Maestro 1968 Fuzz-Tone FZ-1B Fuzz Pedal Mint

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

A customer of ours walked up to a yard sale recently and found this pedal.  Some guys have all the luck!

The Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1 was introduced in 1962 and achieved widespread popularity in 1965 after Keith Richards used it on the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — the opening riff of that record is the moment the fuzz pedal became a permanent fixture of rock music. After the stunning success of the original FZ-1, the design was revised as the FZ-1A in 1965, and then in 1968 the circuit was redesigned again — this time by legendary synthesizer engineer Robert Moog — using a nine-volt power supply and silicon transistors. This redesign was labeled the Maestro FZ-1B. 

The FZ-1B is a two-transistor silicon circuit running at 9V — a fundamentally different design philosophy from the germanium FZ-1 and FZ-1A that preceded it. Silicon transistors produce a harder, more defined clipping character than germanium — brighter, more aggressive, with a different harmonic texture. Robert Moog's, the man who would define the synthesizer, who understood signal processing and circuit design at the deepest level, applied those tools to the fuzz pedal problem in 1968 and produced the FZ-1B. The FZ-1 inspired many subsequent manufacturers who began to create other fuzz circuits — the Tonebender, the Fuzz Face, the Big Muff — all building on the commercial and sonic template that the Maestro established.  

This is the cleanest FZ-1B we have encountered. The wedge-shaped enclosure, original graphics, and all hardware are intact and correct. A piece of recorded music history in the condition it left the factory.

Shipping policy:

Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions.  If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.  Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.