FAN’S FACE

The Holy Grail of Tone / The Authentic 1960s Fuzz Face Experience

1. Design Philosophy

"British inspiration, '60s soul, Spanish construction. The FAN’S FACE is our reverence to the most iconic and revered fuzz circuit in history, but with an evolution necessary for the contemporary musician. Do not use this pedal to play timid chords. It is designed to deliver that thick, velvety wall of sound that defined an era. Use it with confidence and discover how the interaction between your hands, your guitar’s volume, and the germanium creates pure magic in real time."

— Antonio Martos, CEO & Lead Designer

2. General Description

Congratulations! You now possess a piece of tonal history. The FAN’S FACE is an evolved recreation of the legendary 1966 Dallas-Arbiter circuit—the heart of classic rock and psychedelic sounds, immortalized by legends like Jimi Hendrix. You hold in your hands the perfect balance between massive harmonic thickness and unparalleled dynamic sensitivity.

While vintage pedals are unpredictable and slaves to temperature, this pedal grants you total mastery over the atomic structure of your sound. We haven't just captured its warm, bass-rich tone; we have unlocked its behavior. It is the authentic '60s fuzz experience, optimized with a higher output level and stability for the demands of the modern stage.

3. Main Features

• Class A Signal Architecture: A minimalist yet extremely critical circuit, based on the legendary 1966 two-transistor topology.

• Selected NOS Transistors: A matched selection of New Old Stock Germanium. Each transistor has been individually measured and tested in our laboratory for its exact leakage and gain ($h_{FE}$). In such a pure circuit, this selection is the difference between a mediocre pedal and a magical instrument.

• Interactive Dynamics (The Volume Magic): Unlike any other effect, this circuit is a living device. If you set the Fuzz to maximum and roll your guitar’s volume back to 7 or 8, the dense saturation disappears to reveal a clean, percussive, and crystalline tone ("glassy cleans"). It is the best-kept secret of guitar heroes. (Note: For this interaction to be perfect, it must be the first pedal in your signal chain).

• Premium Switching: True Bypass via a heavy-duty footswitch with silver contacts, ensuring absolute transparency when the effect is disengaged.

4. Dynamic Controls and Tonal Sculpting

You only need three controls to conquer the stage:

• VOLUME (Level): A compensated passive output attenuator. Original circuits suffered from low volume; we have optimized the output to provide plenty of headroom to push and saturate the input stage of your tube amplifier.

  • Tone Tip: This pedal sounds monumental when set slightly above the volume of your clean amplifier ("Unity Gain"). This merges the germanium saturation with the natural compression of your tubes.

• FUZZ: Controls the amount of circuit saturation. Turned to the maximum, it delivers a thick, round distortion, rich in lows, with infinite, velvety sustain.

• BIAS (The Mood Control): This is the most critical knob in your arsenal. It adjusts the external voltage to the transistors (Q-Point), allowing you to navigate the pedal's emotional states and compensate for temperature changes:

  • Clockwise (High Voltage): A more open sound with slightly higher headroom. The attack is faster and more defined.

  • Central Position (The Sweet Spot): The classic 1960s response: bassy, immense, warm, and with a creamy, vocal sustain.

  • Counter-Clockwise (The Dying Battery): Entering the territory of Velcro textures and gated sounds. The signal compresses extremely and collapses abruptly—ideal for garage riffs or lo-fi textures.

5. Technical Specifications

• Topology: Class A Analog Fuzz (1966 Fuzz Face Architecture).

• Transistors: Hand-matched NOS Germanium (Tested for $h_{FE}$/Leakage).

• Input/Output: 1/4” (6.3mm) Neutrik® high-fidelity jacks with reinforced chassis.

• Power (Power Supply): 9V DC Center Negative. (Important: This circuit uses PNP reverse polarity transistors. It includes an internal audiophile-grade voltage inverter so you can connect it to any standard pedalboard power supply without risk of short circuit).

• Power (Purist): To obtain the original "sag" and the most organic response possible, use exclusively 9V Zinc-Carbon batteries (the cheapest on the market). They deliver the exact voltage and impedance this circuit needs to sound 100% authentic.

• Current Draw: < 5 mA (Ultra-low, optimized for prolonged battery use).

• Chassis: Die-cast aluminum with a high-resistance finish.

• Assembly: Built and calibrated by hand in Spain by Antonio Martos.