Product: Acetone FM 3 Fuzz Master
Price Paid: US $100.00
Submitted
08/17/2003
at
08:34am
by
Joel
Ease of Use
:
10
Ace Tone was formed in the early 70's. They later became Roland Electonics. This pedal is the precurser to the legendary Bee Baa. This is the last(and best)incarnation.
Unlike the earlier FM 2 this is a Fuzz with a separate clean boost. There are "volume", "tone", and "sustain" knobs for the fuzz. The boost section has it's own "volume" and "tone" controls. Two switches on top of the unit control your options. One lets you choose between the booster and fuzz, the other turns the effect on and off.
Sound Quality
:
9
The first thing people ask is: How does it compare with a Bee Baa? My answer would be--BETTER MUCH BETTER. How do I know? I also own a Bee Baa as well.
The FM 3 is MUCH smoother and has alot more sustain than the Bee Baa. It also sounds worlds better than the FM 1 and 2 models(when people tell me their Fuzz Master stunk, it was always the 1 or 2 units). I have compared it with Fuzz Faces, Colorsound Tone Benders, and other such pedals. The FM 3 was as good(sometimes better)and definitely in the same league.
The boost is the best I've ever heard for driving an amp. It has many advantages over the Bee Baa and Range Master circuts:
1) It is quiet. The Range Master is not.
2) Tone. While the Bee Baa sounds like it's running through a high impedance buffeer-- the FM 3 is warm sounding, almost tube like. The "Tone" knob is an added bonus. If you're driving an amp, it gives you extra control over how your pickups "hit" the amp. This allows you to keep mids and treble where they need to be on the amp to enhance sustain and distortion characteristics. The Range Master does not have as much control and is MUCH NOISIER.
The only other boost I like as much is the Dan Armstrong Red Ranger but that's a whole different animal...
Reliability
:
7
Roland does not support these units. My advice to anyone who wishes to puchase something not made anymore is two-fold:
1) Buy extras of the unit if you can find any(I haven't yet).
2) Find someone who can repair it(I recommend Earhart Electronics)
That said, this pedal has been very dependable. I had some trouble with the input jack, nothing major. Mike Earhart repaired it for me.
Customer Support
:
1
As I said, Roland does not support this unit-or half of the other stuff I bought from them. The company is not helpful at all. They are not helpful about the products they do support. Anytime I talk to someone on the phone(when they finally get you to the right department)it's always:"Did we make that? We never made that!!"
I'll get off my soapbox now...
Overall Rating
:
9
In conclusion, this is(was) a great product.
Unfortunately, Roland chose to combine the FM 2 and 3 into one unit for their Bee Baa model. Bad move. The Bee Baa as a result is a much brighter and harsher pedal.
They didn't use the same transistors, the boost is useless, and the fuzz does not sustian as long as the FM 3.
Most people who own a fuzz know that it's somewhat akin to playing a guitar synth. You have to play cleanly and pick most of your notes. The FM 3 is one of the few I've played that lets you rip Holdsworth type lines with just your left hand.
The boost doesn't change my amps sound, it just gives me more gain and sustain.
This is one of the few pedals that lets you create and play what you feel. It doesn't play you. That is what music should be about,not kicking at a pedal. I own over 60 distortion pedals so I know the differece between the good, the bad, and the ugly. The Ace Tone is in my top 5.
