Fuzz Face

The Fuzz Face is a fuzz-style distortion pedal designed for electric guitar by Ivor Arbiter and released in 1966. Arbiter designed the Fuzz Face as a simplified version of the popular Maestro Fuzz-Tone for the low-budget market. The Fuzz Face used a characteristically round case with two controls—for Volume and Fuzz—and a semi-circular logo below the footswitch, all of which combined to resemble a smiling face. Jimi Hendrix became the Fuzz Face's most famous user, preferring it over the Fuzz-Tone due to the Fuzz Face's much lower price, despite the latter's numerous technical problems and inconsistency in tone from one unit to another. Arbiter discontinued the Fuzz Face in 1975 and reissues were subsequently offered by Crest Audio. Dunlop bought the rights to the Fuzz Face in 1993 and has since made multiple versions of the pedal with more reliable components.