The Original Gainster.

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This is my baby, or actually better put, the grandpa of the rest of my fuzzies.
Say hello to the Maestro FZ-1, circa 1962.


In the near future I'll do a full and detailed post on this wonder of modern electronics; until then...
Smell the Tonage!
Darrell McCall - Got My Baby On My Mind

Perfboard Triangle Big Muff (1970)

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For some true Pedal Pornography I want you to watch this video/
It comes to us from Japan (with love) and is on one of my favorite Youtube channels, Voodoowrench's.
This dude's collection can eat mine for breakfast, and for a long time he was the only one demoing these cool vintage pedals for the rest of us to drool over.
But this one is different and just damn cool!
so check it out:




Thanks for watching!
-ed

Maestro Full Range Booster FRB-1 (1972)

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Well, well, well.
So we're back this week with another one of those effects that seems so simple in concept but, for the most part, is pretty excellent and useful in execution. This is the Maestro Full Range Booster model FRB-1, made from 1972-1975. Supposedly there were about 3,000 of these produced in that time, but they tended to be super fragile and the switches were prone to breaking, so who knows how many working units are really out there? Either way, it was part of the early and very influential line of effects Maestro put out in the 70's, and although it's not as crazy as the Brassmaster or the Filter Sample/Hold, it does stand strong, arm-in-arm with its fellow Maestroian brothers (just maybe not quite as in-your-face).


Looking back on it, Maestro seemed to have a pretty solid foot on the ground in the world of effects during the early 70s. That reputation of really cool sounding and looking stompboxes is why I decided to go for this FRB-1 when it came up for sale a while back. I figured, Well I have no idea what this is going to sound like, but A: Its got a Fuzz in it, and B: It's made by Maestro!

I know, pretty solid logic...


Getting down to it, how does this wedge-shaped, goofy switch havin' pedal sound? Well, the functions of each switch give a pretty solid description even before I have to get into it. It boosts 4 different frequency ranges independently from each other, it can give an overall volume boost, and for the hell of it (I suspect to sell more units) Maestro threw in a Fuzz circuit!

It's actually really great to shape your tone and I find it most useful after another fuzz. With a pedal like the Big Muff running first, the FRB-1 can be used to boost the mids for live playing, boost the low and high end for a real heavy Stoner tone, and add grit with the fuzz engaged, for more of a vintagey feel. I have no idea how many decibels of boost are available, but you definitely know when it's on.

The Fuzz can be used independently from the other controls or in conjunction with them. For me, to get the most out of it, I tend to switch on the low,low-mid,high and power boost switches WITH the fuzz. The tone can be thought of as a weaker/less fuzzy FZ-1 but with quite a bit more sustain. Bill Connors used to use these with the Maestro Phase Shifter and it was supposedly his tone on this,(skip to 1:46 to hear the FRB-1 in all its glory!):
-|Return to Forever|-

So there you have it. It may not be the most unique or interesting pedal Maestro made, but it sounds awesome and is actually a really useful tool. I just wish they didn't use those crazy switches/

Here's the pedally porno for y'all. Check out how insane the wiring is!!!

Thanks for reading!
-ed

Updates and Stuff!

☟ Ok, so being totally new to the world of blogging and html, I have been getting some ideas from different sites & blogs on how to make this one more reader-friendly. So I decided to try out some of these things and hopefully they become the norm/ The one big and great addition is the "Stompbox Articles" page, which is like a directory to all of the straight-up reviews and photo logs of the awesome pedals you love. This should make it quick and easy to find exactly what you were looking for. It's broken up into categories and in alphabetical order... (Big Thanks::: goes out to the Effect Extra Blog for giving me the idea/ It's so simple, yet perfect! So make sure you guys hit them up and follow their blog too.) Soon I will add a couple more pages like a "Contacts" page, and a page of stuff I am out on the hunt for...(which is a little more selfish on my end, but if I do get them, I promise I will share the good gooey awesomeness with you all!) OK, that is it for now. I won a couple of pedals this week on the bay, so I will definitely have a few sweet posts coming up. and later today, if the rain holds off, I think I might do a cool and rare Maestro pedal. Thanks for reading! -ed

This Fender Blender... (1974)

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The original Fender Blender is one of my all-time favorite fuzz tones. The way it squelches, shrieks and blurbs out distorted chaos and adds that cool upper octave; you know, just to make it a little bit more insane...

Yes, it's seriously one of the best.
but of the few originals that I have, this one is the true King of the Mountain!


It was made the last year they were produced, 1974, before the infamous 3-Knob Fender Blender was introduced.
It's fatter and woollier than the previous versions, including the Version 1's from 1968.

Now I know you're probably thinking, "What the hell? this is just a weird close-up pic with a lame photoshop filter???"
But instead think of it as like the teaser post on this badass 1974 Fender Blender, because basically I had this pic already on my computer and I really wanted to get in a post before the end of the night!
sorry, just being honest :)


thanks for reading!
-ed

Baldwin Burns Buzzaround (1966)

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By now you have most likely seen this video by our friend Graemey, of his insanely rare Baldwin Burns Buzzaround fuzz.
But!
I figured a couple things;
1. It's so good that you should see it again, &
2. It's such a classic fuzz (and older brother to the Elka Dizzy Tone) that it needs to be showcased here in some capacity.

so please enjoy!
it's even better the 2nd time around: