The Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face is a meticulously faithful reproduction of the 1969-70 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face that Jimi used on classic albums like Band of Gypsys. Dunlop - engineering department examined hoards of vintage Fuzz Faces, honing in on a few units which possessed that unmistakable Jimi voodoo. The Fuzz Face debuted in 1966, made by sax repairman and amateur drummer Ivor Arbiter, who ran the Drum City shop on Shaftesbury Avenue in London's West End. Arbiter was famous for selling Ringo Starr a Black Oyster Pearl Ludwig kit in '62, which he hastily inscribed with 'The Beatles' across the front to make the sale, complete with. Since Arbiter launched the noble Fuzz Face back in 1966, the pedal has been stepped on by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and blues guitarists Philip Sayce and Joe Bonamassa.If you want a late 60s-style silicon-driven fuzz, find yourself a turquoise Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face (£209). The Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face Mini Pedal features legendary Fuzz Face tones in a smaller, more pedalboard-friendly housing with several modern appointments: true bypass switching, a bright status LED, an AC power jack and a convenient battery door.
- Dunlop Fuzz Face Serial Numbers Chart
- Dunlop Fuzz Face Serial Numbers Explained
- Dunlop Fuzz Face Serial Numbers Identification
Samples | Artists and reviews | Power supply issues | Sunface ordering
See our FAQ for the historyof the fuzz face.
Disclaimer: A fuzz face is not an easy pedal to get agreat sound out of! If you have a Cort guitar and a Crate amp, don'texpect to sound like Jimi with a fuzz face. You will have to havean excellent guitar and amp, have played for at least severalyears, and used some other fuzz pedals to appreciate the soundand feel of our Sun Face or modified Fuzz Faces. It may also take some timeto figure out how to make it work well with your other equipment. Our Sunfaceand modified Fuzz Face pedals are made for the pros, but even a beginnershould be able to get great tones if you work at it.
'When you think of it, a really good effect should not mean that your search is over; it should mean that your journey is just getting started!'
Why do you modify a fuzzface?
Unlike a pedal like a Tube Screamer, which will alwayssound good if the right chip and other parts are installed correctly, a fuzzface is a very finicky circuit. The transistorsused in a fuzzface make all the difference in tone, feel, and amount offuzz/cleanliness. Germanium transistors were the first type of transistorsgenerally available, starting in the early 1960s. They are not very stableor easy to manufacture consistently. Since silicon transistors took overfrom germanium in about 1970, almost nobody makes germaniums anymore, and the fewthat are made just don't do the trick in a fuzzface circuit.Each transistor used in a fuzzface needs to be tested for severalparameters including gain, leakage, noise, and tone to make a great sounding fuzz. These transistors are just notavailable in any decent quantity. For these reasons, it's really toughfor a large company to mass producea classic germanium fuzzface that sounds good. It's too much of a hassle so mostdo not even try.
We can build our SUNFACE pedal for you, or modifyyour existing Fuzz Face, either a Dunlop reissue or Arbiter UK reissues to make them sound GREAT, just like Clapton in Cream or early Hendrix. The sound is nice and smooth, singing bluesy tone, not harsh noisy fuzz.
These pedals are VERY SENSITIVE to your guitar volume : with germanium, if youturn down a Strat's volume to about 7, there is very little distortion. At9, it is a nice smooth bluesy tone, like Clapton in Cream. At 10,it is quite fuzzy, especially if you have hot pickups orhumbuckers. Also, if you use another effect before the fuzz face,it can make it get a nastier distortion. You may try running aDistortion or compressor into the fuzz face, or vice versa, withvarying volume settings on the guitar and/or effects. But for thepurest tone, there should be no effects between the guitar and the fuzz. However, effects with true bypass that are turned OFF areOK before the fuzz (for example, an RMC wah). Vintage style wah pedalshave some issues when used with a vintage style fuzz face(though Jimi did not seem to mind!). To cure that, the Foxrox Wah Retrofit is available. The Z Vex Wah Probe seems to workfine with our sunface, for a cool alternative. Here is a video by That Pedal Show about using wahs and buffers with fuzz pedals including our Sun Faces.
All fuzz faces (and our sunface) have true bypass, so we don't need to modify them for true bypass.
We are now making these in our own cases, as the AnalogMan Sun Face . They are hand-built in the USA in small goldboxes, with our own USA made SUNFACEcircuit board, which was made small enough to fit in almost anyenclosure. As you can see in the picture down below a bit, this is a VERY high quality board ofthe same type used on our other pedals. It is better qualitythan almost any other fuzzface clone you will find, with shielding, plated through-holes, etc to meet military specs. It also has an internal CLEAN trim pot (white knob). This trim potacts like turning down the VOLUME knob on your guitar, toclean up the fuzz. It can be used to preset the sound as with the volume knob rolled back a bit. It also allows easier controlof the volume knob on your guitar when the white CLEAN trim pot is turned a bit.It can also be used to kill RadioFrequency Interference, which may be a problem on high gainpedals in some areas, by turning it down a hair.The CLEAN trimpot will also allow the sunface to work better after a vintagestyle wah pedal, without having to use a foxrox wah retrofit. It does notreduce the amount of fuzz that much, with humbuckers it can actually seem to have MORE fuzz by turning it a bit. like all our handmade pedals, the Sunface has true bypass, so when off they do not alter your sound at all.
2012 Sun Face : in 2012 we started using a brighter, shinier gold box forthe smaller Sunface pedals, as seen on the pedal on the right. I like the gold color better. The Z VEX power plate will fit these cases well too.
On the left is some of our test equipment we use fortesting out transistors for our Sun Face and Beano Boostpedals. These are ugly but perfect for testing the transistorsfor four parameters which are critical for the best sounding fuzz. We have since reboxed it into a steel cabinet so it's more rugged.
In July, 2002 we started offeringa NOS NKT-275 version of the Sun Face, using New Old Stock British Newmarket 1960s NKT-275 transistors. These were the actual transistors used in the original $expensive germanium fuzzfaces, not the skinny US made copies used in the new fuzzfacessince the 1990s (which look and sound totally different). You can take a peek into one of our NKT-loaded pedals on the left. It also includes an additional BIAS trim pot inside to set theexact bias on these transistors, for the ultimate sound.The Blue trim pot is for Bias, which should not need adjustmentoften, while the big White one is the CLEAN (input adjustment) knob. The BIAS pot really helps if you play at different temperatures.You can turn it down a bit at higher temperatures, and upa bit at lower temperatures, to keep the transistors happyand sounding best at their SWEET SPOT which is about 5 volts.The Sunface manual has more information on adjusting this.The bias control is more often found on the outside of our Sunfacepedals as the SUN DIAL knob.
The sound of these NKT275 transistors is quite similar to the other types of germanium transistors that we use. But the NKT275s have less fuzz, and less high end fizziness. They have a deeper tone and clean up better than any other transistor. If you turn down the volume on your guitar,the NKT275 sound will be totally, sparkly clean without any fuzz remnants.Normally, NKT275 transistors are not high gain, that is why they cleanup so well and are so smooth sounding. However we did have somehigh gain NKTs we have sorted out over the years, out of the same batch.If you don't need a fuzz that can get TOTALLY clean when you back the guitar downjust a few numbers, the NKT275 is probably not for you. They are also toughto use with humbuckers, easily get lost in the mix in a band situation unlessyou play REALLY loud.
We sold out our first batch of NKT-275 transistors with red dots (totally authentic, came in little 'cigarette packs' as seen above) in just a few months, but found more. Those early 1970s 'white dot' NKT275s are the same size but don't look exactly the same. They have less (almost no!) leakage, and sound a little less dark,with better high end definition. They are from a military supplier in the UK and were tested to a NATO spec. These have white dots instead of red dots,signifying the military spec. They are not the skinny USA reproduction NKTsused in the new fuzzfaces or in some other fuzzface clones. When I retested them here, 95% of them worked perfectly unlike the last batch which was about 25% dead.The SUNFACE reviewed by Guitar Player magazine had the older red dot NKTs,while the one reviewed by TONEQUEST magazine had the newer ones.We ran out of the white dot NKTs in 2011 and are saving some just for repairs.We doubt we will be able to get more in, as all the ones we have gotten in thelast decade were fakes parts that others already tested and rejected so we never used them.
Red Dot NKT275 transistors
We also had gotten more of the older-style red dot NKTs.These are not quite as clean or clear sounding as the white dot.The red dot do not get as sparkly clean when you back down the volume, butthey have a longer, smoother range when backing down the volume knob soit's easier to find just the right amount of fuzz. They have a cool smoky, bluesy tone, a little softer and darker. They definately havesome MOJO in the sound. They are a little more finicky and tougherto dial in, especially at various temperatures, so the sundial has a WIDE range on these. We ran out of these again in late 2015.
Red Dot NKT transistors
In mid 2017 we got some red dot NKT transistors which are not the NKT275 model, from a source in The Netherlands. These are definitely made at the Newmarket factory over 40 years ago, andlook and sound almost identical to the old red dot NKT275 we used to have.They test in the same range, medium low gain. I think they came from the same manufacturingline as the NKT275, but were sorted for this narrower gain range.They have a different part number on them after the 'NKT', probably a house number for the specific customerwho requested these parts (maybe a radio company in the Netherlands). We ran out of these in 2020.Mullard CV7005
These are military spec germaniums from 1973, medium to low gain. We found that almost all of the NKT-275 sold, especially in the last ten years, are actually re-labeled transistors. We were able to see a CV7005 mark faintly on some of them (they rub off the old markings before re-labeling them), so we bought a bunch of CV7005 in the UK over a decade ago. We started selling these when we were running outof the red dot nkt275 in late 2015. These transistors have 'KBDA 7301' on them. 7301 means 1973, 1st week.The K means that it has been manufactured to specification, the B indicates that approval was given by UK militaryauthorities (military spec), D is the factory identification code for Mullard Ltd, and A is the Mullard Blackburn factory. We we know EXACTLY when and where these were made, and by whom. They sound like the NKT275 because they are probably the same thing. They sound more likethe white dot NKT than the red dot, they are a little brighter clearer and cut better than the red dot. These have very limited availability.
High Gain NKT transistors
If you want the NKT sound, but with more fuzz, and a bit brighter,with a reasonable amount of cleanup like other fuzzface clonesand our other germaniums (not 100% clean), we had someHIGH GAIN NKTs that we have saved over the years. They are thesame parts as the white dot NKTs, they just tested out higher in gain than the ones we normally use. We ran out of these too.
RCA germanium transistors
In 2018 we got some RCA germanium transistors in that sound great. Like the red dot NKT,these are a 'house number', they were made for a specific customer so they don't have a normal2N part number on them. They are nice and bright for germanium, with normal gain, andhave excellent cleanup characteristics. The best feature of the RCA is that they are VERYstable at temperatures, so can work in the heat of a gig when other germaniums tend to go flat.We ran out for a while but got more in 2021.
Standard germanium transistors
We also have some really cool 1960s Japanese 2SB transistorsthat we are using for our germanium Sunfaces.These are a little brighter and fuzzier than the NKTs. I remember buying dead Japanese Acetone organs back in the early90s to get 2SB175 transistors for making Fuzzfaces when a friendtold me how great they sounded. The 2SB is a little darker and woolier than the TI/UK.Some of these that measure at low gain are great in our low gain germanium option,to duplicate the sound and great cleanup of the white dot NKT275. We have twomodels of the 2SB, the 2SB171 which is lower gain and the 2SB175 which is higher gain.Both sound great, smoother than the other germaniums, not as much edge.
We also have some awesome 1960s General Electric USA madegermanium transistors, a 2N type, thatwe often use. These were pulled out of 40-year old NOS Baldwin organ tone generatorboards. These types have been used in most of the good boutique fuzzface clonesover the years, you see them often in The Gear Page 'pedal guts' thread.
High Gain Germanium transistors
These are similar to the standard germanium USA transistors that we pulled out of NOS 1960s Baldwin organ tone generator boards, but they have very high gain for germanium. They are Texas Instument brand and made in 1974. These and the GE 2N type are the shorter,fatter metal can style than the NKT and 2SB size.TI/UK Germanium transistors
In 2008 we got a large batch of superb germanium transistors from the UK.These CV7003 transistors were made in the UK by Texas Instruments in 1968 to a military spec.They are not the Newmarket brand CV7003 that we used in the Beano Boost for a while. These TI/UK transistors have nice medium-high gain and are awesome in theFuzz Face circuit. They are quite similar to the sound of the High GainNKTS. We also use these in some Beano Boost pedals. These are a little brighterthan the 2SB standard germaniums, less wooly sounding. We ran out of these in 2017.BART Transistors
In 2020 we got some Big Ass Russian Transistors in that work great in the Sun Face,Sun Lion, and Beano Boost. They sound HUGE, too. Easy to use, cut well, nice and fuzzy with cleanup all the way on the guitar pot. Lots of low end but can tighten up with the optional CLEAN knob, clean trimpot,or guitar volume knob. Run the FUZZ knob down a bit and the BIAS up a bit for cleaner sounds like the white dot NKT275. These will use the slightly larger case as they are too big for the small case. This case allows any options (top jacks, on/off pot, top power jack if no CLEAN knob). These are sometimes just a little noisy but we discard any that are too noisy. Our BART transistors are inherently medium-high gain range - add a note if you want medium-high or high gain.
We also offer the BART with the RCA transistor, as a hybrid germaniumwhich is very temperature stable.
AC128 transistors
You will read on some websites that some original fuzzface pedalsused an AC128 transistor. However, I and all my fuzzface guru friendshave never seen these in an original fuzzface from the 1960s, andwe have seen hundreds of them.The AC128 WAS found in the grey reissues made in the 90s. The AC-128 transistors we pulled out of these reissues sound horrible. We also tried all the AC-128 versions available on ebay and from suppliers all over theworld but none sounded good enough for our pedals so we have piles of themthat will sit unused. We do have some in square cases that sound pretty good, a muffy-sortof compressed, saturated tone that some people like. We have a few made up with Sun Dials,same price as standard germanium with a Sun Dial.
We have some BC108, BC109, and BC183 silicon transistors, and have beenmaking silicon Sunfaces for several years now.The BC108 and BC109 are in small metal cans while the BC183 are plastic.Silicon fuzzfaces came out in about 1969. Dallas Arbiter usedboth of these types in their Fuzz Face pedals. The silicons are fuzzierthan the germaniums, and brighter. The silicon transistorshave much higher gain. They don't get totallyclean by turning the guitar down like the NKTs but they do clean upquite a bit and are sensitive to your dynamics. Check outthe sound sample below to hear this.
We can make a SUNFACE with no extra charge for silicon.There is a small extra charge for modifying and converting an existing germaniumfuzz pedal to silicon. The sundial is not really needed, as the silicon transistorsare not temperature sensitive. But you can use the sundialknob to dial in different sounds if desired. We do put theBIAS trimpot on the inside of the two-knob sunfaces so youcan still tweak it if desired. The Sundial knob may cause morenoise on a silicon (high gain) sunface, due to the extra wires,so it may be best to not order the sundial if you want to keep the noise down.
Silicon fuzzfacesare negative ground, so you can use almost any power supply withoutfear of melting it down. But it still may sound better withan old style battery. The FUZZ knob on the silicon versionusually sounds and works best if you turn it down a bit(on the germanium I usually like it up full).
BC183
The BC183 transistors are a little warmer than the BC108 and still have plenty of fuzz.I think Eric Johnson has BC183 in the red fuzzface that he used for years,and the new 2012 Dunlop Eric Johnson signature Fuzz Face seems to use a BC183 too.Jon Carin (Floyd, The Who, Roger Waters, etc) contacted me in 2012, looking for a fuzz thatsounds like the giant lap steel on One Of These Days by the Floyd. I recommendedthe BC183 Sun Face for him and I think he likes it! I got to hear it livein 2017 with Roger Waters and it was great. I also sent him one with BC109B as I think those have a little more cutting edge which might work well. Jon wrote:
This Sunface is tear-your-face-off unreal but warm.You are the Distortionist. Thanks SO much.
Jon also got one for James Guthrie, who has been Pink Floyd'ssound engineer/producer since The Wall.
BC108C
In May 2013, we got some Telefunken brand BC108C silicon transistors. The old fuzzfaces from 1970 usually usedthe TFK brand BC108C transistors. 'C' is the gain range of the transistor, it's thehighest gain, 'B' would be lower gain. These BC108C don't look the same as the onesmade in 1970, or the same as some we got from the late 70s. They seem to be made by TFKbut we can't guarantee that, so we are not charging extra for these transistors. Wedo have just a few actual NOS BC108C transistors that we can use for restoringan old Fuzz face pedal where their high price would be worth it. We also have someBC108B 1980s transistors, some Telefunken and some another brand. Nice if you want the BC108 sound but without as high gain.BC109
In late 2012 we got some BC109 silicon transistors by request from people who heard thatDavid Gilmour may have had these put in his Fuzz Face sometime. They are a no cost option,along with the clock graphics, in tribute to his wonderful solo in Time. The BC109is a little grittier and edgier than the BC108 and not as smooth as the BC183.But they cut really well with a band, and have a cool sound so you may like them bestif that's what you are going for. We sometimes have a special deal on these with no options.In spring of 2014 we found some Telefunken TFK BC109B and BC109C transistors. These are yet a littleedgier sounding than our previous BC109 transistors. The C has higher gain than the B, but theysound very similar. They have a really nice attack with a fuzzy roundnessin tone to help cut through better. We don't have many of the C type so they will have a surcharge.In late 2015, I brought one of these BC109 Sunfaces to London for David Gilmour's RATTLE THAT LOCKtour, and delivered it to his house boat/studio Astoria. He had our BC108 Sun Face but wantedsomething with a bit more edge. He had previously gotten some Sun Faces in 2006.
I got four old 1960s Fuzzfaces in for repairs and tweaking inearly 2008 from a collector. Two were BC108 silicon so I compared them toa BC108 Sunface that I just finished. I was very happy whenI found the sounds were almost identical except the sunfacewas a little clearer sounding. The other two old fuzzfaceswere NKT275, one was decent but the otherwas really dull and woofy. Our NKT sunface was better than both but hewanted to keep them original so we left the original weaktransistors in them.
Sun Dial
We now put the SUN DIAL on the Sunface to make a 3 knob small gold pedal.The middle knob is on the center of the Sun Face Graphics. It is the exact same function and circuit as the internal BIAS trim pot on the 2 knob model. It is used for keeping the fuzz happy at differenttemperatures, and with different or worn batteries. We call it the SUN DIAL and the knob is painted to match the pedal. It is a $25 option. We factory set the SUNDIALso the face is vertical at our shop temperature (70 degrees orso depending on if it's Winter or Summer!). You can set it by ear,just turn it up until the buzziness goes away as much as you like. Jim Weider has an NKT Sunfacewith the SUN DIAL and likes to run the sundial higherthan our normal setting, he turns it almost all the way upfor less fuzz and a purer tone. You can turn it down all the wayfor a buzzy sound like 'spirit in the sky', where the fuzz fizzes out.
Box styles and sizes
Up until mid 2007 we used our 'small' size '125B' boxfor most Sunfaces, as seen on the far left on the Sunface with Top Jacks.These are 2.5' wide, 4.75' tall, and about 1.5' high.It is the same box used for the Mini Chorus, Mini Bicomp, Beano, etc.Starting in late August 2007 we are using our SMALLER MXR 'B' boxfor most Sunface pedals, as seen on the pedal with side jacks on the left.These are 2.25' wide, 4.25' tall, and about 1.25' high, thesame size as a small MXR pedal. I like these MXR size boxesbetter as they are lower profile, and leave more room on the pedalboardsfor more pedals!!
Starting in 2018 Top Jacks without on/off option was available in the 'smaller' box.If a power jack is ordered, it is on the side and you can add a note if you have a preferencefor left or right side. We still use the larger box for the large BART transistors.
BATTERY DISCONNECT OPTIONS
We can add a power off switch on the FUZZ pot, when you turn it down all the way it disconnects the battery. This will only fit on the side jacks model. Instead of that, we can install a mini toggle switch to kill the batteryon the top jacks model. If you can unplug the cable from the input jack, it will do the same thing. But for people with the pedal in the middle of their pedalboard, one of these options will make it easier if you want to use a battery. If you use a power supply (requires the power jack option) then these battery disconnect options are not needed.
Sound Samples
Here is Jon Butcher playing his NKT sunface with a NashStrat with .010 strings, into a Reinhardt 18 head with a THD2x12' cabinet, recorded with a Shure 57 mic. Fuzz knobwas about 3:00, sundial about 1:00 and volume about 12:00. Sea Of Blues Enjoy!
Here are some clips by Rogers Stevens of Blind Melonfrom their 2007 album. Heis playing his Nash Strat with Rio Grande pickupsthrough our Sunface NKT into a Blockhead amp.
Sun Face alone
Solo With Sun Face into a wah
I saw them in June 2008 and they sounded awesome, Thanks Rogers!
Red Dot NKT transistors
In mid 2017 we got some red dot NKT transistors which are not the NKT275 model, from a source in The Netherlands. These are definitely made at the Newmarket factory over 40 years ago, andlook and sound almost identical to the old red dot NKT275 we used to have.They test in the same range, medium low gain. I think they came from the same manufacturingline as the NKT275, but were sorted for this narrower gain range.They have a different part number on them after the 'NKT', probably a house number for the specific customerwho requested these parts (maybe a radio company in the Netherlands). We ran out of these in 2020.Mullard CV7005
These are military spec germaniums from 1973, medium to low gain. We found that almost all of the NKT-275 sold, especially in the last ten years, are actually re-labeled transistors. We were able to see a CV7005 mark faintly on some of them (they rub off the old markings before re-labeling them), so we bought a bunch of CV7005 in the UK over a decade ago. We started selling these when we were running outof the red dot nkt275 in late 2015. These transistors have 'KBDA 7301' on them. 7301 means 1973, 1st week.The K means that it has been manufactured to specification, the B indicates that approval was given by UK militaryauthorities (military spec), D is the factory identification code for Mullard Ltd, and A is the Mullard Blackburn factory. We we know EXACTLY when and where these were made, and by whom. They sound like the NKT275 because they are probably the same thing. They sound more likethe white dot NKT than the red dot, they are a little brighter clearer and cut better than the red dot. These have very limited availability.
High Gain NKT transistors
If you want the NKT sound, but with more fuzz, and a bit brighter,with a reasonable amount of cleanup like other fuzzface clonesand our other germaniums (not 100% clean), we had someHIGH GAIN NKTs that we have saved over the years. They are thesame parts as the white dot NKTs, they just tested out higher in gain than the ones we normally use. We ran out of these too.
RCA germanium transistors
In 2018 we got some RCA germanium transistors in that sound great. Like the red dot NKT,these are a 'house number', they were made for a specific customer so they don't have a normal2N part number on them. They are nice and bright for germanium, with normal gain, andhave excellent cleanup characteristics. The best feature of the RCA is that they are VERYstable at temperatures, so can work in the heat of a gig when other germaniums tend to go flat.We ran out for a while but got more in 2021.
Standard germanium transistors
We also have some really cool 1960s Japanese 2SB transistorsthat we are using for our germanium Sunfaces.These are a little brighter and fuzzier than the NKTs. I remember buying dead Japanese Acetone organs back in the early90s to get 2SB175 transistors for making Fuzzfaces when a friendtold me how great they sounded. The 2SB is a little darker and woolier than the TI/UK.Some of these that measure at low gain are great in our low gain germanium option,to duplicate the sound and great cleanup of the white dot NKT275. We have twomodels of the 2SB, the 2SB171 which is lower gain and the 2SB175 which is higher gain.Both sound great, smoother than the other germaniums, not as much edge.
We also have some awesome 1960s General Electric USA madegermanium transistors, a 2N type, thatwe often use. These were pulled out of 40-year old NOS Baldwin organ tone generatorboards. These types have been used in most of the good boutique fuzzface clonesover the years, you see them often in The Gear Page 'pedal guts' thread.
High Gain Germanium transistors
These are similar to the standard germanium USA transistors that we pulled out of NOS 1960s Baldwin organ tone generator boards, but they have very high gain for germanium. They are Texas Instument brand and made in 1974. These and the GE 2N type are the shorter,fatter metal can style than the NKT and 2SB size.TI/UK Germanium transistors
In 2008 we got a large batch of superb germanium transistors from the UK.These CV7003 transistors were made in the UK by Texas Instruments in 1968 to a military spec.They are not the Newmarket brand CV7003 that we used in the Beano Boost for a while. These TI/UK transistors have nice medium-high gain and are awesome in theFuzz Face circuit. They are quite similar to the sound of the High GainNKTS. We also use these in some Beano Boost pedals. These are a little brighterthan the 2SB standard germaniums, less wooly sounding. We ran out of these in 2017.BART Transistors
In 2020 we got some Big Ass Russian Transistors in that work great in the Sun Face,Sun Lion, and Beano Boost. They sound HUGE, too. Easy to use, cut well, nice and fuzzy with cleanup all the way on the guitar pot. Lots of low end but can tighten up with the optional CLEAN knob, clean trimpot,or guitar volume knob. Run the FUZZ knob down a bit and the BIAS up a bit for cleaner sounds like the white dot NKT275. These will use the slightly larger case as they are too big for the small case. This case allows any options (top jacks, on/off pot, top power jack if no CLEAN knob). These are sometimes just a little noisy but we discard any that are too noisy. Our BART transistors are inherently medium-high gain range - add a note if you want medium-high or high gain.
We also offer the BART with the RCA transistor, as a hybrid germaniumwhich is very temperature stable.
AC128 transistors
You will read on some websites that some original fuzzface pedalsused an AC128 transistor. However, I and all my fuzzface guru friendshave never seen these in an original fuzzface from the 1960s, andwe have seen hundreds of them.The AC128 WAS found in the grey reissues made in the 90s. The AC-128 transistors we pulled out of these reissues sound horrible. We also tried all the AC-128 versions available on ebay and from suppliers all over theworld but none sounded good enough for our pedals so we have piles of themthat will sit unused. We do have some in square cases that sound pretty good, a muffy-sortof compressed, saturated tone that some people like. We have a few made up with Sun Dials,same price as standard germanium with a Sun Dial.
We have some BC108, BC109, and BC183 silicon transistors, and have beenmaking silicon Sunfaces for several years now.The BC108 and BC109 are in small metal cans while the BC183 are plastic.Silicon fuzzfaces came out in about 1969. Dallas Arbiter usedboth of these types in their Fuzz Face pedals. The silicons are fuzzierthan the germaniums, and brighter. The silicon transistorshave much higher gain. They don't get totallyclean by turning the guitar down like the NKTs but they do clean upquite a bit and are sensitive to your dynamics. Check outthe sound sample below to hear this.
We can make a SUNFACE with no extra charge for silicon.There is a small extra charge for modifying and converting an existing germaniumfuzz pedal to silicon. The sundial is not really needed, as the silicon transistorsare not temperature sensitive. But you can use the sundialknob to dial in different sounds if desired. We do put theBIAS trimpot on the inside of the two-knob sunfaces so youcan still tweak it if desired. The Sundial knob may cause morenoise on a silicon (high gain) sunface, due to the extra wires,so it may be best to not order the sundial if you want to keep the noise down.
Silicon fuzzfacesare negative ground, so you can use almost any power supply withoutfear of melting it down. But it still may sound better withan old style battery. The FUZZ knob on the silicon versionusually sounds and works best if you turn it down a bit(on the germanium I usually like it up full).
BC183
The BC183 transistors are a little warmer than the BC108 and still have plenty of fuzz.I think Eric Johnson has BC183 in the red fuzzface that he used for years,and the new 2012 Dunlop Eric Johnson signature Fuzz Face seems to use a BC183 too.Jon Carin (Floyd, The Who, Roger Waters, etc) contacted me in 2012, looking for a fuzz thatsounds like the giant lap steel on One Of These Days by the Floyd. I recommendedthe BC183 Sun Face for him and I think he likes it! I got to hear it livein 2017 with Roger Waters and it was great. I also sent him one with BC109B as I think those have a little more cutting edge which might work well. Jon wrote:
This Sunface is tear-your-face-off unreal but warm.You are the Distortionist. Thanks SO much.
Jon also got one for James Guthrie, who has been Pink Floyd'ssound engineer/producer since The Wall.
BC108C
In May 2013, we got some Telefunken brand BC108C silicon transistors. The old fuzzfaces from 1970 usually usedthe TFK brand BC108C transistors. 'C' is the gain range of the transistor, it's thehighest gain, 'B' would be lower gain. These BC108C don't look the same as the onesmade in 1970, or the same as some we got from the late 70s. They seem to be made by TFKbut we can't guarantee that, so we are not charging extra for these transistors. Wedo have just a few actual NOS BC108C transistors that we can use for restoringan old Fuzz face pedal where their high price would be worth it. We also have someBC108B 1980s transistors, some Telefunken and some another brand. Nice if you want the BC108 sound but without as high gain.BC109
In late 2012 we got some BC109 silicon transistors by request from people who heard thatDavid Gilmour may have had these put in his Fuzz Face sometime. They are a no cost option,along with the clock graphics, in tribute to his wonderful solo in Time. The BC109is a little grittier and edgier than the BC108 and not as smooth as the BC183.But they cut really well with a band, and have a cool sound so you may like them bestif that's what you are going for. We sometimes have a special deal on these with no options.In spring of 2014 we found some Telefunken TFK BC109B and BC109C transistors. These are yet a littleedgier sounding than our previous BC109 transistors. The C has higher gain than the B, but theysound very similar. They have a really nice attack with a fuzzy roundnessin tone to help cut through better. We don't have many of the C type so they will have a surcharge.In late 2015, I brought one of these BC109 Sunfaces to London for David Gilmour's RATTLE THAT LOCKtour, and delivered it to his house boat/studio Astoria. He had our BC108 Sun Face but wantedsomething with a bit more edge. He had previously gotten some Sun Faces in 2006.
I got four old 1960s Fuzzfaces in for repairs and tweaking inearly 2008 from a collector. Two were BC108 silicon so I compared them toa BC108 Sunface that I just finished. I was very happy whenI found the sounds were almost identical except the sunfacewas a little clearer sounding. The other two old fuzzfaceswere NKT275, one was decent but the otherwas really dull and woofy. Our NKT sunface was better than both but hewanted to keep them original so we left the original weaktransistors in them.
Sun Dial
We now put the SUN DIAL on the Sunface to make a 3 knob small gold pedal.The middle knob is on the center of the Sun Face Graphics. It is the exact same function and circuit as the internal BIAS trim pot on the 2 knob model. It is used for keeping the fuzz happy at differenttemperatures, and with different or worn batteries. We call it the SUN DIAL and the knob is painted to match the pedal. It is a $25 option. We factory set the SUNDIALso the face is vertical at our shop temperature (70 degrees orso depending on if it's Winter or Summer!). You can set it by ear,just turn it up until the buzziness goes away as much as you like. Jim Weider has an NKT Sunfacewith the SUN DIAL and likes to run the sundial higherthan our normal setting, he turns it almost all the way upfor less fuzz and a purer tone. You can turn it down all the wayfor a buzzy sound like 'spirit in the sky', where the fuzz fizzes out.
Box styles and sizes
Up until mid 2007 we used our 'small' size '125B' boxfor most Sunfaces, as seen on the far left on the Sunface with Top Jacks.These are 2.5' wide, 4.75' tall, and about 1.5' high.It is the same box used for the Mini Chorus, Mini Bicomp, Beano, etc.Starting in late August 2007 we are using our SMALLER MXR 'B' boxfor most Sunface pedals, as seen on the pedal with side jacks on the left.These are 2.25' wide, 4.25' tall, and about 1.25' high, thesame size as a small MXR pedal. I like these MXR size boxesbetter as they are lower profile, and leave more room on the pedalboardsfor more pedals!!
Starting in 2018 Top Jacks without on/off option was available in the 'smaller' box.If a power jack is ordered, it is on the side and you can add a note if you have a preferencefor left or right side. We still use the larger box for the large BART transistors.
BATTERY DISCONNECT OPTIONS
We can add a power off switch on the FUZZ pot, when you turn it down all the way it disconnects the battery. This will only fit on the side jacks model. Instead of that, we can install a mini toggle switch to kill the batteryon the top jacks model. If you can unplug the cable from the input jack, it will do the same thing. But for people with the pedal in the middle of their pedalboard, one of these options will make it easier if you want to use a battery. If you use a power supply (requires the power jack option) then these battery disconnect options are not needed.
Sound Samples
Here is Jon Butcher playing his NKT sunface with a NashStrat with .010 strings, into a Reinhardt 18 head with a THD2x12' cabinet, recorded with a Shure 57 mic. Fuzz knobwas about 3:00, sundial about 1:00 and volume about 12:00. Sea Of Blues Enjoy!
Here are some clips by Rogers Stevens of Blind Melonfrom their 2007 album. Heis playing his Nash Strat with Rio Grande pickupsthrough our Sunface NKT into a Blockhead amp.
Sun Face alone
Solo With Sun Face into a wah
I saw them in June 2008 and they sounded awesome, Thanks Rogers!
Greg V. former Double Trouble, Buddy Miles guitarist got an NKT Sun Facein Sept 04 and wrote
I love this pedal, VERY fat and feels good to play.I love how dynamic this pedal responds to the changing attack of my fingers. Greg made a clip of it, recorded at a medium-loud living room volume withhis Black Fender Tele with Nocaster pickup > No pick-fingers only > Sun Face > '66 Ampeg Gemini 1 > SM57 > Akai DPS24 recorder. No EQ and just a bit of reverb. GregV_SunFace_Jam1.mp3
Check out his music at www.gregvorobiov.com
Emerson Swinford (Rod Stewart band) shows the BART Sun Face!
High Gain Germanium transistor sample
Here is a really cool demo by the maestro David Torn, his first improvwith his High Gain Sun Face. Bias is set pretty low, pedal always on. AnalogMan SunFace BC109B demo by Gilmourish:
Bass Guitar
We can make a Sunface or Fuzzface mod have more low end if you are a bassplayer. I would choose a silicon, maybe BC183, and put a note on your order ifyou play bass and we will give it more low end.Here are some BASS GUITAR samples
Battery differences
Battery comparison: same NKT275 pedal.Starts with Alkaline Duracell (twice), Cheap General Purposetype (twice) then Duracell (twice again) on a Les Paul. Listen to the high end change. DURACELL2.MP3
Here are some samples of Jim Weider's fuzzface sound, from his 2002 CD 'REMEDY'. This is with our standard germaniumSun Face. The song is called Metal Jam. Note that you can stillhear the guitar clearly, it's not a fuzzed-out sound. Of courseyou can get a much fuzzier sound by cranking the FUZZ knob andthe volume knob on your guitar, and if your amp is distorting.But this is the basic tone I am striving for with my fuzzes, onethat a pro player can use to tailor his sound without losinghis signature tone. Jim used both Fender and Marshall ampsmixed together for this tone. He has since upgraded his sunfacewith our NKT275 transistors which he likes even better.
Be sure to check out our Jim Weider Band pagefor more info and to order his new CD!!!!
Here is a video of Sid McGinnis at a studio playing hissunface through his new Tweed Twin amp. The sunface has thefuzz knob up all the way, he uses the guitar to change fromSPARKLY clean to pure fuzz. The avi video is dark and audiois poor (built in mic in a canon camera, not even a real videocamera) and it's huge, about 8MB. But if you want to check itout, here is sidsunface.avi .
Here are some clips from Doug Doppler which will be on his GET KILLER TONE dvd series. First is a Strat into our BC108 Sunface Through a Metro JTM-45 Marshall style amp into a Marshall cabinet. SunfaceBC108bc
Here is another one with a nod to Clapton in Cream. Sun Face EC108
BC108 silicon fuzz cleanup demo
BC108 sunface and a strat into a Fender Blues Junioramp, from a customer William from the band Norman www.myspace.com/normansongs
This clip shows how the silicon option sounds when you turn the guitardown, little by little. never sparkly clean like the NKT buta cool sound. BC1083.MP3
SLIDE GUITAR Here is another clip he did with a highgain NKT (with the guitar's volume backedoff by using the CLEAN trimpot inside, to a more normal NKT sound) FuzzyClip.mp3
BC108 Pink Floyd tone demo
Kit Rae recorded this clip, his Strat into our BC108 SunFace with the sundial and FUZZ knob all the way up, into an MXR Carbon Carbon. He played into a Fender Twin Reverb with a bit of reverb from the amp plussome ADT and plate reverb from garage Band.Time Solo
Red Dot NKT samples
Here is Derek Neece doing some Jimi sounds with the red dot NKT275.
Doug Blais at Juggling Reality Studios in Toronto, Canada got some super cool red dot tones with his Les Paul SG.Some of the tones were very horn-like, like Jeff Beck gets. The Sundial was set to 12:00, fuzz up full, and volume at 3/4, into a JTM45/100 (KT66's) full stack set to a volume of 1 to get a clean output and hear what the sunface could do on it's own. Doug used a Beyer M500(C) ribbon mic 2 inches away and at 45 degree angle, with a Rode NT55 Omni about 5 feet back pointing at the stack. He changed the tones exclusively with volume / tone pot control and pickup selections during the improv.
Dance Of The Sunface
Here is a Silicon Sunface some Jimi Rave Up sounds!It's Kevin Bryant playing his Fender Strat into an Ultra vibe, Silicon Sunface, Ibanez analog delay and Marshall 2204.
Jimi-style Sample into a high gain amp
Here is our friend Paul Branin showing how he uses fuzz with the OD channel of hisLee Jackson type high gain amp. He kicks it in about :045 and it's on whenever the highest gain, feedback stuff is happening.You can also hear our chorus pedal in one section. Jimi Jam
We don't have many Sunface clips with an AC30, so I was glad when I got thesefrom Rich Jevons (myspace.com/richjevons) playing his Historic ES-335 into a Heritage AC30 amp. ( Sweet Little Lady ). Also check out All I've Seen on his Myspacepage for a KOT with the same guitar and amp.
Alternative, heavy sample:
Check out grandfather forsome really cool sounds, totally unlike most on this page. It's recordedby Steve Albini at his studio, a 62 Reissue Strat into an original 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb (volume on 5).Click on No One Knows No One to hear that song, the Sunfaceis featured at the solo towards the end, about the 4:30 mark which you can jumpto if you are short on time. You can also hear it on 'By Myself' Soloand 'In The Shadow of a Doubt' in the Ending.
SUNFACE AND BEANO BOOST
Here is a clip of the NKT sunface and Beano Boost together, like a SunLion with bothsides on, from Chris McKeon. Soundclick Demo.
Standard Germanium demo with cleanup
Here is a nice demo by Mike from Louisville, KY showing his standard germanium 2N527 SunFace with a Les Paul Jr.:
Power Supply Problems
These pedals do not have a power jack as standard,as using a power supply can be tricky with a vintage fuzz. The germanium versions are reverse polarity, so sharing a non-isolated power source with a normal polaritypedal will blow out the power supply. It blows because thenormal pedal's negative ground flows through the patch cordshield to the positive ground of the fuzz, shorting out thepower supply. Here is an article about the problems of using power jacks onreverse polarity pedals from Andreas in Sweden. Using a single power cable from the Voodoo Lab or otherisolated power supplies is safe though. If you get a power jackbut use the internal battery, there are no problems or compromises at all.A Sun Face with a power jack will still come with a battery and work the same with a battery. If you might use a power supply or TheGigRig Virtual Battery, it's much better to get the power jack than to connect to the battery clip by filing a notch in the bottom plate. Just make sure to use ISOLATED POWER (which is what the Virtual battery does if you have a non-isolated power supply).
We do not require using a reverse polarity plug on any ofour pedals. Use normal center negative boss type power supply wiring, even if it's a germanium sunface. This does NOT mean you can share power with another pedal though.
Sharing power on a silicon sunface is not a problem as ituses negative ground. But we still recommend isolated power on ALL pedals, especially digital ones.Using a power supply may add AC hum noise, and can affect the tone, as the best sound isobtained by using an old style non-alkaline battery. I get thesetwo for a dollar at the DOLLAR STORES. I like the Eveready 1222 'black cat', Maxell,or Panasonics. An Alkaline battery will sound a bit dull in a germanium fuzzface, it can lose some character (you can hear the difference in a sound sampleabove). It's not just the voltage that makes batteries and powersupplies sound different.It's the resistance, inductance, and capacitance in the battery,which is part of the circuit in a fuzzface.
A power supply can also cause oscillation (squealing) on some high gain sunfaces. TheGigRig virtual battery shouldsolve oscillation problems, along with isolating the powerso you can use any power supply with our positive ground pedals.The VBAT also solves ground loop problemswhich occur when you use a daisy chain or the same powerwith more than one pedal. We now offer the VirtualBattery as an accessory and sunface option on our shopping website.Here is more info on the GigRig Virtual Battery
On/Off Fuzz pot option
When using batteries, you need to unplug the guitar cable from inputjack when you are done playing for the day, to disconnect the battery.This can be a pain when using a pedalboard. Our optional ON/OFFFUZZ POT makes it easy to disconnect the battery. Just turn the fuzz knoball the way down and it will CLICK as it disconnects the battery. Thenyou can leave your pedal hooked up to other pedals all the time. Starting in 2018, the optional on/off fuzz pot has the same nice taper as the normal fuzz pot, as we had some custom made. It is a $15 optionon the side jacks model. We offer a mini toggle switch to do the samething on the top jacks model.
LED option
Some people want an LED added. An LED will not affect toneat all, but may cause a bit of a switch noise, and will drain the battery about four times faster. Without anLED, the battery will last at least a few hundred hours of use,so don't scrimp on the tone and you won't be wasting money onbatteries anyway. The sunface uses under 1 milliamp (1mA) of currentwhen you are playing, and even less current if you stop playing. So if you play with the fuzz on for 2 or 3 hours a night, a cheapbattery will last at least 100 nights! The options we have now are transistor type, Sun Dial knob, jack placement, power jack, LED, on/off pot, graphics, and more added all the time.
We have found that the GREEN LED is very efficient, so it could bea good option on the Sunface as we hook it up to use very little power.
Here is a way to test the battery without having to open the pedal.
Here is a chart I made up that shows how the battery drainsover time if the pedal is left plugged in. Battery Drain Chart The battery used was a cheap heavy-duty (non alkaline) batteryfrom the dollar store. An alkaline would last MUCH longer.It looks like the battery is fine for about 8 days or so.After 16 days, it will still work but then goes downhill FAST!
Artists and Reviews
David Gilmour got another pair of our Sunface Pedalsfor his ON AN ISLAND tour in 2006. The bass player, Guy Pratt,was using the BC108 silicon on his bass. Hereis more info and pictures .I heard from an Italian customer that Gilmour had TWO (?!) Sun Facepedals on the side of his board at the Venice gig in 2006 and used one on Comfortably Numb.
Jon Butcher sent me such an amazing email about his sunface that I put iton it's own page. Also see his sound sample above.
Doyle Bramhall II used our Sunface NKT with sundialon tour with Eric Clapton starting in 2004. He also had our Bicomp on hispedalboard and had been using our TS9/808. On the left is a screen capturefrom rehearsal.com where you can see some awesome video interviewsand hear him playing the Sunface. You can see the Sunface NKT with sundial in the middle of the board. Here is another shotof his HUGE PEDALBOARD with the Sunface in the middleand Bicomp a few pedals to it's left.
OK Mike,This is the real deal, The new fuzz you sent sounds JUST LIKE THE FACE that Eric Johnson talked me out of years ago. I have regretted losing that Fuzz for years and now this one has replaced it! You are a King among men.Now I don't feel so bad that my old DA fuzzface is gone!
Michael Katon, from Hell, Michigan, is constantly touringEurope playing Detroit blues/rock and boogie. He has been usingold fuzzfaces for years with his Marshall Plexis and old Fender SuperReverbs. Michael loved his first Sun Face so much thathe ordered another one in case something happened to his first one.Then he had one changed to the NKTs. He wrote me in late 2002:
I had a chance to use the NKT the other Nite through two 100watt Marshall half stacks...I think I sterilized most men in the club and ended up having to sign a few bare breasts (girls of course)...so it's definately doing a good job for me!!!!!!!!
A few months later he wrote me :
After working with the Sunface for several gigs now I finally played a whole night with the Sunface only...I never kicked on the tubescreamer or Klon the whole night! (which was at least 30/35 tunes)...I stomped on the Sunface for the first song and never clicked it off the whole night! I just controlled the sounds with my volume and tone control on the Strats and Marshalls....I discovered on some tunes that if I kept the treble and presence on the Marshalls at a minimum I could get the guitar to sound almost like Jimi from the Isle Of White DVD...This is a great damn pedal man!...I'm glad I bought the extra 2 and will probably get one or two more before long...I wouldn't want to play a gig without a Sunface at this point!...............
On his next tour after more time with the sunface he wrote :
I click it on at the begining of a show and don't clickit off 'till my roadie unplugs it to throw in the truck!....My sound manthat works for me is English and ran a big tour company out of BirminghamEngland...He has seen and heard them all and say's he has never heard anyother pedal retain the bottom end and clarity that the sunface does!...I'vebeen doing gigs from Norway and sweden over to slovania and down intosouthern spain (12 countries in all)...and every night without fail someguitar players come up to ask me how I'm getting that tone and I point tothe sunface!...
Here is a youtube video of him playing in Holland in the summer of '09 with the NKT sunface.
In 2009 Michael got another Sunface, this time he tried the TI/UK germanium transistorsand used it on a European tour. When he got back he wrote me, I like it every bit as well as my one old NKT you made for me years ago...the TI/UK sounds much different than the old NKT but in the coolest way...Now my only problem is trying to decide which one to use on my new studio stuff I'm working on...'cause they both sound so hip!.... Not a bad problem to have though!!
Here are some clips from Michael's TI/UK Sunface. He says, 'Both songs sound kinda ratty and ragged but I meant for them to sound like that, especially 'Cowboy Boots From China'... The TI/UK can get nice and clean if you want,or smooth, but you can also get these ratty sounds by cranking it up and turning down the Sun Dial.Here is his Strat into the TI/UK Sunface (volume and fuzz both full up) with the sundial all the way counter clockwise (for ragged sounds) intoa 100 Watt Marshall Plexi with a 4x12 Marshall cab loaded with GreenBacks :
Kick in the Nuts
Here is another one, same setup except a VOX AC30, running into same the Marshall cabinet -
Cowboy Boots from China
In 2011, Michael got yet ANOTHER version of the SunFace, one of my favorites, the SiliconBC183/BC182. Michael wrote :
Hey Mike...got the silicon SunFace last week...this thing is killer Brutha!...I wasn't sure if I'd like the silicon or not...but it turns out I like it alot!...better than the germanium in some ways...this thing is very quiet too!....and cleans up really wells..I'm glad I got the sundial added because I can crank down the voltage/bias and make it sound very close to germanium if I want to...I'm going to carve my name in it now like I do all your pedals becase I know I'm going to be keeping it forever!....Thanks for your fine pedals Mike!..... Hope to get some sound clips soon!
Kenny Greenberg, one of the top Nashville aces, has a SunFace and says he uses itall the time, it's his favorite fuzz pedal.
Greg Martin from the Kentucky Headhunters also has a modifiedAnalog Man Arbiter Fuzzface, we changed it over to our NKT-275 transistorsfor him.
Sid McGinnis got one in early 2005 and is having a blastwith it. He used it at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductionand you should have been able to hear it nearly every night when heplayed it on the David Letterman show. Sid wrote me: Sunface has been tremendous at the show. Level at 11:00, Drive full or just under, and Sunface at 3:00 or less if I really want FUZZ. Effect on all the time (even on Al Green tune). It's Jimi, Cream, and American Woman in a box!!
Corky James used one of our modified Dunlop Fuzzfaceson Avril Lavigne's hit album. He told me, 'People are always surprised when I point out that all the guitars recorded on 'complicated' were with the fuzz ON! even the clean tones in the intro.' Jasin Todd of the heavy rockband Shinedown is using an NKT sunfacelive and will try it on their next Atlantic record.Andrew Carillo is using one with Joan Osborne on tour starting in 2005.Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys was using an NKT sunface among other AM fuzzes.Rontrose Heathman from the Supersuckers said he is a huge fan of his NKT-275 sunface and runs his comprossor and KoT Ver2 beside it.
Steve Mac from The Australian Pink Floyd Show got a BC108silicon sunface in late 2006. If you ever get a chance to seethese guys it's well worth it! He emailed me:
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I just received the little gem and I can't stop playing! Gorgeous!! Beautiful feedback, I'm so glad I got the sundial mod, very usefulto vary the tone and nail those classic sounds.
Dunlop Fuzz Face Serial Numbers Chart
I'm very pleased indeed!
Thank you for your service, the whole purchasing experience has been a joy from beginning to end and then some.... what a tasty pedal!
Many many thanks, Steve Mac.
Doug Rappoport of the Edgar Winter Band got one in early 2006and emailed me :
I got it today. Plugged it in... YEAHHHH BABY! WOOHOO! That's it mybrothu! That's what I've been looking for! You da man, Mike. Thank you somuch. And thanks for the shirt. Its great too!
All the best, Doug.
Vinnie Moore used his Sun Face on the 2012 UFO album Seven Deadly and also usesour Chorus and TS9/808 Silver.
Jackie Greene, who plays with Phil Lesh and Friends among others, got a Sunface from one of ourdealers in 2009 then ordered another one.
Jorma Kaukonen got a red dot NKT275 Sun Face in the summer of 2014 and is using itwith Hot Tuna and other electric projects. We also fixed up some of his old wahpedals, he likes the old Crybaby with brown stack of dimes inductor best.
A Japanese customer who owns 150 distortion pedals wrote back:
Mike sunfacefazz wa totemo yoi vintage amp no otoga suruyo
Here is a well written review from the Ultimate Guitar Gear websitein Sweden, A lot of Fuzzy Magic
4/2001 Arbiter England Made in UK fuzz facesmodified!
The new UK made Arbiter Fuzz face is in a nice case, looksgreat, and seems well made but they just don't sound right. Someseem to make almost no sound at all! WellWe have modified dozens now and know just what needs to bedone. We had a few dozen new grey Arbiter fuzz faces that we tunedwith our transistors and parts to make them sound just likethe late 60s Germanium fuzz faces. These get our entire classicgermanium mod, we change all the transistors andresistors on the boards and caps if needed. Available for $215.2/02 SORRY SOLD OUT but we can still mod yours!!!!!
Custom Modified Sun Face
We do not normally sell this custom pedal but this willgive you an idea of what we can do if you are crazy enough...
This 4 knob sunface was made for Guns n' Roses. Curtis Laur,who was working with them, wanted extra knobs on the fuzz so he coulddocument the settings, and the guitarists could leave the guitars'knobs up all the way. The two standard knobs are on the left - Volumeand Fuzz. The third knob is the same as the standard internal trim pot on the sunface - the input CLEAN trimmer. It works the sameas turning down the VOL knob on your guitar, to CLEAN up thesound. So we labelled it C for Clean. The forth knob is a TONE knobbut with a twist. There is a mini-toggle switch below theTONE knob. In the UP position, it acts like the TONE knobon your guitar. But if the fuzz is up high, your TONE knob doesnot do much. So we added the DOWN position which puts the tonecircuit AFTER the fuzz for a more pronounced roll off of high end.But since simple is better and sometimes you don't need to rolloff the tone, we also have a MIDDLE position which totally bypassesthe tone control. You may remember the old 1970s Big Muffs whichhad a TONE BYPASS switch on the back, a very good idea.
This pedal is not as good as the normal Sunface NKTwith sundial for a player, as you should use the knobson your guitars for more control. It was built so the guitartech could do the adjustments. So we don't normally build these,also very expensive as each knob and switch is a $25 option.
I finally got Chinese Democracy in late 2008 and got to hear ourpedals, and we were mentioned in the credits along with about 1000 others. Curtis contacted me in 2020 and said he still has the pedal, and doesn'tlike to play without it.
On the right is a custom-painted fuzzface I built for Tele-manJim Weider of the Jim Weider Band (and The Band). It looks too cool if I do say so myself... Sorry I don't have any more like this, when I try to make anotherone the paint always comes out terrible.Kenny Wayne Shepherd now has this one, I madeanother one for Jim in an old 1970s red fuzzface housing. Jim hassince had me re-box it in one of my grey COMPROSSOR boxes soit does not look like any other fuzzface. It was in effect the first SUN FACE pedal. I later put the NKT transistorsand the SUN DIAL knob on it for Jim and put it in the smallgold box.
Here are some old updates since we started this page
Update 7/97 :
The Dunlop Fuzz Face (Dallas arbiter) reissue was not goodsounding when it came out in '93. They used 'GermaniumDevices co.' reproduction NKT-275 transistors with very thin, stuttery sound. But in '97 I saw fuzz faces with different transistorsused in the High gain position and they sounded pretty good(still using the NKT in the other position). They were NTE 102Awhich I USED to use in my mods before I found some great NOSgermaniums, but the recent 102A transistors Iobtained in the last few years have been terrible. Maybe Dunlopwas able to get some good ones made (actually only re-branded) byNTE again and test them. But still some are not very good as itcosts too much to test each set of transistors by hand and earlike I do.
Dunlop Fuzz Face Serial Numbers Explained
Update 7/98 :
Dunlop is back to using two 'NKT-275' trans, but they sound prettydecent now. How did they do it? By adding an extra resistor onthe back of the board to make the old circuit work well with thelousy new transistors. You can try it yourself if you have afuzzface with those transistors and no resistor on the back.Solder a 22k resistor (1/2 watt should be fine) on the back ofthe board at the points where the 33K resistor is soldered in.The 33K is Orange Orange Orange (then silver or gold) and shouldbe in the middle of the board. If you somehow have goodtransistors this mod will make if worse, but with lousy flatulentsounding transistors it should help a lot. If you dont like itsimply cut out the added resistor. I have tried it on a fewpedals but it did not help on some at all.
Update 6/00 : The current Dunlop Fuzz Face reissue has theswitch mounted to the board, and several changes to the circuit.See below for a picture of the previous version from 1993 - mid2000. There are two trim pots on the new model, but not in the same part of thecircuit where Fulltone and most others put them. There is one inplace of the 100K resistor that goes between transistor 1 inputand transistor 2 (actually a 56K in series with a 100K trim pot,so if you set it half way you get the normal 100K). The other isin place of the 33K resistor going from transistor 1 to zerovolts. Again they use a 100K trim pot, in series with a 10Kresistor, so you can dial in 33K if desired. There is an addedcap to ground on the input. There is an added cap and resistor onthe 1st transistor which normally just goes to +9V. There is alsoan RT-1 (thermistor?) device to ground on the direct connectionbetween the 2 transistors on the signal path. The Fuzz controlcapacitor on the wiper of the pot is now referenced to 0V insteadof 9v. So it is no longer easy to make a new fuzzface into aclassic one, but we can do it by replacing the whole board. See below for more info.
Update 7/00 : we cando the classic germanium mod for you for $60 plus S & H.Also the we will install all carbon compresistors exactly like the original 60s fuzz face. The mod does not include the fancy paint job as that is nearly impossible to do. Wecan do the standard mod only if your pedal does NOT have the switchattached to the circuit board. This picture is thepre-2000 version which we can easily modify :
Update 4/01 : We can also modify the Arbiter England grey reissues,and had them new in stock for $215 modified!
Update 4/02 : We can also modify the new dunlop pedals,the ones without the MOUTH on the face. These have the circuitboard attached to the switch. We can modify theseby removing the whole circuit board and installing one of our SUN FACE boards. We use your switch and pots and case. Basic price is $100,there is a choice for this version on the MOD FORM below.It will look like THIS after the mod.
Update 5/02 : We had some cool transistors pulled fromFarfisa organs for the SUN FACE. We call this version the PATGOD (Piper at the Gates of Dawn) in reverence to Pink Floyd, on whose album you will hear tons of reverb-drenched Farfisaorgans which have nothing at all to do with fuzzfaces...
Update 7/02 : We finally scored some original 1960s NKT-275transistors from the UK, after a search which took over nine years!We will now be offering these optionally in our mods and Sun Face pedals for an additional charge.
Update 8/02 : We can now offer the mods on the 'Jimi Hendrix' JH2 model black fuzz face style ROUND pedal. Not the littlered square pedal. We will install ourSUNFACE board as we do in the new Dunlop Fuzzfaces. We also disconnect the power jack as it has the wrong polarity fora germanium fuzz. Same price as the new style Dunlop Fuzzface mod.
Update 10/02 : We ran out of the NKT transistors, sorry!We have people all over Europe trying to scrounge up more... But we do have several other new old stock transistors availablenow in good quantities, so we can make a sunface to yourtastes (smooth, warm, low gain, high gain, really fuzzy, etc).
Update 11/02 : We got some more NKT transistors thatlook slightly different, with white dots, and they sound awesome!
Update 1/03 : We can offer our mod on the ROGER MAYERblue rocket 'The Fuzz Face' pedal, using the existing circuit board.We change all the components on the board but 2 capacitors. TheFUZZ pot used is a little higher so it can get a little crunchierand more fuzz. We can change that to our standard FUZZ potfor an additional $10. The price for the RM mod is the sameas the standard older fuzzface or arbiter fuzzface mods.We can also add our BIAS trim pot on the board of this pedal(standard with NKT option).
Update 10/05 : We have been making silicon sunfacesand mods for a few years, we finally got around to puttingthe info up on this website. We are using old BC108 or BC183 transistorswhich are the best of the old 1970 silicon type, as usedin Eric Johnson's old red fuzzfaces.
Update 6/07 : We got in some really cool sounding NOSJapanese 2SB transistors, we will be using them in our standard(non NKT) Sunfaces and mods. Sold out in late '07 but got somemore for '08.
Dunlop Fuzz Face Serial Numbers Identification
Update 8/07 : We will use a smaller Gold box for the Sunfacesexcept for the ones with top jacks.
Update 4/08 : We are getting low on the normal white dot NKTs we haveused for the past five years. So we will be offering theolder style red dot NKTs optionally. See abovefor more info. We also got a bunch of Texas Instruments UK germaniumswhich we are now offering in our germanium fuzzes.
Update 9/10 : We are getting very low on the normal white dot NKTs so we had to raise the price. I think the TI/UK is the way to go unless you want a REALLY clean soundingfuzz.
Update 1/11 : We are out of the white dot NKTs now, all we canfind are fakes or batches with all the good ones picked out.
Update 2011: We have some awesome NOS BC183 transistors for a great Silicon Fuzz.
Update 2012: We are using a brighter, shinier gold on the small SunFace boxes.
Update 2013: We have some 'Telefunken' BC108C transistors we can use in the Sun Face.
Update 2015: We are out of all NKT275 transistors, we are saving some just for repairs.
Update 2016: We got some CV7005 which are very very similar to the NKT275.
Update 2017: We got the 'Red Dot' NKT house numbered transistors. Pretty much the same as thered dot NKT275 but tested to a narrower gain range.
We can use the smaller box with Top Jacks now except for with the on/off option.
Update 2018: We got the RCA germanium transistors in and have been making a lot of RCA Sun Face pedals.We also offered these as a HYBRID germanium set with an NKT red dot or BART high, for the best of both(less temperature sensative, warm but some brightness).
Update 2018: We retested a huge bag of red dot NKT275 from ten years ago, and found about 50 pairs of low gainand a few dozen medium and high gain pairs which we will offer as options.
Here is some excellent info by Dave Fox of FOX ROX Electronics. The FUZZ FACE REISSUE Story
We normally build these in the small gold box,the gold is professionally powder coated and baked on.These pedals take a while to build due to the hand tweaking, so they usuallytake a week or so to build. But we have some special QUICK DEAL versionsready to ship right away, and some other common versions too, emailto check if you need one fast. Prices and options are on our ordering website.
Please use the new website for ordering these asit allows adding any options, accessories, and onlinestatus and tracking capabilities.
Use buyanalogman.com for ordering.
Modification ORDER FORM for sending in your Fuzz Face pedal
We can modify any of the round Fuzz Face pedals, including the Red Dunlop one,the Grey UK Arbiter one, and the Grey JHF1 Jimi reissue. These all have the basicfuzzface circuit of two transistors and no extra junk. We can also modifymost hand made fuzzface clones. But we can't modify pedals like the MXR Classic 108Fuzz. It's cheaper to modify an old style Fuzz Face (they have the switch hand-wired)as we can use the existing circuit board and wiring. The newer ones have the switchsoldered onto the circuit board, so we remove the board and switch andhand-wire a new switch (better for repairs!) and install a Sun Face boardwith all new electronic components.
For the mod, you will need to choose what transistors you want.The prices for the transistor options are listed on the Sun Faceordering page on buyanalogman.com. We can add a third knob for the sundial, between the Volume and Fuzz knobs.We can also add a power jack but see the note above about why you can't share a power supply with germanium fuzz pedals.
Press Here for an order form to send in with your fuzzfacefor modification.Fuzz Face repairs
We do a lot of repair work on old Fuzz Face pedals. Most of them are way out of spec on biasso they don't sound good. Many have a weak or dead transistor or capacitor, ora resistor that has drifted too far. No matter what, we can fix it and will keep it as original as possible. It gets expensive only if you need a NOStransistor as we don't have many of those left and are saving them only for repairs.Email for more info on repairs.
Click here to email me for more info: analogmike (at) aol (dot) com
