Maestro - FZ-1A Fuzz-Tone

Post by **modman** » 27 Sep 2007, 23:14

The FZ-1A was built at three different locations:
Kalamazoo
Lincolnwood
Nashville (for the 2001-2009 reissue)

Please have a look at this terrific write-up: https://www.coda-effects.com/2016/12/vi ... -1966.html

Correct FZ-1A schematic from the Complete Maestro Service Notes:

bumblebee · Post by **bumblebee** » 28 Sep 2007, 06:22

1.5 volt fuzz? WTF!?!?!?!

Post by **modman** » 03 Oct 2007, 23:17

MoreCowbell wrote:The Tonebender MKI is quite similar to the Maestro....

You are right, the patent file has a handdrawn schematic (3 transitor fuzz). Seem like the tonebender is older than the 2 transistor basic fuzz? AG made remarks in this direction in another thread. Just let me look.

My initial feeling would be -- doens't it splatter enough on 2 transistors with 1.5V? The whole setup seems so disproprotionate...

royaltoots · Post by **royaltoots** » 07 Oct 2007, 18:27

modman wrote:Some gut shots from an Fuzztone -- but with one AA?

the photos are of the FZ1-A - the 1.5V version that they started producing in '65, but the first version (in the patent - 1962) was 3V.
I haven't tried building it, but I have an orig FZ1-A - it sounds good with powerful pickups, but it doesn't give much of a volume boost and sounds v weak with some single coils. But it's not really a 'fuzz' as we know the term. I didn't like it at first, but now appreciate it for what it can do.
If you know the Seeds' 'Pushin Too Hard' the lead in that is the Maestro Fuzztone sound.

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 24 Nov 2007, 10:56

Here some entertainment on ebay

:

The seller is claiming: "original ´64 MAESTRO fuzzbox FZ-1A"
https://cgi.ebay.com/original-64-MAESTR ... dZViewItem

I always thought "Satisfaction" was recorded with an FZ-1 and not a FZ-1A cause the FZ-1A was introduced later (in 1965).

At the first view it really looks very old:
http://img1.iwascoding.de/2/2007/11/24/ ... D67B75.jpg

Now then lets have a closer look.... yes it is indeed a FZ-1A and the serial number on the case is in fact 18373:
http://img1.iwascoding.de/2/2007/11/24/ ... FA5BE2.jpg
what means that it was produced in early 1966 (not 1964).

But now.... sit down, relax and "hold tight" for the guts...Hey

, whats that

:
http://img1.iwascoding.de/2/2007/11/24/ ... 6D7FAE.jpg

we can see perfboard, a 9V-clip instead of the 1,5V battery-holder.... the resistor and electrolytics seem to be original... But whats this: silicon-transistors ???

Ok, here for comparision how it should look like:
Maestro FZ-1A guts (serial number approx. 17.700)

So far the claims on evilbay concerning the terms "original" and "exact".

analogguru

frank.clarke · Post by **frank.clarke** » 24 Nov 2007, 17:35

The box is Kalamazoo

. Keith Richard lived across the street from Keith Richards, and he swore by the FZ-1A!

bajaman · Post by **bajaman** » 24 Nov 2007, 20:41

and he swore by the FZ-1A

instead of AT it

bajaman

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 27 Nov 2007, 06:33

The next bullshit:
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V ... otohosting

this guy wants to make us believe that his Fuzztone is from 1964 and the same with which "Satisfaction" was recorded. "Satisfaction" was not recorded witrh an FZ-1A it was a FZ-1, this unit is a FZ-1A, with a serial number of 32.093

http://i20.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/c7/94/95e4_3.JPG

The highest serial number for a FZ-1 would be < 5000.

Then we have the inspection sticker:
http://i15.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/c7/94/9686_3.JPG

7115 (March 1971) would be a more reasonable value for serial number 32.093, but I think this would be a little bit too late.

No guts, but anyway you will get the seldom original box, even when it is a little bit damaged:
http://i10.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/c7/94/9d63_3.JPG
http://i5.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/c7/94/93c3_3.JPG

analogguru

frank.clarke · Post by **frank.clarke** » 27 Nov 2007, 15:01

But it has Eric Johnston's rubber band! He recorded "Cliffs of Satisfaction" with it.
Actually, this is all good. An antique fuzzbox is really all in the mind, so you are paying for the provenance, or True Lies.

Here's my FZ1-A/3-Knob Tonebender mixup:
http://www.guitar-pedals-effects.com/Toneblender.html

analogguru · Post by **analogguru** » 27 Nov 2007, 15:40

cool (new) website, Frank !

100free doesn´t allow deep links, so for referring to my schematics it is better to use my ohost.de account:

http://analogguru.an.ohost.de

analogguru

Trigger · Post by **Trigger** » 29 Dec 2008, 23:39

Here is a picture of my FZ-1A. I believe this is completely stock, right down to the attached guitar cord.

BJF · Post by **BJF** » 30 Dec 2008, 02:44

Hi,

I can say about the sound from first having resurrected an FZ1A-that had been on tour and jut about anything that could go wrong at a tour to a fuzz pedal happened to it but this fuzz belonged to the King of Cheese and it was part of a whole bag of fuzz pedals that had broken down during the tour.This pedal was powered by 1V5-hey it's fuzzpedal

Anyway setting this pedal up it needed rebiasing and extensive mechanical care but the sound when biased............oh yea I can relate to the Attack knob that such a sound must have a control the duration...........

Years later I got another one in repair as a friend had bought a broken one a yardsale or something but since I knew and remebered the sound I felt I could take this on as a repair- now this unit was powered from 3V0........but about he same circuit and aswell needeing a rebias and mechanical care to work reliably again.
Germaniums drift and sometimes not to handsomely, which makes repair not really a paint by numbers thing.

Absolutely at the time of the birth of this why not try the newest components and this circuit is historical in that it clearly shows the difference in how techincians that are not musicians think:
Yikes it sounds broken-let's add a control to make this controllable in duration......
Oh yea or maybe the designers had no clue at all what they were doing but were just happy that it worked since they would have had no clear view of nonlinear amplification........

I don't know but I dearly enjoyed the sound and the Gibson was the only fuzz of this big bag of non working fuzzes that I'd would have liked to keep.

Oh yea the King of Cheese is a guitargod;)

Have fun
BJ

Rook · Post by **Rook** » 27 Nov 2010, 23:44

Apparently these bad boys are made by Gibson. My dad had this thing stashed away and gave it to me today! Its not original, its a reissue, but still awesome. I scanned the 4 page manual that came with it which includes a schematic. and im about to take some pictures which will most likely be done by the time the pdf is uploaded.

http://www.2shared.com/document/NY6ANmMj/hpsc4.html

toneman · Post by **toneman** » 28 Nov 2010, 02:35

What the F

This:
http://www.2shared.com/document/NY6ANmMj/hpsc4.html

leads to this:
download
WhiteSmokeWriterGeo5002_en.exe

My Symantic Endpoint Protection scan doesn't see a virus, but.......

rook, Joined: Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:48 pm,
Where's the pdf?

T

jrod · Post by **jrod** » 28 Nov 2010, 02:36

Cool unit! Thanks for sharing the manual!

toneman · Post by **toneman** » 28 Nov 2010, 17:58

Found this manual and several other Maestro at another link....
Just google and you'll find phaser, stage phaser, fuzz and fuzz-sustain pedals.
Complete service manuals including schematic and mechanical drawing and parts list.
T

Rook · Post by **Rook** » 28 Nov 2010, 21:48

hm, my bad. i dont know how to post a pdf. i havent used that site before, but its apparently no good cuz the link sent me to a random site too.

Rook · Post by **Rook** » 28 Nov 2010, 21:51

oh it does work. you just gotta go past their huge advertisement that only consists of a download button

Down at the bottom they have this little thing: "Save file to your PC: click here" <-- click that instead of the big download button.

toneman · Post by **toneman** » 29 Nov 2010, 03:02

got it. thanx!

Post by **modman** » 07 Dec 2010, 10:39

If there a file types that do not upload, please let me know, I just have to enable them, as I did for pdf's long time ago...
Do let me know if this isn't working for you...

Maestro - FZ-1A Fuzz-Tone [schematic]