1962 Wurlitzer Gemini

The 21st century guitarist wants endless amp/effect/cabinet options in a sardine-tin-sized package at the cost of a dinner for two at Applebee’s. (Yes, we know some purists still plug their ’57 Strat into an original tweed Fender Twin with a coil cable.) That said, it’s always fun to take a look at vintage effects that paved the way. In 1967, long before the current multi-effect-Maxwell-Smart craze, the Japanese company Honey launched the dual-purpose Psychedelic Machine. The briefcase-sized unit combined two of the world’s most unmistakable sounds for the first time— the fuzz and chorus/vibrato. A year later, Shin-ei took over manufacturing for Honey and decided that these effects would fare better as stand-alone offerings (Univox was Shin-ei’s U.S. distributor). In 1968, they unveiled two separate stompboxes—the Super-Fuzz and the Uni-Vibe.

These pedals were taken to Mt. Olympus-heights by two heavy hitters— Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix. The Super-Fuzz was deified after Townshend used it throughout the Who’s 1970 Live at Leeds performance, but most notably during the rambunctious opening in “Sparks” and the grisly, snarling solo in “Young Man Blues.” The Uni-Vibe helped Hendrix mystify guitarists and listeners with its swirling chaos in the Band of Gypsys’ “Machine Gun” and the more silky, waving textures in “Izabella” off of First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Today, the Super-Fuzz still breathes fire in Dan Auerbach’s speaker-eating tone, playing a central role in Black Keys cuts like “Thickfreakness” and “’Till I Get My Way.”