Boss FZ-3 Fuzz

I only buy effects pedals that are simple to edit on the fly when gigging

I use a gibson SG with a Marshall JVM 410 head and Marshall 1936 cab. I bought this pedal through Ebay for ??50, got home from work late and decided to plug it into a little tranny amp just to try it out. It sounded terrible. The bass notes sort of dropped in volume then swelled. Strange.
The next day I plugged it into my Marshall and it was a competely different animal.
The lower fuzz settings give you early Cream, 12.00 gives you Hendrix and full on gives you pure sustained fuzz for early 70's soloing. Sounds great. Does everything that a simple fuzz box should do.

Its Boss

Never had a Boss pedal go wrong

I use this pedal for early Cream and Hendrix mainly plus a little Zappa. Does the late 60's / early 70's fuzz thing really well. I used to own a Big Muff but never seemed to find any useable sounds. This little pedal produces great gig quality sounds when played through a valve amp. If you own a tranny amp-forget it. You should probably buy the latest COSM digital thing that Boss have replaced this with. I tried it (FZ-5?? I think) through my valve amp and it sucked. If you own a valve amp get one of these. I know it does not have any boutique quirkiness but if you play live regularly like me you just need quality sounds, ease of use and reliabilty.

This depends on your equipment. I've used this pedal on 4 different amps and I can't even compare the 4 different tones I got. On 2 of them getting a good tone was almost impossible. On the other two getting a good town was easy as hell.

Also depends. The tonal quality I got with solid state amps was dull, boring, awful. It didn't matter what settings you used, it sounded toneless and boring But then I played with it through a Mesa Boogie Single Rectifier, and heard a completely new pedal. suddenly the pedal came to life and I had more distortion then I knew what to do with. I currently play the pedal through a Marshall JCM 900 with KT-88 tubes, and although I don't find myself getting a tone I liked as much from the Mesa head, I still really like the tone I get out of this head. So from my experience, only get this pedal if you are going to get tube amps.

Hasn't broken on me yet, though my Boss Compression Sustainer has, so who knows?

I don't know? I've never really dealt with Boss, I'm not sure. They are a major corporation, so I'm sure they are a pain in the ass, but I can't back that up...

Great pedal if you have the right equipment. The sound difference between solid state and tube amps is ridiculous. This pedal has only been useful to me with decent quality tube amps. Otherwise, you're probably better off getting another fuzz pedal, like a Big Muff Pi, which is cheaper, though not as effective for live performances.

It's is your typical 3 knob Boss pedal, so it is incredibly easy to use.
Like 99% of Boss pedals, the manual is concise, and easy to navigate.
The only thing I did notice with this pedal is that it has definite "sweet spots." Once you find them, this pedal is gorgeous.

This pedal can cover so many artists from the 69's, right up to now.
Throw a little comp, delay, and chorus with your Fuzz, and you can make some magnificent sounds.
I use this pedal with all types of guitars, and both solid and tube amps.
I love it on all, but it is especially sweet on p90's through a tube amp.

It's a Boss, need I say more???

Can't comment because none of my many Boss pedals over the years have ever died.

I have been playing guitar for 10+ years, and I think this is a fantastic little Fuzz.
I know there is more "elite" brand fuzz pedals on the market, but I feel this fuzz pedal is just covers a simple and broader range of sounds.
If there is one thing this fuzz isn't, its limiting.
I just find I ALWAYS keep coming back to this sweet little number.
If it was stolen, I would replace it ASAP.
Basically, I LOVE THIS PEDAL!!! Thats why it got all 10's.

Extremely easy to tweak for sounds. Found the manual on the Roland web-site

This a very good sounding 'fuzz', especially if you play guitar with single coils. I use a Godin Exit-22 (maple neck) into a hot-rodded Traynor YCV-40 tube amp. The sound is definitly 'ripping'
I also own the vintage Marshall Super Fuzz and Super Wah, in addtion to the Colorsound Fuzz/WAh pedal. The FZ-3 sounded totally different and 'valid' in its own way, compared to the greats.

It's a Boss. It should stand up to normal kicking and pushing.

This is where I am currently having problems. Roland/Boss Canada used to be such a great company over the years. I bought loads of Roland/Boss stuff, when a certain rep called Barry Creamer used to work for them. He left Roland Canada in the late 80s, and since then, Customer service has gradually 'plunged', to the point where I don't buy any of their products anymore. As a matter of fact, I get more timely help from Roland US, Roland UK, and Roland Germany, than from Roland Canada. Go figure.

This is part of my studio arsenal of secret weapons. The unit lives in a studio alongside Roland JP-6/JP-6, Juno 60/106, mks-50,70/jx-10, S-220/330/550/760 samplers, SRV/SDE effects, and various Roland drum machines, and Boss pedals.
I ran the FZ-3 alongside the new FZ-5. The new COSM-based FZ-5 sucked big time. BOSS, what the f**k is this COSM thing?. Is this some kind of a sick joke?

Standard three knob configuration

Pretty good tones to be had in this pedal. I came off a boutique Tonebender clone to this and it held it's own. The tone controls allows you to dial in a bassy or a raspy fuzz tone. The only thing I will say is that it lacked a bit of personality - it was a bit "Joe fuzz pedal" for me. I couldn't really fault it tonewise, but it never really spoke to me. I've since picked up the Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz. Mode 1 on the Hyper Fuzz is somewhat similar to the FZ-3, with the most obvious difference being it has a slight upper octave element to it. Out of the two I preferred the FZ-3, probably because it has a bit more general applicability. The FZ-2 is crazy, which can be fun, but wasn't much more than a novelty for me.

Overall, a nice little fuzz tone for the money. Yet with opting for Boss reliability comes the cost of settling for the Boss' 'generic' tone - like a lot of Boss pedals the FZ-3 had no real voice or character. As it's name implied, it was just a generic fuzz pedal. I guess you have to venture into fuzz pedals with actual titles, like Big Cheese or Flying Tomato, to find something with a bit of character.

Basic features, already covered by now. Very easy to use. Manual is ok, but didn't need it. I bought it used and got used to it very fast.

I have it for a week now and i like the tone a lot. I was searching for some sort of a Hendrix tone. Well, this unit isn't what i was searching for, but it works pretty well for some modern fuzzy rock. So, no vintage here, but nice modern fuzz.
I use it with my Epiphone Les Paul with Duncans - Jim Dunlop Hendrix Wah - into my Fender HR Deluxe. I tried the settings mentioned below and found them very usefull.

I would and probably will gig with it.

Never dealt with them.

Nice tone for a cheap pedal. Good value, but i would like to try other fuzz pedals. I'm not sure yet if this one is a keeper.
Next one on my list is the Big Muff.

Well, your tipical boss pedal. Built to last. Unbrakable, so to speak. It has the three knobs which were already discussed here.
I got mine used, so no box or instructions, but it is pretty easy to get the Fuzz sound you're after.

Well, I use mine with a vintage Fender amp (BF Fender single showman or a BF Tremolux)and mostly Japanese Jazzmaster's and Jaguar's. It is not very noisy. I really think it works great as it is able to provide a decent Fuzz sound, going from 60ties (kind a) to overdriven Fuzz. It does seam to cut a bit of bass when the effect is on. It's also quiet sometimes at lower volumes.
I think Boss did great on this one, however...since it is Fuzz it does sound a LOT better with a LOW gain amp (Like the older Fender's) This is probably why a lot of guy's complain about the crappy sound it produces with a Marshall (for instance...High gain ampn two to three gain stages after the Fuzz....)I think this is one of the main reasons why QOTSA use low gain amps.

So with a single gain stage amp it sounds like it should imo. Creamy Fuzz, but not super vintage (read 60ties Garage fuzz) But close enough. It also is useable for chord work, however I suggest to keep the Fuzz intensety low.

I play all kinds of music ranging from Surf to Stoner rock and everything in between. It does extremely well in lower tunings (C or D)

Well, it's a boss...Built like a tank. Who needs backup for a boss. I never had a Boss break down on me (although I don't use Boss pedals that often)

Never had to deal with them.

Well it's a good Fuzz. I would not of bought it myself, but it does what it is suposed to do. I could not resist it because the are no longer made and I traded it for some leftover Tele parts I had.
It does serve well in my band practice set up (Jaguar,FZ-3, Danecho, Vintage Farfissa FA/R reverb unit, danelectro Tuna Melt tremolo, Tremolux on a Marshall 4x12" JCM cab)
It also works very well with Echo units (newer and vintage) it thickens the sound up and gives it a real Garage feeling.

I own a lot of gear and I play for over 15 years now and served in numerous bands. If it were lost or stolen, I would not replace it I think. I also have a old Shaller Vintage Fuzz (germanium transistors) which sounds better but is not as reliable as the FZ-3

You couldn't screw this up if you wanted to... 3 knobs, self-explanatory. (kinda nice to have proper names for the knobs instead of shit like "junk" or "goobers")

well this is a tough call... on the one hand you have to be up front about the fact that this pedal isn't a fuzzface... you can't get a fuzzface tone out of it. Further, ballpark tonebender vibes are easier to obtain, but still certainly not this pedal's forte. Exactly what BOSS voiced this for is quite beyond my tone-scope, but I will say that for a self-proclaimed "classic fuzz" it certainly does get some wildly contemporary tones. Songs like "Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins or "Someday I Will Treat You Good" by Sparklehorse come to mind. The fuzz is so saturated and thick that I don't know think we guitarists have invented words for it yet... thats not to say its unusable or inaccesible... the opposite would be true, but you've gotta get down with it for a while, stop trying to reign it in like your other fuzzboxes, 'cause you're just not gonna win that battle. To put it simply: if you have a thing for wildly unsubtle fuzz ala the Jesus & Mary Chain or the WL/WH era Velvet Underground, you owe it to yourself to check this pedal out.

You bet.

Haven't ever dealt with them so I can't say... probably the shits since its a huge company.

I love it and use it often. Certainly a unique box, maybe not for everyone, but then what is, y'know? I've been playing for just under ten years and play a lot of alternative rock like the Chain and Velvet Underground and this pedal gives me my own voice while being similar enough to my favorite tones that I don't feel lost when I plug it in. If it were lost or stolen, absolutely I'd replace it. And to be honest, if there was one thing I could have, it'd be that the pedal could do some more subtle stuff... but oh well, nothing does it all and it looks cooler when you've got a full board of pedals anyway, so its cool.

Couldn't be easier. I bought it used, so no manual, but it's hardly necessary.

I use SG Jr.'s and stratocasters loaded with lipsticks tubes and I get what I want: fuzz. It's not noisy. Just like any fuzz, run it into a dirty amp or with other overdrive pedals and you won't hear much fuzz. I use it with a Mesa-Boogie Maverick, which I adore unequivocally. My favorite artists aren't known for being fuzzheads, and I tend to use this just to put an exclamation point on the occasional seriously fundamentally basic pentatonic styling. Works like a champ for that.

Oh, it's a Boss. Working for a Boss dealer, I can tell you, I NEVER see their stuff having to be returned for repair or replacement. Their service department must be like being the Maytag repairman.

I've worked with Boss and Roland plenty, working for a dealer. Depends on who you get on the phone. Most are courteous and helpful. Some are surly and rude.

I play rock and pop music, hopefully in the vein of the Velvet Underground, Beatles, Kinks, that sort of thing. It works well with what I do. I have been playing for about 18 years. I own a metric ton of stuff in which nobody on this site has the least interest. Uh, for a $39 pedal, if it got lost or stolen, if I could replace it for that or less, sure, why not. If not, nah. It was purchased mostly because it was a screaming bargain, and turned out to be a decnt buy. Love about it, nothing, really, but nothing to hate either, it's just a Boss pedal with one tone that's occasionally useful. I did no comparison shopping, as I couldn't afford any of the other things I would like to try out.

three knobs: level, tone, fuzz. Sadly though, I know that is too complicated for some brilliant gentlemen...
Too bad its discontinued.

Pretty sweet fuzz comes from this thing. It doesn't have the harsh bite of the Fuzz Face, and it doesn't have the wild range of nauseating sounds like the Z.Vex Fuzz Factory, but this pedal makes good fuzz. With the level below 12:00 the effect stays in the background. With the level high this pedal screams. Fuzz knob to full sounds awesome: chaotic but not ear splitting.
Plus, amazingly, this pedal boosts the crap out of my signal, much more so than my overdrive pedal. With the level up full, and fuzz on zero, my signal gets a serious boost (word of warming, fuzz on zero still adds a bit of fuzz to your sounds though).

duh

I wish they didnt discontinue it. Maybe they are developing an FZ-4???

I would like it if it were a little cheaper, but since it's discontinued...ah well. I'm glad I went with this pedal and didnt dish out $160+ for a fuzz face or factory.