Fuzz Face - History

History

Arbiter Electronics Ltd. first issued the Fuzz Face in 1966. Later units bear the "Dallas Arbiter", "Dallas Music Industries Ltd.", "CBS/Arbiter Ltd." or "Dunlop Manufacturing Inc." name.

The earliest units used germanium transistors. Silicon transistors were used in later editions of the pedal. Silicon transistors provided for a more stable operation, but have a different, harsher sound.

The electronics are contained in a circular-shaped metal housing. Ivor Arbiter "got the idea for the round shape when he one day saw a microphone stand with a cast iron base". The pedal uses two knobs, one for volume, and one for the amount of "fuzz" the pedal produces. The arrangement of controls on the box suggests a face, with the volume and "fuzz" controls as eyes, the "in/out" stomp switch as the nose, the logo as a smiling mouth, and a wedge-shaped rubber mat suggesting a beard.

The circuit is based on the shunt-series-feedback amplifier topology - a standard in engineering text books. Sola Sound and Vox had been using the same circuit topology for some of their Tone Bender pedals earlier in 1966.

Dallas Music Industries made a final run of Fuzz Faces in 1976 or 1977, shortly after they had moved to the United States. The company bought Crest Audio in the 1980s and although it was operating under that name when it reissued the Fuzz Face in the 1986, the units bore the Dallas-Arbiter name. They made about 2000 Fuzz Faces until 1990.

In 1993 Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. took over production. In the late 1990s Arbiter reissued the pedal as well.

Due to its simplicity and status as a classic, the Fuzz Face soon became a favourite among DIY stompbox builders and is a popular beginner's project. Many variations and modifications are documented. Common modern additions are status LEDs and 9V jacks.

As of 2009, a wide variety of clones and Fuzz Face inspired pedals are available. Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. currently owns the Fuzz Face and Dallas Arbiter trademarks and still makes the pedal. Germanium and silicon transistor versions are available.