A ferocious vintage-style silicon fuzz with more than a touch of Tone Bender color and attitude.
Versatile controls yield interesting twists on excellent, authentic, and powerful vintage fuzz tones. Sturdy.
Expensive relative to some similar pedals.
$199
Boss FZ-1w Fuzz
boss.info
In 2021, Boss jumped back in the fuzz game in spectacular fashion with the TB-2W, a high-profile, very limited, and now very expensive version of the germanium Tone Bender MkII. So, it’s less than surprising that the new FZ-1W Waza Craft—with its grinding, growling chord tones, burly, angry-bee buzz, and brash-to-singing high-register lead sounds—falls squarely in the Tone Bender’s sonic camp. And with surprisingly range-y tone and gain controls, and a modern mode that adds body and midrange presence, it’s a tantalizing option for vintage-curious players that crave more tone-shaping power than simple 2-knob fuzzes provide.
Primordial Buzz
Though Boss are quick to point out that the FZ-1W is an original design, they also say that much of the inspiration and practical insight that produced the pedal came by way of the TB-2W design experience. Played alongside authentic clones of various Tone Bender versions, the FZ-1W’s voice is unquestionably unique. But it’s easy to hear the influence of the Tone Bender’s big, brash attitude, and many similarities shine through.
Like a Tone Bender MkII, the FZ-1W’s core tonality walks the line between the reediness of early fuzzes and more modern gain profiles. The voice is less open and throaty than germanium Tone Bender MkII or germanium Fuzz Face-style pedals, but even in its vintage mode the tight midrange focus gives leads a smoother, more vocal quality and makes punky power chords sound big and detailed without collapsing into a heap of compressed tone mud.
The FZ-1W’s toppiest tone settings never sound shrill—even with a Telecaster bridge pickup and an old Fender piggyback on either end of the signal chain.
Humbuckers produce absolutely massive tones in the vintage and more mid-forward modern mode. And players questing for ’60s sizzle on top of a measure of Big Muff-like mass will love the way woolier pickups pair with the FZ-1W’s wailing voice. Single-coil pickups accentuate the toppier side of the FZ-1W’s personality, but they sound no less aggressive. And it’s easy to imagine the heat and intensity of these single-coil sounds working as devastating counterpoint or doubling textures for big bass riffs.
Tones in the Shadows
One big difference between the FZ-1W and many vintage fuzzes is its effective tone control. It gives you a lot of leeway for crafting more creative and less canonically ’60s fuzz sounds. It also has a very wide range. The FZ-1Ws toppiest tone settings never sound shrill—even with a Telecaster bridge pickup and an old Fender piggyback on the ends of the signal chain. The darkest tones also remain menacing and substantial at high fuzz levels.
The fuzz control provides even more interesting ways to expand and enhance the FZ-1Ws tone vocabulary. This too is a substantial difference between the FZ-1W and pedals like the Tone Bender MkII, which tend to sound supercharged with gain or just slightly less supercharged with gain. The sounds that lurk in these more modest ranges of the fuzz control aren’t always obviously beautiful, but they are often distinctive, uncommon tones that stand tall and sound unique in a mix, and in some ways better approximate the cool, if less ferocious, fuzz sounds that less-hip engineers forced upon overzealous players in studios in the mid-’60s.
The FZ-1Ws silicon circuitry means it won’t be as dynamically responsive to volume attenuation as a germanium Fuzz Face or the less-dynamic Tone Bender Mk II. But if you’re running the gain at maximum, the fuzz can still be tamed into an aggressive purr that lives on the distorted side of the overdrive spectrum. Lower pedal gain settings and guitar volume attenuation can produce near-clean tones.
The Verdict
While the FZ-1W isn’t a Tone Bender clone, it speaks with a very similar accent. And with its less cantankerous silicon circuitry and more versatile control set, it dwells in a sweet spot between authentic mid-’60s-ness and more robust and flexible modern fuzz voices. At $199, it also lives in a very competitive neighborhood where authentic and versatile takes on vintage sounds abound. As with any vintage-voiced fuzz, it’s a good idea to explore how the FZ-1W’s bold tonalities work with your favorite guitar and amp. But if this Boss fits your rig, you can bet you’ll uncover a wealth of fuzz surprises that simpler, more traditional pedals will have a hard time delivering.
Boss' Sickest Silicon Fuzz?! FZ-1W Waza Craft Fuzz Demo | First Look
See how @BOSSchannel's filthy vintage-style silicon fuzz delivers a mid-rich, high-gain bump with the flick of switch.More First Look videos: https://bit.ly/F...- Boss HM-2w Waza Craft Heavy Metal Review - Premier Guitar ›
- First Look: Boss TB-2W Tone Bender - Premier Guitar ›
- Recording Dojo: Get Fuzzy! Tips for Doubling Down on Dirt ... ›
- Fjord Fuzz Guitar Pedals Usher in Psych Revolution - Premier Guitar ›
- Fjord Fuzz Guitar Pedals Usher in Psych Revolution - Premier Guitar ›
- Boss Announces Dual Cube LX and Dual Cube Bass LX Amplifiers - Premier Guitar ›
- BOSS Announces SL-2 Slicer - Premier Guitar ›
- BOSS Announces SL-2 Slicer - Premier Guitar ›
- Boss RE-2 Space Echo Pedal Review - Premier Guitar ›
- Boss RE-2 Space Echo Pedal Review - Premier Guitar ›
- Boss SL-2 Slicer Guitar Pedal Review - Premier Guitar ›
Jeff Beck playing: the ‘Oxblood’, his 1954 Gibson Les Paul.
Christie’s will auction Jeff Beck: The Guitar Collection on January 22, 2025, in London. See the highlights.
Jeff Beck (1944-2023), was a trailblazing guitar icon and legend. A multi-Grammy award-winning artist – twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – his inimitable sound led to collaborations with countless internationally renowned musicians and friends including: Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Steven Tyler, Billy Gibbons, Jan Hammer, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, BB King, Buddy Guy, Nile Rodgers, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, Imelda May and Johnny Depp, amongst others.Providing a remarkable opportunity for fans, guitarists and collectors, this unique sale comprises over 130 guitars, amps and ‘tools-of-the-trade’, which Jeff played through his almost six-decades-long career, from joining The Yardbirds in March 1965, to his last tour in 2022. With estimates ranging from £100 to £500,000, highlights will be on public view in Los Angeles from 4 to 6 December, followed by the full collection being on show in the pre-sale exhibition at Christie’s headquarters in London, from 15 to 22 January 2025.
Sandra Beck: “I hope you enjoy reading through this catalogue featuring the tools of my Gorgeous Jeff’s life. These guitars were his great love and after almost two years of his passing it's time to part with them as Jeff wished. After some hard thinking I decided they need to be shared, played and loved again. It is a massive wrench to part with them but I know Jeff wanted for me to share this love. He was a maestro of his trade. He never lusted after commercial success. For him it was just about the music. He constantly reinvented himself with his musical direction and I could not single out one person, one recording or one guitar as his favourite. I hope the future guitarists who acquire these items are able to move closer to the genius who played them. Thank you all for considering a small piece of Jeff that I am now hoping to share with you.”
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS:
The sale is led by one of Jeff Beck’s most recognisable guitars – his iconic 1954 ‘Oxblood’ Gibson Les Paul, famously depicted on the cover of his seminal 1975 solo instrumental album Blow By Blow, and used on tracks including the Beck-Middleton original composition ‘Scatterbrain’ (estimate: £350,000-500,000). Purchased in November 1972 in Memphis, the guitar saw extensive live action with the short-lived power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice in 1973. Other notable live shows through the 1970s included his performance alongside David Bowie and Mick Ronson at the farewell show of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars, at the Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973, the film of which was released in 2023, including Jeff’s iconic guest appearance.
The original ‘Yardburst’, Jeff Beck bought his circa 1958 Gibson Les Paul in London in 1966 whilst in the seminal British rock group The Yardbirds (estimate: £40,000-60,000). The history and battle scars of this guitar are legendary. Purchased at Selmer’s in Charing Cross for £175 in early 1966, it was used to record ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ and ‘Happenings Ten Years Time Ago’ on The Yardbirds’ album Roger The Engineer, as well as Jeff Beck’s solo track ‘Beck’s Bolero’, co-written with Jimmy Page and recorded with Keith Moon, John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins. Jeff removed the black pickguard, switch surround and the original sunburst finish in late 1967, leaving the guitar in its natural raw blonde state. Jeff played the guitar on his debut studio solo album Truth, the first to showcase the talents of backing band the Jeff Beck Group, featuring a young Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on bass, and on tour when the band crossed the Atlantic in 1968, including for a memorable residency at the Scene in New York in June 1968, where nightly encores saw Jimi Hendrix join the band on stage, including for a jam on this very guitar.
The ‘Tele-Gib’ is a hybrid guitar put together by world-renowned pickup designer Seymour Duncan specifically for Jeff Beck in 1973 (estimate: £100,000-150,000). Comprising a Fender Telecaster body and neck with a pair of Gibson PAF humbucking pickups removed from a Flying V, Seymour took the guitar to Jeff whilst he was rehearsing with Beck, Bogert & Appice in London in late 1973. The Tele-Gib can be heard on the beautiful Stevie Wonder track ‘Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers’, from Blow By Blow, and was subsequently used for many other sessions and live performances, including The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball in 1981, alongside fellow former Yardbird, Eric Clapton.
Jeff Beck’s 1954 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster, serial number 0062, was one of his most prized possessions (estimate: £50,000-80,000). A gift from Humble Pie’s Steve Marriott following a late-night session in 1976, Jeff replaced the existing Tele neck with a 1958 Strat neck, which he had used to record many tracks on Beck-Ola (1969), Rough And Ready (1972) and Blow By Blow (1975). The ’54 would become Jeff’s principal performance and recording guitar for the rest of the ‘70s and into the early ‘80s – including for the majority of the 1980 album There And Back, and the A.R.M.S. Benefit Concert and tour in 1983, which saw the three ex-Yardbirds guitarists perform on stage together for the first time – Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton – alongside The Rolling Stones Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Ronnie Wood and many other world-famous musicians.
‘Tina’ the Pink Jackson Soloist was debuted during the 1983 A.R.M.S. tour, at Madison Square Garden in New York City (estimate: £8,000-12,000). Fitted with a patented Kahler bridge, it enabled Jeff to deliver even more extreme string bends and harmonics and was immediately employed on several important recording sessions with world-renowned artists, most notably Tina Turner. Having lent his unique talents to her Mark Knopfler-written single ‘Private Dancer’, Jeff requested that she sign his guitar in lieu of payment for the session. When the pen failed, she engraved her signature with a flick-knife and then rubbed in green nail varnish for good effect. Jeff would go on to play the guitar on his 1985 album Flash, produced by Nile Rodgers, including for his reunion duet with Rod Stewart, ‘People Get Ready’.
The longest-serving of his Fender White Stratocasters, ‘Anoushka’ was master built by J.W. Black of the Fender Custom Shop (estimate: £20,000-30,000). Jeff modified his Strats – the model he referred to as ‘another arm’ – switching necks, bodies and electronics to suit his needs. The neck of this guitar was Jeff’s favourite and, when united with the present white Strat body he named ‘Anoushka’, became his primary recording and performance Strat for 16 years. It was used to record four solo albums and for hundreds of live performances, including much of Jeff’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s residency, his second induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a co-headline tour with Eric Clapton, and for his performance at the Obama White House alongside B.B. King and Mick Jagger in 2012.
The PXO was created as a live or studio tool. When we sent Phil the overdrive sample he found that it saved him in backline situations and provided him a drive that plays well with others.
The PXO is an overdrive/boost where you can select pre or post giving you variety in how you want to boost, EQ and overdrive. We have provided standard controls on the overdrive side such as Volume/Gain/Overdrive and EQ but on the boost side you have a separate Tilt EQ that allows you to EQ with simplicity. You can experiment by cascading in a pre or post situation and experiment from there. The PXO has a lush, thick feel to the bottom end and a smooth top end that begs you to dig into the note.
J. Rockett Audio Designs PXO Phil X Signature Overdrive Pedal
Phil X Signature OverdriveIn this promotional photo of the Waikiki Trio, the standing guitarist is playing a Martin 0-42, and the seated guitarist is playing a Martin 0-18K.
Pacific Island pluckers had a hand in developing the beloved dreadnought acoustics, and changed the course of American guitar music.
In 1906, a devastating earthquake and three days of raging fires leveled 80 percent of San Francisco. Nine years later, to honor the opening of the Panama Canal and signal that San Francisco was back, the city held the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
More than 18 million people visited. One of the most popular attractions was the Hawaiian Pavilion. Live music and hula dancing, integral parts of Hawaiian culture, were in the show, where they could be experienced on a large scale on the mainland for one of the first times.
That was the beginning of the Hawaiian music craze that had a good run in the U.S. until the Great Depression. Hawaiian musicians had already embraced the ukulele and steel-string guitar, originating the slide-based lap style (versus the typical, so-called Spanish-style playing orientation). Both instruments saw unprecedented demand on Hawaii and the mainland. The story of the ukulele is well-told, but in doing research for this article, I came across a funny comment that caught my eye: “It could be said that in the mid-1920s, Martin was a ukulele company that also made guitars!”
In early 1916, we made a large-body custom guitar for Hawaiian musician Major Kealakai. He ordered it through our largest distributor, Ditson. It was kind of a 0000-size, 12-fret, steel-string guitar with an extra-deep body. The Major and his band were touring the U.S. mainland, and he felt he needed a bigger, louder guitar.
Shortly after that, Ditson commissioned a new larger, pear-shaped steel-string guitar from us to capitalize on the growing interest in Hawaiian music. It was called the dreadnought. It had just 12 frets, a slotted headstock, and a sizable, resonant body. Initially, the dreadnought didn’t sell very well. We did find success, however, making many of our smaller-bodied guitars with steel strings set up for “Hawaiian-style” playing. These were often made with a koa-wood back and sides, and occasionally tops as well. Additionally, if players wanted to use our other guitars lap-style with a slide, Martin manufactured a nut extender to raise the strings far enough above the frets so they wouldn’t interfere.
“It could be said that in the mid-1920s, Martin was a ukulele company that also made guitars!”
While steel strings were available in the late 1800s, the quality was inconsistent. Thanks to the popularity of the banjo and the mandolin, steel-string quality improved. The steel string provided the extra volume many players were looking for.
During the Great Depression, Ditson suffered financial difficulties and was sold. We kept the dreadnought in the line and put the Martin name on it, but sales still remained low. In 1929, we made a one-off, 14-fret steel-string version of our 000-size guitar for a well-known vaudeville banjo player, Perry Bechtel. We squared off the shoulders to accommodate the 14-fret neck. He loved it—and we thought we were onto something.
Gibson also saw opportunity in larger-bodied guitars with steel strings and 14-fret necks. They introduced three new models in 1932: the HG-20, HG-22, and HG-24. The first two were slightly smaller than our dreadnought, and the third was slightly bigger. They realized the value of a 14-fret neck for modern playing styles with steel strings. But instead of squaring off the shoulders, they moved the bridge down and attached the neck to the slope-shouldered bodies.
Not only did those models have a traditional round soundhole, but they also had four f-holes and a sound baffle to try to compete with the newfangled resophonic guitars that were quite loud. But the Gibsons were not well received by consumers, and were eventually discontinued.
In 1934, we redesigned our dreadnought with square shoulders to accommodate a 14-fret neck. That same year, Gibson reintroduced the HG-24 body size with a single round soundhole—no more f-holes or sound baffle—and called it the Jumbo. The Martin Dreadnought and the Gibson J Series guitars are still wildly popular.
I do wonder if they would even exist today if Hawaiian music hadn’t entered the American-pop music sphere in the 1920s?
The tiniest TS on Earth has loads of practical upside and sounds that keep pace with esteemed overdrive company.
Solid Tube Screamer tones in a microscopic machine. Light and easy to affix to anything.
Small enough to lose easily! Vulnerable in the presence of heavy steppers?
$99
Olinthus Cicada
olinthus.com
The Olinthus Cicada’s Tube Screamer-on-a-postage-stamp concept is a captivating one. But contemplating the engineering impetus behind it begs questions: How much area does the pedal and mandatory/included TRRS breakout cable actually conserve? Where do you situate it in relation to other pedals so you can actually tap the bypass—which is the pedal enclosure itself! Would my neighbor’s cat eat it? As it turns out, there’s many good reasons for the Cicada to be.
For starters, small size and light weight on this order are a big deal. Flying with gear is stupid expensive. So, for players that don’t relish the antiseptic aspects of modeling, this micro-analog middle path could be a sensible one. Altogether, pedal and cable are about the size of a set of keys. You can stuff it all in a pocket, put clean laundry in your gig bag, and tour for a while, as long as the rain doesn’t soak your shoes.
All this assumes you roll with very small and very few additional effects. But if you can survive on overdrive alone, you can stick a little adhesive to the back—tape, Velcro, bubblegum, etc.—and affix the Cicada to almost anything. It sounds really good, too! A classic TS application—Fender combo and Stratocaster—yields soulful blues smoke. The same Fender amp and an SG means dynamite, raunchy, and rich Mick Taylorisms. It even does the Iommi stomp pretty well at high gain! I’m still not sure if the Cicada is a solution for a less-than-pressing engineering problem. Nevertheless, it opens up real practical possibilities and sounds more than legit in the process.