Guitar
Here's one for the fuzz-heads and guitar-geeks! I offer for your edification, the Dunlop JH-2 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz, considered by many to be the steaming doggie coil of the fuzziverse. I purchased this stunning example back in 1989, back when the Z. Vex's, Fulltones, and Black Arts Effectors of the world were just gleams in the eye of players like me who only had one option in a fuzz pedal: this guy.
Seriously (you young kids won't believe this), back in '89 I scoured the city of Vancouver for months looking for a fuzz- any fuzz!- and all I could find was the JH-2, and paid a pretty penny for her as well.
The first time I plugged it in at a rehearsal, I had the same sinking feeling most people who ever owned one of these things felt. It never reaches unity gain, so in ancient times when everyone didn't have a boost pedal or three, it was problematic. I didn't know what a volume knob was for, or what headroom was back then, either. The Jimi went into a box, and I soon found an Ibanez FZ-5 60's Fuzz, which would be my defining guitar sound until I stomped it into oblivion. It never crossed my mind to have the Ibanez repaired and recased, so it went in the garbage. I later had a Prescription Electronics Yardbox, which was a great unit, but I sold it to make rent. Since then the Jimi has been the only fuzz in my possession.
Several years ago I purchased a Boss BR900cd home recorder. It's kind of crappy, but pretty effective as a sketch pad, which is what I use it for. Most of my home recording is done in the wee hours of the morning, and thusly the instruments are generally recorded direct so as to not piss off my family/neighbours/the cat. Needing a fuzz one evening, I plugged the old JH-2 in, bypassed all effects, and was blown away by the over-the-top saturation; this thing loves being plugged into the board! It completely envelops a track in its low-fi fuzzy goodness, and it has been a go-to device for my recording efforts ever since.
Recently I have been geeking out on the internet in search of a more performance ready fuzz. Whilst being bewildered by the sheer volume of options available these days (seems like everyone and their dog makes pedals nowadays) I encountered more than a few postings talking smack about the venerable JH-2. Now, I suspect some of these folks have never even plugged one in, let alone plugged direct into a recording board. So, for the edification of those who are not experienced (har,har) I put together a quick-and-dirty demo featuring the old girl.
All the tracks (excepting the drum robot) are run through the fuzz, with the volume maxed (a must with these) and the fuzz knob at various settings throughout its range. No amp or cabinet modelers were used; all sounds are recorded through an ART Tube MP tube mic preamp into the board. The guitar tracks were done using my son's Stage brand half-size kiddie strat, tuned to concert F (an E chord shape makes an A). The steel guitar tracks were recorded with my 60's Guyatone 8-string double neck console lapsteel. I used the "Freddie Roulette" neck, tuned to E9 (BDEGsharpBDEFsharp low to high). What can I say? All of my legit gear lives across town at my buddy's place, so I used what I have kicking around the house.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fuzzy sonics of this little garage-surf-blues wankfest. Interesting note: rote delivery of Freddie King licks through heavy fuzz=Eric Clapton in Cream!
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- Mellifluous Pussy Mp-1 Review
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- Dunlop Jh-2 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz, Revisited.
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This last Christmas a buddy of mine gave me an EBow as a gift. For those who have never heard of the EBow, it is an electronic bowing device, that creates infinite sustain by electromagnetically driving the string. Yes, it works on...
Guitar
The Dunlop Jimi Hendrix JH-2 Fuzz
 |
| The much maligned JH-2 fuzz |
Seriously (you young kids won't believe this), back in '89 I scoured the city of Vancouver for months looking for a fuzz- any fuzz!- and all I could find was the JH-2, and paid a pretty penny for her as well.
The first time I plugged it in at a rehearsal, I had the same sinking feeling most people who ever owned one of these things felt. It never reaches unity gain, so in ancient times when everyone didn't have a boost pedal or three, it was problematic. I didn't know what a volume knob was for, or what headroom was back then, either. The Jimi went into a box, and I soon found an Ibanez FZ-5 60's Fuzz, which would be my defining guitar sound until I stomped it into oblivion. It never crossed my mind to have the Ibanez repaired and recased, so it went in the garbage. I later had a Prescription Electronics Yardbox, which was a great unit, but I sold it to make rent. Since then the Jimi has been the only fuzz in my possession.
Several years ago I purchased a Boss BR900cd home recorder. It's kind of crappy, but pretty effective as a sketch pad, which is what I use it for. Most of my home recording is done in the wee hours of the morning, and thusly the instruments are generally recorded direct so as to not piss off my family/neighbours/the cat. Needing a fuzz one evening, I plugged the old JH-2 in, bypassed all effects, and was blown away by the over-the-top saturation; this thing loves being plugged into the board! It completely envelops a track in its low-fi fuzzy goodness, and it has been a go-to device for my recording efforts ever since.
Recently I have been geeking out on the internet in search of a more performance ready fuzz. Whilst being bewildered by the sheer volume of options available these days (seems like everyone and their dog makes pedals nowadays) I encountered more than a few postings talking smack about the venerable JH-2. Now, I suspect some of these folks have never even plugged one in, let alone plugged direct into a recording board. So, for the edification of those who are not experienced (har,har) I put together a quick-and-dirty demo featuring the old girl.
All the tracks (excepting the drum robot) are run through the fuzz, with the volume maxed (a must with these) and the fuzz knob at various settings throughout its range. No amp or cabinet modelers were used; all sounds are recorded through an ART Tube MP tube mic preamp into the board. The guitar tracks were done using my son's Stage brand half-size kiddie strat, tuned to concert F (an E chord shape makes an A). The steel guitar tracks were recorded with my 60's Guyatone 8-string double neck console lapsteel. I used the "Freddie Roulette" neck, tuned to E9 (BDEGsharpBDEFsharp low to high). What can I say? All of my legit gear lives across town at my buddy's place, so I used what I have kicking around the house.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fuzzy sonics of this little garage-surf-blues wankfest. Interesting note: rote delivery of Freddie King licks through heavy fuzz=Eric Clapton in Cream!
- Pedal Time! 1967 Vox Tone Bender
guitarz.blogspot.com Another great vintage fuzz pedal (yes, I'm quite into pedals lately, and mostly in fuzz boxes), the Vox Tone Bender. Even more than in the field of early electric guitars, the dawn of effect pedal is both full of myths...
- Mellifluous Pussy Mp-1 Review
When Erik from Inductor Guitars proposed me to review his MP-1 pedal, I was interested right away because it had already attracted my attention last year when Fuzz Box Girl released a video about it. But I'll have to do the review my own way because...
- Vintage Fender Fuzz/wah/volume Pedal In Tucson Area For $100
There is a whole cult of Fuzz pedal collectors out there (you know who you are) but I am not one of them. I have several Fuzz Pedals and they get a little use - but not that much unless I am recording overdubs. But that is just me. This is a true vintage...
- Dunlop Jh-2 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz, Revisited.
Much maligned and misunderstood, the Dunlop JH-2 just needs a little patience and understanding.... The first gear review and video I ever put together was to do with the Dunlop JH-2 Jimi Hendrix fuzz, which you can read here. I pointed out...
- Ebow Fun!
This last Christmas a buddy of mine gave me an EBow as a gift. For those who have never heard of the EBow, it is an electronic bowing device, that creates infinite sustain by electromagnetically driving the string. Yes, it works on...