Fuzzrite: Buyer beware

[zak]

For anyone who happens to be interested, here are some Fuzzrite gut shots.

1st generation (germanium) Fuzzrite:





Here's the sealed "integrated circuit" made by Sprague for the 3d (silicon) version of the Fuzzrite:



Fuzzrites were also made by Ed Sanner for a company called ROSAC, you used to be able to get these for a fraction of the price of a Fuzzrite (even though internally they are 100% identical), but now the secret's out and the prices are comparable to the Mosrite versions.

Here's gut shots of two different (but electronically identical) ROSAC fuzzes - they are the same as the 3d generation Fuzzrite:





ROSAC also made a fuzz wah called the "NU WAH NU FUZZ" which contained the Fuzzrite circuit:





As you can see, the same Sprague-made circuit is in there.

If you want the Fuzzrite sound but don't want to shell out $300, get an Ashbass Fuzzbrite. 100% accurate, sound-wise, and only $100.

[Dennisthe Menace]

Zak, you hit a Homerun with this! I already knew about this, but never thought about posting this for others to see.
Danny, this should go into the Archives right along with Amp(s), etc......

Menace out......

[zak]

Ok, here's more stuff.


An early germanium transistor Fuzzrite:









Here's the two germanium transistors:




Here's another germanium Fuzzrite:




Here's the Ashbass Fuzzbrite side by side with a silicon Fuzzrite:




Here's the Sanner Fuzzrite:



A shot of the Sanner guts:




I'm curious, does anyone know how many Sanner Fuzzrites were made in the 90s? I know there was two production runs, and mine is from the second run, I heard somewhere that the second run was only one hundred pedals, can anyone confirm this?

The Sanner comes in the cool original trapezoidal shaped box but has the most poorly designed battery compartment I've ever seen - just open in the front, with a clip for the battery! No compartment door, nothing! Yikes. At first I though mine was just missing a piece of it or something! In fact that's how I bargained the guy down on it - "the battery compartment door is missing" haha!
The Sanner has less output than the Ashbass, which is more "authentic" but definitely not more practical in a live situation. It also doesn't do what every original Fuzzrite (and the Ashbass) does: get thin and trebly at full fuzz depth setting. It's very even tone-wise throughout the full range of the fuzz depth control, getting only moderately brighter at full, and not quite as boxy and low mid heavy as the Ashbass. I think the Sanner has a slightly narrower range of useable tones, although there are certain Davie Allan sounds that are very tricky to dial in with the Ashbass that readily leap out of the Sanner. Another "authentic but impractical" touch: the useless battery "on/off" switch that drains the battery even when the pedal is bypassed - and the switch needs to be on for the pedal to pass signal. Drains batteries (and there's no adapter jack). The Sanner is also more "unstable" than the Ashbass, but there is a lot of variance between old Mosrite Fuzzrites in this department - I don't think any time was put into fine-tuning each one based on variances in transistors.

[dubtrub]

I'm curious, does anyone know how many Sanner Fuzzrites were made in the 90s? I know there was two production runs, and mine is from the second run, I heard somewhere that the second run was only one hundred pedals, can anyone confirm this?

Artie from Front Porch Music here in Bakersfield had Ed Sanner, who also lives here in Bakersfield, make up a 150. This first group used an aluminum boxes which were too flimsy. After all those sold, he then ordered the next batch of 150, and these boxes were made with sheet steel. Last summer when I talked with Artie about these, he said he only had about fifteen of them left and was selling the for $150 each. When these are gone there will be no more as Sanner no longer has the metal bending tool to make the boxes.

When I asked Artie about the Fuzzrite's he laughed. He said no one has asked about them in years. Bakersfield has basically three genre's of music, Country, Jazz and Blues. So, since Front Porch Music does not sell on the internet, fuzz boxes aren't in real demand here. According to Artie, these were the only ones made after Mosrite folded in the 60's.

[zak]

Thanks for the info! I didn't know there were that few of them out there!
Mine is definitely from the second production run, it has the steel box.

It's a shame Artie's doesn't sell online, there is definitely a market for these things.
Someone should buy up the remaining stock and sit on them for a few years...there might be money to be made there.

Re-reading my previous post, it sounds like I am saying the Ashbass is the better pedal - I should clarify that statement: It is more practical in a live situation because it has more output volume, an adapter jack, and a LED, and a battery compartment that doesn't suck. In some ways (drastic tone changes in the "full on" and "full off" fuzz depth settings) it sounds more like the original Mosrite Fuzzrite, but - and here's the "but" - the Sanner sounds more like an old Fuzzrite when it comes to how it compresses under heavy pick attack (this is less exaggerated on the Ashbass) and has a certain midrange character that makes it easier to dial in the exact sound I'm looking for. Also, in spite of having no protection for the battery and (most importantly) the hookup wires and terminal clip for the battery, the Sanner has better quality components and much neater and sturdier solder joints on all the interior wiring.

[Dennisthe Menace]

I'm curious, does anyone know how many Sanner Fuzzrites were made in the 90s? I know there was two production runs, and mine is from the second run, I heard somewhere that the second run was only one hundred pedals, can anyone confirm this?

Artie from Front Porch Music here in Bakersfield had Ed Sanner, who also lives here in Bakersfield, make up a 150. This first group used an aluminum boxes which were too flimsy. After all those sold, he then ordered the next batch of 150, and these boxes were made with sheet steel. Last summer when I talked with Artie about these, he said he only had about fifteen of them left and was selling the for $150 each. When these are gone there will be no more as Sanner no longer has the metal bending tool to make the boxes.

When I asked Artie about the Fuzzrite's he laughed. He said no one has asked about them in years. Bakersfield has basically three genre's of music, Country, Jazz and Blues. So, since Front Porch Music does not sell on the internet, fuzz boxes aren't in real demand here. According to Artie, these were the only ones made after Mosrite folded in the 60's.

What was the original material casing made of? Was it Aluminum which was the big fad at the time? And if so, why were the the Sanner FUZZrites flimsy? Were they a DIFFERENT GUAGE from the Original Mosrite FUZZrites?

[zak]

What was the original material casing made of?

The originals were steel, though slightly lower gauge than the second run of Sanner pedals.

[Strat-o-rama]

My Fuzzrite by Sanner "first run" is simply an aluminum box. I'll try to get pics up here in the next day or so, between work, family, and tropical storm.

[dubtrub]

Zak,

I know you don't seek recognition or atta boy's, but that is one great overview to be added to the forum. Thanks for such a detailed and definitive overview of the Fuzz unit's. There is no place on the internet with such comprehensive photgraphic information. That's what this forum is all about.

Thanks!

[MWaldorf]

Yeah Zak, great stuff. I just got a FuzzBrite today - I haven't had a chance to plug it in but the inside has that weird ball-of-goo look. I'm curious how it will compare to the Verbafuzz I currently have. I got the Fuzzbrite for the reliability of the AC adapter and the LED should be nice too.

Are all the old fuzz pedals really sensative to AC adapters vs a 9V battery? The Verbafuzz gets really noisy.