Thanks to the inconsistent quality control of the original Fuzz Face pedals, Jimi Hendrix carried six different Fuzz Face pedals with him when he was on tour and chose the one that was behaving the best before that night’s gig.
Eventually, he settled on an unusual (and possibly custom) red Fuzz Face pedal with white control knobs. He was seen using this unit onstage during his legendary Woodstock and Fillmore East/Band of Gypsys gigs.
That pedal vanished long ago, but the mad sound scientists at Jim Dunlop have duplicated the exact same sizzling, aggressive character of Jimi’s red box. Even better, they’ve packed it in the ultra-compact Fuzz Face Mini package that is much more compatible with today’s pedal boards.
FEATURES The Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini is a faithful reproduction of a vintage Fuzz Face, featuring only volume and fuzz controls and a mono input and output. However, in addition to its compact package it features modern upgrades like a nine-volt adapter jack, an easy-access battery compartment, an on/off status LED and true-bypass switching.
PERFORMANCE According to Dunlop, this pedal is not the typical Fuzz Face clone but rather a different circuit based on the Octavio, but without the octave-up effect. That explains why Jimi’s later Fuzz Face tone befuddled experts and pedal collectors all these years. Simply put, this pedal absolutely nails those fat and bold tones. Full out, it delivers crisp, speaker-ripping treble, but it cleans right up when you back down the guitar’s volume control. Whether you’re a Jimi or fuzz freak, this pedal delivers first-class fuzz.
CHEAT SHEET LIST PRICE $171.41 MANUFACTURER Dunlop Manufacturing, jimdunlop.com
THE BOTTOM LINE With the Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini, Dunlop has finally nailed the elusive bold body and sizzling aggression of Jimi’s latter-day fuzz tone.
Chris is the co-author of Eruption - Conversations with Eddie Van Halen. He is a 40-year music industry veteran who started at Boardwalk Entertainment (Joan Jett, Night Ranger) and Roland US before becoming a guitar journalist in 1991. He has interviewed more than 600 artists, written more than 1,400 product reviews and contributed to Jeff Beck’s Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock & Roll and Eric Clapton’s Six String Stories.
