The Univox Super-Fuzz was a
fuzzbox
Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly ...
produced by the
Univox
Univox was a musical instrument brand of Unicord from the early 1960s, when they purchased the Amplifier Corporation of America of Westbury, New York, and began to market a line of guitar amplifiers. Univox also distributed guitars by Matsumoku ...
company, primarily for use with the electric guitar or bass.
History
Origin
The circuit was designed in the late 1960s by the Japanese company Honey, in the form of a multi effect called the Honey Psychedelic Machine. Later on, Honey was taken on by Shin-ei, who produced the effect separately (who also produced another well known fuzz box, the
Shin-ei Companion FY-2) and imported in the USA by Unicord. The first Super-Fuzzes were made in 1968, and production continued until the late 70s.
Design
The first units were made in a simple stamped sheet metal box, painted grey, with a blue metal Univox sticker on the top. Around 1970 production was changed to a die-cast metal box, with a large pedal featuring a rubber cover that had the words "Super-Fuzz" embossed on it. The first die cast units were either grey or black, with a green or black foot pedal. Around 1973 or so, they were all produced with an orange pedal, with a green or blue foot pedal. The later models also featured an internal trim pot for controlling the octave balance.
Alternative manufacturers
Although the Univox units are the most well-known incarnation of this circuit, Shin-ei licensed this circuit out to dozens of manufacturers.
Sound
This fuzz is an octave fuzz using two germanium diodes to produce square wave clipping.
The controls are 'Balance' (volume), 'Expander' (fuzz amount), a two position 'tone' switch, and an on/off footswitch on top.
There are two unique features of this device that set it apart from other distortion and fuzz pedals. The first is that the full-wave rectification of the circuit produces an upper octave as well as a slight lower octave. This also gives the sound a lot of compression and gives a mild ring modulator effect. The second unique feature is a tone switch that engages a 1 kHz filter that "scoops" the mids, giving a very fat, almost bassy tone, unique to this circuit.
Super-Fuzz users
Notable musicians who have used the Super-Fuzz include:
*
Adam Yauch
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of
Beastie Boys
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*
Billy Corgan
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of
Smashing Pumpkins
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*
Billy Cox
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of
Jimi Hendrix
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*
Chris Walla
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While at B ...
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Death Cab for Cutie
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* Elliott Frazier of
Ringo Deathstarr
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Ringo Deathstarr ...
*
Gary Louris
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of
The Jayhawks
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*
Hillel Slovak
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Red Hot Chili Peppers
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*
J Mascis
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Dinosaur Jr.
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The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter) ...
* Joe Denardo of
Growing
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* Growing (band), an American noise band
* ''Growing'' (Rina Chinen album), 1998
* ''Growing'' (Sleeping People album), 2007
* ''Growing'', a 1961 autobiographical book by Leonard Woolf
See also ...
* Jon Niederbrach of The Untold Fables
*
Joe Preston of
Thrones
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* The Throne (group), collaboration pseudonym for rappers Jay Z and Kanye West (as on Drake's "Pop Style")
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*
Josh Homme
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Them Crooked Vultures
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,
Queens of the Stone Age
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and
Kyuss
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*
Jus Oborn
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of
Electric Wizard
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*
Kurt Cobain
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Nirvana
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*
Mark Arm
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and
Steve Turner of
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, on January 1, 1988, following the demise of Green River (band), Green River. Its members are singer and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner (guitari ...
*
Pete Townshend
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The Who
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*
Poison Ivy
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The Cramps
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*
Scott Hill of
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...
*
Steve Hackett
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of
Genesis
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(rebranded as the Shaftesbury Duo-Fuzz)
*
Dave Stewart of
Hatfield and the North
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Career
In mid 1972 the band grew out of a line-up of ex-members of blues/jazz/rock band ...
(rebranded as the Shaftesbury Duo-Fuzz)
*
Tony McPhee
Anthony Charles McPhee (23 March 1944 – 6 June 2023) was an English guitarist and singer. He was the founder of the British blues and rock band the Groundhogs.
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McPhee was given the name "T.S." — standing for "Tough Shit" — whe ...
of
The Groundhogs
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*
Paul Vinegar of
Jahbulong
* David Shannon of
Cheater Slicks
Cheater Slicks is a three-man garage punk band formed in Boston in 1987. The members are Tom Shannon (guitar, vocals), Dave Shannon (guitar), and Dana Hatch (drums, vocals). They toured with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in 1995.
In their early ...
*
Josh Hamby of
From Zero To Zed
See also
*
List of distortion pedals
Distortion pedals are a type of effects unit designed to add distortion to an audio signal to create a ''warm'', ''gritty'', or ''fuzzy'' character. Depending on the style of signal clipping, the broader category of distortion pedals is typically ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Effects Database page on the Super-Fuzz
Effects units