How to Date Your Super Fuzz

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Last year I wrote this article on deciphering Shin-ei date stamps. And while that's probably still the best way to determine your pedal's true age, by no means is it the only way.

So this time around, my main focus will be on the legendary Super Fuzz (Baby Crying, FY-6) circuit and how it evolved over its decade-long production run. Luckily Shin-ei did us all a favor of not only putting date stamps on their pedals, but also making changes in a typically linear and chronological fashion. So I put together this list of the most easily identifiable "rules" and what to look for. There are a few others that will not be mentioned here, but trust me, this should be more than satisfactory. 

*we are going to jump around a bit in the timeline, but know that everything you see here has been determined by going through hundreds of photos of hundreds of Super Fuzzes and organizing each nerdy detail into an even nerdier database...

Alright, let's go.

In 1970 Shin-ei created their own house brand called Companion and introduced an updated version of the Super Fuzz, they called the FY-6 Fuzz Master. 

In addition to the name change, Shin-ei also redesigned the signature brick-wedge enclosure by adding an indented slot for the logo badge.

This only lasted two years, and I would guess that going back to a flat surface to limit production costs was the main reason. 

One of the coolest and most recognizable things about vintage Shin-ei pedals is that Shin-ei labeled footswitch.

What most people don't know is that they didn't start using them until May of 1973. Now while you will see these on a lot of Shin-ei pedals through to 1979, they're not the only switches they used in that time.

In 1967 Honey introduced the Baby Crying Fuzz, and with it, the circuit we came to know as the Super Fuzz. Most likely taking a cue from the Maestro Fuzz Tone, the original version featured an "Expander" pot that also doubled as an On/Off switch. 

As of now, the only version I have found that was definitely made in 1967 was the Honey, but in 1968 we saw the Univox and LRE Super Fuzz OEM's arrive to the US market, both containing the pot/switch.

A common sight on vintage Shin-ei pedals is this classically misspelled battery sticker on the bottom plate. But it wasn't introduced until the latter half of 1972.

It would stay around until the end of Shin-ei's run in 1979. But you won't necessarily see them on every pedal.

In 1975 Shin-ei changed the PCB that had been in use since 1969. This new version featured slots for the wiring that were lined up straight across the top of the board. Additionally there was no trimpot or open slots for a trimpot, like in the previous version.

Another interesting fact, is that Shin-ei had been using this same exact board in their (v3) Psychedelic Machines since at least 1972 (and possibly earlier. I have to do a bit more research). So it's likely that again to save money, they just streamlined using the same PCB for each.

For a very brief period, before introducing the Shin-ei labeled footswitch, they used a Companion labeled version.

It was introduced in January of 1973, the same moment they changed the brand's name from "Companion" to "Shin-ei Companion". And most likely as a result, just 5 months later this version of the switch would be gone.

In 1970, with the introduction of Companion as a brand, another lesser known detail they added was this basic Battery sticker.

The previous versions had no indicators for battery usage, but instead featured a small black "Made In Japan" sticker in the same spot. 

The earliest versions of the Super Fuzz used two TS (mono) jacks instead of what would come later, the combination TRS and TS jacks.

This was because these early units had the on/off Expander pot, while the later versions utilized a TRS (stereo) jack to kill the power from the battery until a cable was inserted.

The trimpot is one of the more interesting additions to the circuit. From what I have gathered (so far) the first version of the PCB featured no trimpot or slots for a trimpot. 

The 2nd version of the PCB, that you see above, has the trimpot and I believe was possibly created in 1968 for biasing the fuzz portion of the original Honey Psychedelic Machine.

The 3rd (and most common) version of the PCB has the empty slots where a trimpot would be, and also an extra green film capacitor further down on the board. 

One thing to note about this, is that the three different PCB's, while I do believe were created in order, seem to have all been used concurrently with each other from 1967 - 1969. So for now, this should not be taken an indicator of date purely on its own. 

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As I stated above, this is by no means all of the "rules" for dating your Super Fuzzes. Circuit-based details like types and values of every component also changed over time, as did manufacturer labeling on the bottom of the PCB's.

Another important thing to note, is that you will see pedals that violate these rules. And virtually 99% of them are from some type of repair; switched out bottom plates with the wrong date codes, replaced footswitches from the wrong time period, replaced circuit boards from a less desirable branding to a previously non-working more desirable branding, etc. 

Luckily though, the vast majority will have two or more of these hallmarks and confirm for sure the round-about year it was made. And this is the hope here; that future you will come across a Super Fuzz for sale and with only a couple poorly shot photos, will be able to determine which version you are looking at. 

Now if that version means it's "better" or not, is purely up to you. 😁

*if you'd like to dig even deeper into Super Fuzz land, check out this post from a while back that highlights the various OEM brandings throughout the years.

Thanks for reading,
-ed

Super Update!

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A couple years back I put together this post on the history of Super Fuzz OEM's and brandings. Since then, I've done quite a bit more research and decided to update the original post with all these new findings. 

So now every logo badge is in chronological order and gets it's own little informational blurb. If you're interested in such things, please hit the link above. Thanks for checking it out! 🤘

Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz: What? Who?

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I can't remember exactly when or where I heard about the Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz for the first time, but I do remember being simultaneously perplexed and completely confident that I knew what was inside. A very quick glance will obviously bring up mental images of the Mosrite Fuzzrite, as the Pro Suzzzz is clearly built inside one of those legendary enclosures. So my first instinct was to assume that it was nothing more than a Fuzzrite with a tone control added. But over the years more pictures surfaced, and with them, more questions left to be answered.

So where did the Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz come from, and who was responsible? At some point, some one definitely made this pedal. And while it really kind of seems like a very specific (famous) builder, there is enough here to make us question everything we think we know...

If the name "Ed Sanner" came to mind, you're not alone. Sanner, after creating the original Fuzzrite, went on to design for Rosac Electronics and made pedals like the Nu-Fuzz and Distortion Blender. These effects expanded on his earlier creation, with many featuring his signature eyelet-board construction that was seen in the pre-Sprague era of the Fuzzrite.

If we look at the Rosac Distortion Blender below and compare it to the Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz underneath, it could definitely lead you to believe that they were at least possibly built by the same person.

But to play devil's advocate; just because they share a similar build style, same resistors, same gold capacitor, and possibly the same black silicon transistors, does not necessarily mean they were built by the same person.

When we look at 60s Japanese fuzzes, most of them share an almost identical construction. Which has lead many to believe that a single company was responsible for almost every pedal produced in Japan from 1968-1972. But when we dig a bit more, we find out that almost all of the Japanese builders were getting their parts from a single shop. Additionally, most of them were straight up copying each other's looks and designs. 

So while it is probable that these two pedals share the same origin, we will have to go a little deeper to be sure.

The next interesting piece of the puzzle is this, the Iron Butterfly Fuzz Wa. Another project spearheaded by Ed Sanner that sadly never really came to fruition. There were enough made that you will see one come up for sale at least once every other year, but they are fairly rare.

The original reason I even thought about this was the spelling of the word "Fuzzzz". Oddly enough the Iron Butterfly uses four "Z's", just like you'll find on the Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz.

Additionally, and again like the Pro Suzzzz, the circuit itself does not seem to be based on the Fuzzrite. And the construction is done using an eyelet board, shares the same resistors, and those green caps.

But... let's see what else we can find.

So about a year ago I came across this weird Fuzz-Wah. From the outside it looked like it was going to be another Guild/Applied FW-3. But upon seeing the inside, it was something completely different.

That build style, those parts; where have I seen them before! It kind of really looks like a combination of everything we've seen so far and the early version of the Rosac Nu-Wa Fuzz.

Can you name all the similarities jumping out at you right now?

Well one that you may have missed, is the "Fuzz" logo itself. Look back at the photo of the Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz and you will notice that the font is identical.

And while I sit here typing this, staring at a screen filled with pedals, I am hit with a memory; the image of a 2 knob Pro Suzzzz that I had possibly seen years ago. So I went digging (and digging) until I found it! And as I suspected, even more similarities poured into my lap.

The "Fuzz" logos are literally the same. And while it's hard to tell, when you zoom in, it appears as though they both use the same transistors.

Another thing I realized about the Pro-Fuzz, which is almost certainly just a coincidence, is that it vaguely looks like the AUL Foxey Lady inside. Again, probably unrelated, but I figured it was worth a mention. 

Lastly, when compared to the Rosac fuzz, while it's not the same layout, it is super similar in build style. And both are (probably) Fuzzrite derivatives.

This feels like a bit of a stretch, but "Pro-Fuzz" and "Nu-Fuzz" might not be a coincidence either... 

So what is going on here?

If anything, it seems very likely that the Pro Suzzzz Fuzzzz, the Pro-Fuzz, and the mystery Fuzz-Wah were all made by the same person. 

But was it Ed Sanner?

My best answer is that it really "feels" like it is. There are almost too many similarities to be a coincidence. But then again, if he had a completely different pedal company then why has he never talked about it before? Sanner has done multiple interviews in the past, and always went into the story of Mosrite, Rosac, his Sanner amp brand, his 90s Fuzzrite reissue, and his more recent Hallmark Nu-Fuzzes. But has never once mentioned the "Pro-Fuzz".

Is it possible that someone else associated with Mosrite, maybe someone who worked there soldering pedals all day, started his own company? We know they sold off deadstock Fuzzrite enclosures (*see the ZB Custom Fuzz) and there was that crazy "Electro Harmonix" Fuzzrite discussed on Totally Normal Behavior a couple years back. We also know that Mosrite did have a factory, and it wasn't just Sanner sitting at the bench all day soldering thousands of pedals by himself. So is it possible this wasn't him at all? 

Yes.

Just highly unlikely. 😁

So what do you think? Do you have any more photos or info that could help solve this fuzzy mystery? Do you know anyone who was directly involved in Mosrite or Rosac and could ask them??? If so, to any of those, please send me a message via Email or Instagram.

thanks as always for reading,

-ed

Made. In. Japan. Fuzz.

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Awesome new video from Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar featuring some of the best vintage Japanese Fuzzes ever made!

Check it out here//

thanks for watching,

-ed

Earliest Jordan Boss Tone Advertisement?

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All the way back in 2011 I wrote this article on the history of the legendary Jordan Boss Tone fuzz. At the time it was my belief that the official release date landed somewhere in 1967, despite reports of a potential "prototype" version (*see image below) that was shown at either the 1966 NAMM show or in one of the large volume distribution catalogs like Targ & Dinner or David Wexler & Co, of the same year. *sadly the origin of the above photo is still unknown

At this point, and to my knowledge, a Boss Tone with this logo has never surfaced. And to the keen observer, you may notice that it shares a very similar graphic style to the insanely rare Jordan Vico Vibe. Which leads me to the believe that it wasn't a prototype at all, but simply the earliest version Jordan produced.

If this is the case, and 1966 is the true beginning of the Boss Tone, then it would answer the one question I've always had... Which was; if the Boss Tone came out in 1967, then that would leave an extremely short period of time for them to go through 4 different circuit variations!? 

By the Summer of 1968 Jordan Electronics moved from Alhambra to Pasadena, CA. and had already created the final, and most popular version of the circuit. But to get there they to go through a lot of fine-tuning and redesign. So with even just one additional year of production under their belts, this story begins to make a bit more logical sense.

Well that brings us to this awesome piece of evidence I found just a few weeks back; which is a newspaper ad from October of 1966. It was in the pages of the Eureka Humboldt Standard, out of Eureka, CA, and placed by Peets Music Co. who was apparently the exclusive dealer for Jordan Amplifiers in that area. We sadly don't get much in the way of a photo or description of the Boss Tone, but it's cool to see that it was promoted as a "Fuzz Tone' and originally sold for $29.95.

With this revelation, I may have to go back and edit my original Boss Tone post, because it's very likely that my "V1" is from 1966 and not the following year!

As of now I have yet to find an earlier mention of the Boss Tone in print, but it's highly likely that they were available before October of 1966. And if the "early graphic" picture was a NAMM promo, that would make it at least from July of that year.

It is also worth a note that I found another ad from November of 1966 that's for all three Jordan Juniors effects. Which again, rewrites the history I have been clinging to all these years. So I'll definitely update this post from a while back with that info as well.

As always, if you have any additional information or photos of 1966-era Boss Tones, I would love to hear from you. Please shoot me an  Email or Instagram message.

Thanks for reading,

-ed

The Lexicon of Fuzz

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Over the last month I've been digging through various newspaper and magazine archives looking for anything pedal-related. (I know, I'm a huge nerd :) And something I started to notice was how rapidly the earliest references to "fuzzy" guitar tones evolved, and to much of the same terminology we use today. 

So I thought it might be cool to map out this evolution, and explore the lexicon of fuzz...

While the word "fuzz" had been used since the dawn of radio to describe a poor or noisy signal,  and later to describe a faulty or overdriven amplifier, it doesn't seem to have been widely applied to an intentional guitar tone until 1961, with the now legendary release of Marty Robins' Don't Worry from January of that year. 

Shortly after, the earliest gear nerds were already asking "HOW did he get that sound!?" And the article above, from January 22nd 1961, gives a really cool snap-shot into this world; describing the exciting (and confusing) "new sound" that guitarist Grady Martin used for the track.

Additionally, mentioned towards the end of the blurb, was that Martin had just released a brand new instrumental track of his own called The Fuzz, that he apparently made after realizing this very unique and "new sound" could disappear at any moment.

Well we all know the story from here, but it wasn't until the spring of 1962 that Gibson would release the Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz Tone; with the earliest reference I could find being an ad from the April 13th edition of the Tampa Tribune. 

And from this point through to 1964, all fuzzes were simply called "Fuzz-Tones". Which makes sense, because in that time there doesn't seem to be any other commercially available fuzz pedals on the market. And obviously from here on out, we can assume that all the true dates are actually a few months earlier than their appearances in print, but it's still cool to see.

That brings us to the next reference of note, from the December 1964 issue of Beat Instrumental. It's quick and simple but shows that by this time some hipsters in the scene had already adopted the more generic "fuzz box" (which could imply that some non-Maestro fuzzes were available by then).

The usage of "fuzz box" finally became official in the September 1965 issue of Beat Instrumental, where they conducted a give-away contest for six MKI Tone Benders.

Not only do we see "fuzz box" printed a whopping 7 times throughout the pages, but it also makes its first appearance on the cover of a major magazine!

*one more term of note from this issue of BI, is the use of "fuzz unit"; Which had also been seen a month prior, in the classifieds section of the Duluth News Tribune from August 24th, where the seller listed his "Gibson electric fuzz unit" for sale.

From here we continue with the October issue of Beat Instrumental, where we find discussion of the 1965 BMII trade show; Watkins brought out their Pep Box, and more importantly (in the context of this article) Vox introduced their new Distortion Booster. Which as far as I can tell, is the first time we see the term "distortion" used to describe a pedal (or plugin) itself.

So by the end of 1965 there were enough non-Maestro fuzz pedals that the use of "fuzz box" had become the go-to designation. And enough so, that even down in Australia we saw it used in print.

Here is an ad from the December 23rd 1965 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald for Fi-Sonic amplifiers and their own "fuzz box", the Fuzz Blender.

"Fuzz box" would reign supreme for the next couple of years, but a full-on fuzz explosion was about to happen, flooding the market and again changing the vocabulary.

In the January 30th edition of the Springfield News Sun we find a small blurb that describes a theft of musical equipment, including a "distortion box". And while this term didn't seem to catch on, it can be found again just two months later in an ad for the "Pro-Fuzz Distortion Box".

In March of 1967 we get our first use of the word "buzz" in an Oregon Daily Journal article about the amp brand Sunn, in reference to their new fuzz plugin, the Sunn Buzz. 

Just a month later the term "Buzz Tone" is found in the classifieds section of The Gazette. It's unclear if this was the name of the pedal itself, or a generic term used for a random fuzz. But we do know that the Kimberly Fuzz Box was released in 1966 and at some point changed over to the Kimberly Buzz Box and Volume Expander. But as of now we don't know the exact date.

And finally, four months later, the Canadian amp brand Verlage placed an ad for their Buzz-A-Tone in The Brandon Sun.

Interestingly enough, we don't actually see the use of the word "pedal" when it comes to fuzz effects until 1968! And even more odd, we see it as "distortion pedal" first.

The below classified ad is from the September 9th edition of the Vancouver Sun, that shows what has to be a Vox Tone Bender for sale.

And the following month in the pages of The Charlotte Observer, we again find an ad for what is possibly the Vox Tone Bender, but this time it's referred to as a "fuzz pedal".

Something else to note about this one, is that it was very common in the late 60s to offer a "Free Fuzz Pedal" with the purchase of an amplifier or guitar. I must have run into 40+ promotions just like this from 1967-1970 alone.

Once we hit 1969, "fuzz tone", "fuzz box", "fuzz pedal", and "buzz tone" were all being used interchangeably. And by the beginning of the next decade "distortion pedal" would make its way to the top.

The journey "Fuzz" has taken in such a relatively short period of time can be found throughout the history of linguistics, especially when it comes to a major invention. And just like "airplane" was the term used since its inception, "fuzz" no doubt hit the nail on the head from Day 1.

*and a final note; as was stated earlier, the dates on these references do not necessarily correspond to either the exact dates or the exact order that the terms were created. But I thought it was important enough to document, and hopefully you got something out of this one.

thanks for reading,

-ed