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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → EJ Fuzz Face coming next year!
Went to the Eric Johnson show in Livermore last night and as expected it was phenominal! One of the coolest aspects of the evening was that they auctioned off a prototype EJ fuzz face that will be released at namm 2012! It looked so cool! I was one ticket away from winning it but I met the guy who won before the show and he was cool and totally dug it. The EJ fuzz is gonna cool good besides by JB fuzz!
Count me in!!! Eric Johnson is one of the two Erics in my life.. He is king!!! Love that mans playing!!!!!
Count me in!!! Eric Johnson is one of the two Erics in my life.. He is king!!! Love that mans playing!!!!!
Haha! Maybe you could do him a swap deal for one of yours mate? 
Eric Johnson = Fuzz Master. It is incredible how he can tame and control a fuzz pedal, or let it loose when the time is right!
Looks like the EJ Fuzz Face is coming along...found this pic online...those three new n' shiny FFs are the same colours as his rosewood-board signature Strats - 'Palomino Metallic' (the gold one on the board), 'Lucerne Aqua Firemist' (the dark metallic blue one) and 'Tropical Turquiose' (the pale blue one)...only colour missing is 'Dakota Red'......so cool! Can't wait for these to be released 
http://www.tastychops.tv/wp-content/upl … ohnson.jpg
So how different could a nicely built FF be? I have owned a regular run FF and it was ok. I owned a Keeley Fuzz Head and it slayed. Considering the common love of EC by JB and EJ ( ) will the EJ signature FF be THAT different? I now own a Celestial Effects Aquarius Fuzz and to be honest, it nails Cream era tones and all kinds of other classic sounds.
Well it all depends on the choice of transistors really...Joe's FF uses Russian NOS germaniums which are rather dark sounding, with a little less gain than the silicon FFs (although more gain than you'd expect from a 'normal' germanium transistor FF)...whereas EJ is known to prefer the silicon FFs, which are a little brighter, have more gain and are more controllable (not affected by temperature changes etc, like germaniums are). So I expect EJ's signature FF will be a silicon model, not germanium like Joe's. The only other differences between FFs I guess are parts like the pots and jacks etc, which don't have a massive effect on tone...those parts are more about smooth tapers (in the case of the pots) and reliability.
How similar the EJ FF will be to the Hendrix FF that Dunlop makes (which is also silicon transistor) will all be down to the trannies themselves really...BC108s? BC109s? A mixture of the two? (I had an old Crest Audio 80s reissue FF with a 108 and a 109, it was friggin' awesome)....all shall be revealed in due course I'm sure.
Hope that helps....(please excuse the ramblings of a Fuzz Face nerd )
Peace
James
Looks like the EJ Fuzz Face is coming along...found this pic online...those three new n' shiny FFs are the same colours as his rosewood-board signature Strats - 'Palomino Metallic' (the gold one on the board), 'Lucerne Aqua Firemist' (the dark metallic blue one) and 'Tropical Turquiose' (the pale blue one)...only colour missing is 'Dakota Red'......so cool! Can't wait for these to be released
Me too!
Well it all depends on the choice of transistors really...Joe's FF uses Russian NOS germaniums which are rather dark sounding, with a little less gain than the silicon FFs (although more gain than you'd expect from a 'normal' germanium transistor FF)...whereas EJ is known to prefer the silicon FFs, which are a little brighter, have more gain and are more controllable (not affected by temperature changes etc, like germaniums are). So I expect EJ's signature FF will be a silicon model, not germanium like Joe's. The only other differences between FFs I guess are parts like the pots and jacks etc, which don't have a massive effect on tone...those parts are more about smooth tapers (in the case of the pots) and reliability.
How similar the EJ FF will be to the Hendrix FF that Dunlop makes (which is also silicon transistor) will all be down to the trannies themselves really...BC108s? BC109s? A mixture of the two? (I had an old Crest Audio 80s reissue FF with a 108 and a 109, it was friggin' awesome)....all shall be revealed in due course I'm sure.
Hope that helps....(please excuse the ramblings of a Fuzz Face nerd
Peace
James
ha, no worries man. indeed there are differences between Si and Ge, and I heard them first hand in a Keeley Fuzzhead which has both selectable trannies. You know, considering how EJ hates treble frequencies, and that LP's are dark to begin with, I would have predicted that JB would have gone Si and EJ gone the Ge round, especially because EJ uses primarily strats. But whatever really, both have sweet tones.
I would like to try out an EJ Fuzz or a JB Fuzz. I am on again off again with my Fulltone 70's Fuzz (new one in the small box). I had a JB Fuzz in my hand at Joe's show in Cincinnati last March. But my wife was standing next to me and I wasn't getting very positive vibes.
I'm looking forward to the EJ fuzz face, especially if it's a silicon model...I had a JB Fuzz face (#275) but found it a little dark and, for want of a better word, 'grungy' for my tastes...I have found that I prefer the brighter, ganier silicon FFs to the germaniums...I should never have sold that old 80s Crest Audio reissue FF...that was killer
What's the Fulltone '70 like? One would asume it's a silicon fuzz, being called the '70...how similar is it to a Fuzz Face?
Peace
James
I don't use a fuzz very often but I wanted one for covering Philip Sayce tunes. I have had trouble cutting through with a fuzz pedal. What sold me on the Fulltone 70's fuzz was the tone, size, and mid knob. You can make it cut if you crank the mid knob, and the new model is the same size as an OCD. When I bought it I compared it to a new standard Fuzz Face, an Angry Fuzz, and a Fulltone Catalyst. The 70's sounded the best to me. I had also listened to some of Stratpaulguy's clips and I thought he got a great Eric Johnson tone with his 70's Fuzz.
I don't use a fuzz very often but I wanted one for covering Philip Sayce tunes. I have had trouble cutting through with a fuzz pedal. What sold me on the Fulltone 70's fuzz was the tone, size, and mid knob. You can make it cut if you crank the mid knob, and the new model is the same size as an OCD. When I bought it I compared it to a new standard Fuzz Face, an Angry Fuzz, and a Fulltone Catalyst. The 70's sounded the best to me. I had also listened to some of Stratpaulguy's clips and I thought he got a great Eric Johnson tone with his 70's Fuzz.
Sorry this really doesn't apply to the topic of EJ fuzz face but.. Have you seen this, ox fuzz/ox fuzzII? I don't know if Sayce uses one or the other, don't know too much about him, but he does have a great, raw style.
I have watched this video several times before. Mr. Sayce is awesome with a Fuzz pedal. In another gear review that he has on you-tube, he is using an old Fuzz Face that has been specially tweaked. I am thinking it was tweaked by Mr. Diaz. I wish I had bought the JB Fuzz when I had it in my hand(It came autographed) but for what I do I am satisfied with my 70's Fuzz. (I don't keep it on my board all of the time.) But I do want to hear the EJ Fuzz. Anything that gets me remotely close to his tone would be welcome.
I have watched this video several times before. Mr. Sayce is awesome with a Fuzz pedal. In another gear review that he has on you-tube, he is using an old Fuzz Face that has been specially tweaked. I am thinking it was tweaked by Mr. Diaz. I wish I had bought the JB Fuzz when I had it in my hand(It came autographed) but for what I do I am satisfied with my 70's Fuzz. (I don't keep it on my board all of the time.) But I do want to hear the EJ Fuzz. Anything that gets me remotely close to his tone would be welcome.
You see any of stratpualguy's latest youtube vids? He's pretty much got EJ's rig nailed.. I can get a really close approximation of the Eric Johnson tone going when I have my strats tone knob turned considerably low. I'm sure you know this already, but for me that seems to be a very significant part of the puzzle..along with a bit of fuzz, if I'm going for his tone here or there to suit any particular song. Problem is, that tone doesn't seem to cut through if you're playing with another guitar player since its very warm sounding. I usually just mess around with it at home, noodling around with different amps and gear. Cause none of us can ever make up our minds with what gear setups we like on a consistent basis! Also, Eric mentioned in a video he is possibly working on designing a speaker along with Eminence..
There's a photo on the internet with EJ standing on stage with over two dozen vintage fuzz faces. Might be based on one of those. I'm sure they'll be silicon. He never uses Germanium AFAIK.
I have a feeling it will sound like one of those old 200lbs of Tone pedals from Lovepedal. Those things were instant EJ leads.
I know what you are saying. I have ran into the same thing with my Butler Tube Driver. I work so hard getting the big violin tone dialed in only to have it get lost in the mix in a two guitar band situation. But it sure is a fun tone to use solo with a drum machine.
I know what you are saying. I have ran into the same thing with my Butler Tube Driver. I work so hard getting the big violin tone dialed in only to have it get lost in the mix in a two guitar band situation. But it sure is a fun tone to use solo with a drum machine.
Mids. Mids. Mids. That's the problem I see. If your fuzz or Tube Driver is lost in the mix, especially when there's another guitar player out there, you don't have enough mids in your tone. It may not sound so good when you're playing all alone in your living room or basement but a sound with an "A" shaped EQ will make you stand out.
That's primarily why all of Joe's variable amps have an "A" shaped EQ. The Jub takes care of the bass and treble. It has that rock tone that is perfect for what he does. He adds in a Plexi clone with a mid boost, or any of the two Dumble inspired circuits to hit certain midrange frequencies. That allows him to be heard even if he plays with a dozen guitar players.
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → EJ Fuzz Face coming next year!
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