Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1
The first commercial fuzz pedal — three RCA 2N270 germaniums that defined 'Satisfaction'.
We don't ship reference schematics until they've been hand-authored against authoritative sources (manufacturer service docs, ElectroSmash analyses, GEOFEX writeups) and reviewed in the simulator. Until then, the BOM, signal chain, controls and mod notes below are accurate, and you can still add this pedal to a project — it just won't include a circuit yet.
About
Three-transistor PNP germanium fuzz designed by Glen Snoddy after a faulty mixing console produced a fuzzy bass tone on a Marty Robbins session. Keith Richards used one on the riff of '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' in 1965, single-handedly creating the market for fuzz pedals.
Signal chain preview
5 stagesQuick facts
- Originally marketed to make a guitar sound like a horn or cello; sold poorly until the Stones hit.
- Runs from two 1.5 V batteries (3 V total) — extremely low headroom is part of the voicing.
- Three-transistor topology (vs Fuzz Face's two) gives more compression and gating.
Controls
- Attack (gain)
- Volume
Mod recipes Pro
3 mods- 9 V conversion
Run from a standard DC supply.
How: Add a MAX1044 inverter to derive -9 V from a standard 9 V supply (positive ground stays intact). Raise emitter resistors ~3× to compensate for the higher rail.
- Silicon Q3
Stabilize the output stage against temperature drift.
How: Replace Q3 with a 2N3906 PNP silicon and increase its base resistor to 470k to set a sensible bias point.
- Bias trimmer
Dial in the gating per transistor batch.
How: Replace Q2's collector resistor with a 47k + 50k trim pot in series; set Q2 collector to ~-2.5 V (negative-ground equivalent).