seem very likely that both pedals use the same fuzz circuit. In addition to all of the components being the same (minus the transistors, which could be explained by simply one pedal coming before the other), it also used the right amount of those components.

Unfortunately we still don't know who manufactured these.  But the best clue we have can be found on the bottom of the PCB of the Distor Wha. Etched in, it clearly says "France" and above that we have a bit of an enigma to unravel... "ER_B" So what does that obscured letter say? "D"? "R"? "B"?

We may never find out, but I'm hoping that someone reading this will immediately recognize it and comment on how stupid I am for not knowing basic French vocabulary. :)


So if nothing else, we finally have confirmation that the Baby Fuzz (and now the Distor Wha) was actually of French origin! So that's an exiting end to an almost 15yr mystery.

I'd still love to find out who was making these, mostly because they teeter right on the edge of a one-off garage project, and a small "boutique" level of production. But I could be way off, and maybe they were being put out by some larger French amplifier brand at the time? (finding an original advertisement would be amazing! Were there any French Rock magazines in the 60s/70s I should be digging through?)









One of my favorite things about getting into the pedal history weeds is realizing that way more countries were building pedals during that golden era than we ever gave credit to. Just over the last 6 months I have seen pedals I never knew existed from places like Turkey, Romania, Poland, Indonesia, Chile, and Korea.

Each of these have a cool story to tell, individually and as part of the larger story of Distortion (which to me is the most important discovery in all of modern music).

So as always, we seek to discover more and more. And if you happen to have any additional information about the Baby Fuzz line, please feel free to reach out  via Email or Instagram

thanks for reading,
-ed

Monday, July 28, 2025

Garen Fuzz - Chambre De Distorsion (1969)

By the late 1960s the sound of gritty primitive fuzz had fully captured the French youth. In addition to music trends coming out of the US and UK, new Garage Rock and Blues Rock bands were popping up in France all the time (highlighted well in this recent video by Yesterday's Papers). Many of these bands were using pedals made outside the country or homemade one-offs by local solder jockeys, but we also know of at least two truly French fuzz pedals made during this time; the somewhat mysterious Baby Fuzz (we highlighted years ago in THIS POST), and the Garen "Chambre De Distorsion".


Garen Electronic Music Instruments MFG. was mostly known as an amplifier brand, based in Paris and started by Jean Guen around 1958. And I would go into more depth about their history, but it's so well laid out in this website run by Guen's own grandson, that I highly recommend going through all of their awesome photos and detailed info if you really want to go extra deep. But to skip ahead for the sake of this post; with the rise in popularity of Rock & Roll in France, Garen decided it was time to capitalize on the moment with a new line of amps and their own take on both reverb units and the new 'hip' fuzz sound sweeping the nation.


So in 1966 the Garen Distortion was born! Coming in a super sleek, polished chrome wedge enclosure with a cool 3-way tone switch, it stood out among the onslaught of foreign fuzz pedals invading Europe during the 60s. With an unexpectedly simple design, based more on basic transistor theory than on any specific fuzz pedal, the Garen Distortion was something unique that proud French players could call their own. 

Built like a tank with the engineering precision of a NASA rocket, it also stood wayyyyyy out in terms of quality for the 1960s. Everything from the wiring to the battery door was constructed with an attention to detail rarely seen in the vintage effects world.

It might not translate over photos just how well these are made, but trust me! These things are solid, and ready to last another 50+ years.


The circuit itself runs off three germanium transistors, and while the majority used are unlabeled, at least one unit has surfaced with AC182's.

And like we said a second ago, it doesn't appear to borrow directly from any other fuzz at the time. The basic design has instead been described as three cascading gain stages followed by a selectable filter (you do see a similar circuit concept in the elusive Liverpool Fuzz, but a connection between the two is impossibly unlikely).



The selectable filter is really unique though, and offers quite a range of tones. The first setting gives a nice fat, but still hairy 60s style fuzz. The middle position actually boosts the midrange, giving you a more focused but again, still fairly aggressive fuzz tone. And the final setting is the closest to that classic crispy icepick FZ-1A tone we all love but with a bit more gain on tap.

I can't think of many other contemporary fuzzes that had filter/tone sections quite like this, except maybe the GM Fuzz Up FD3 and obviously the Honey Baby Crying Fuzz (and all its offshoots). Otherwise it was a pretty novel way to dial in your tone at the time. 


While these are fairly rare outside of France, they aren't impossible to find. That being said, for a long time I was under the impression that the Garen Distortion was only available during 1969. I had seen three different units by this point, all hand-dated to 1969 (including the one I now own), plus the 1969 catalog from earlier in this post. 

But then a "1966" labeled pedal surfaced, an undated unit with "67" codes on the capacitors was next, and finally a really odd unit with a serial number on the back that could possibly indicate it was made in 1970! So I can't say with 100% certainty that they were originally released in 1966 and made through 1970, but as of now that's my best guess.

photo by: Rafmax



The Garen Distortion is definitely more of a fuzz, and soundwise I would put it comfortably in the Maestro FZ-1 family. That being said, it offers a lot more gain than an FZ-1, and maybe lies a little closer to the Tone Bender end of this imaginary spectrum.

Luckily for us though, we don't have to worry too much about getting the adjectives right because our friend Rafmax made a demo of my 1969 unit back in 2014. Check it out below!


Even though most of the pedals we write about here are steeped in mystery, the Garen fuzz has been pleasantly easy to research (and I greatly appreciate that!). So although we still don't know exactly how long they were being made, how many were made, and if they actually appear on any of those 60s French fuzz records, I can appreciate that we're much further along than we typically are by then end of these posts.

So I hope you have enjoyed this one! And if you happen to own a Garen "Chambre de Distorsion", I would love to know what date is on yours, and if you could send a photo of it, that would be even more awesome! :) Please feel free to reach out via Email or Instagramand I hope you have an awesome week.



Thanks for reading,
-ed

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Early Shin-ei Advertisements

From the very beginning of my vintage pedal journey I have been captivated by the Japanese effects giant, Shin-ei Electric. It was one of (if not THE) first company I ever legitimately researched, after seeing what was clearly a dominating amount of pedals they produced throughout the 70s. The endless OEM brandings combined with three of the most classic effects of all time (Uni-Vibe, Super Fuzz, FY-2) made the history of Shin-ei a super intriguing topic for my ocd nerd brain.

But unlike the vast majority of US pedal manufacturers that were relatively easy to research, the more layers I peeled, the further away I got from learning who was behind Shin-ei and what their actual connection to pedal history was. To this date, we (well, ) still don't know any names of anyone who worked for what has to have been a huge factory (and one that ran for at least a decade). Nor do we know if they actually designed any of the effects they built. Nor do we know something as simple as how a foreign brand, like Apollo, would have found out about Shin-ei and hired them to produce gear with their logo attached...

So today we continue with what I've been able to find over the past couple of years, with a little help from some friends over in Japan. We have 3 advertisements (all from 1969, I believe) that show Shin-ei in a moment of transition, from "Shin-ei, the manufacturer of microphones and pickups", to "Shin-ei, the manufacturer of guitar effects and more". As far as I know, none of these have been available on the internet until now :)





Above is the original ad, and below is the Google translated version (probably not a perfect translation). This is from the early Spring of 1969 and shows Shin-ei advertising an entire line of various pickups. 

It is currently believed that they had been around as early as the late 1950s, manufacturing pickups for the various Tokyo-based guitar companies.

One thing to note is that we see no mention of effects pedals or Companion as a brand. This doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I feel like it's important enough to point out.



This one, dated to April of 1969, is special because by all accounts Honey had gone bankrupt just a month prior. And I had long held the belief that Shin-ei produced the Honey effects, but recently I've come across some big evidence that tells a different story.

The small blurb at the end of this ad reads, "A specialized manufacturer of guitar microphones, vocal microphones, and transformers". To me, this implies that they did not yet manufacture effects pedals. 

Related to this, is the 1968 Honey catalog that contains a line of microphones. A big part of me thought that if I could just match up the mics sold by Honey that were also sold by Shin-ei, then I would crack the code! Unfortunately, there were zero matches...





This one is important! And while I unfortunately don't have a specific date attached to it, my assumption is that this ad is from some time in mid-late 1969.

The Companion logo is different than any we've seen on any effects we know of. Additionally, we see our first pedal, that appears to be a wah. But while it is similar, it's actually like no other Companion branded wah known to exist. The treadle portion with the small arrows pointing to the input and output jacks, we have seen before in the earliest run of Surf Siren Wahs. So what I believe we're seeing in this ad, is the very likely the first Shin-ei/Companion effect pedal.

Another important part of this ad is the phrase: 
"We can produce a microphone based on your design, even if it is just one unit."
This says to me that they have now officially entered the world of Original Equipment Manufacturing, and are willing to work with companies as large as Hohner, or as small as Mana (see this article on many of the different brand badges found on Super Fuzzes).

I had previously stated that I hadn't found any evidence that Companion existed as a brand before March of 1970. And while I don't have a specific date on this final ad, the handful of clues it does provide would make it appear that possibly by the end of 1969 Companion was in and Honey was out. And Shin-ei Electric was on the precipice of becoming the largest manufacturer of Japanese effects for the coming decade.

*One thing I would like to point out is the article we put up a couple months ago regarding the Japanese Wedge Fuzz. In there I posit that Shin-ei did NOT produce the famous Sekova wedge fuzzes, even though they did have a relationship later on. If what we're seeing in these ads is proof that they didn't start manufacturing effects until the second half of 1969, then it would have been impossible for them to have made the wedge fuzzes.

thanks for reading,
-ed

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

DOD 201 Phasor - The First 3 Years

For vintage DOD heads, there may be no grail holier than pedals from the very first "big box" series, circa 1974-1977. As we discussed super at length in a No Demos video on the history of the 250 Overdrive Preamp (HERE), the earliest official DOD pedal was the black Electronic Phasor. Well it must have seemed like a great idea, because from that moment through 1980 they would use phase shifters as their flagship devices to herald in new lines or variations on existing effects.

So today we're going to look at the pedal that was born right out of those original big box Phasors and its exponential evolution through the first 3 years of production... 

DOD 201 Phasor Phaser Phase Shifter

At the beginning of 1977 DOD introduced a new, scaled-down line of effects. It was called the "200 Series" and featured the now infamous "Bud Box" enclosures. They were the first DOD pedals with a smaller footprint and an attempt from the brand to follow the trends of the time.

In keeping with tradition, the first effect they released was the 201 Phasor. It was a completely redesigned circuit from their previous two phase shifters, taking cues instead from the MXR Phase 45.

Like all of the pedals from that series it featured an off-white finish, 3-D brand logo, and that fancy old westy font.

It's believed that these were built for just a few months, making them quite rare and hard to track down nowadays. So if you find one (or currently own one) let me know! :)

DOD 201 Phasor Phaser Phase Shifter

In the Fall of 1977 DOD was ready to release their brand new updated "200 series" pedals. Following legal threats from MXR, they ditched the Bud Box enclosures and created their own unique sand casted units.

Again, the first effect they would choose as the introduction to this new series would be their 201 Phasor. Now cloaked in grey paint with bright yellow graphics and that big bold 3D brand logo, DOD would unknowingly release what would become one of the most iconic guitar pedal lines of all time.

The circuit remained roughly unchanged, with the biggest difference being a new larger PCB, giving the parts room to breath without all the constraints of a Bud Box enclosure.

DOD 201 Phasor Phaser Phase Shifter

In early 1978 DOD again changed the look of their pedals, but this time it was purely graphical. Along with the 250 Overdrive Preamp and the 280 Compressor, the new 201 Phasor would shift to a smaller DOD brand logo and a thinner font.

The pedal was otherwise identical inside and out. And this would be the last era of DOD effects that were battery powered only (note the lack of a 9v jack on the side of this and the previous two versions).

Not quite as rare as the two models above, but this version is still considered somewhat of a "hen's tooth". Amazingly though, it's often overlooked as it's easy to miss the no-power jack.

DOD 201 Phasor Phaser Phase Shifter

Toward the latter half of 1978 DOD again revised their 200 Series effects, giving the customers what they wanted... a power jack!

Visually this version looks almost identical to the previous one, and it is, except the added jack on the side above the output. Inside, as is with the 250 and 280, there is an update to the circuit that simply accommodates the new wall power (affecting the tone slightly, but noticeably).

These are fairly common to find on resale sites, and to the point that if you can't find one, just be patient... you will.

DOD 201 Phasor Phaser Phase Shifter

The final version of the gray 201 Phasor came out in 1979, and on a technical level, is the same as the previous version (although you will find differences in component brands, just like all DOD pedals).

The biggest difference here is the graphics were changed to highlight the various jacks; "Out", "In", and the brand new "PWR." were placed within the borderlines themselves. This again is an updated feature you will see on most of the 200 Series effects from this era.

These are the most common gray 201 Phasors you will come across. And although I didn't get into serial numbers, this version has the widest range.

From here, DOD would continue to expand their phase shifting repertoire, and go on to release the 401 Phasor, the 490 Phasor, and the 201 Phasor in yellow all within a year of each other. And while the gray 201's lifespan was relatively short, it serves as the perfect example of a young company pushing forward, figuring it out as they went along, and just making it work!

So if you have any additional details on the history of DOD, or if you happen to have one of the first two Phasors discussed above, please feel free to reach out to me via Email or Instagram, I'd love to hear about them.

thanks for reading,
-ed