Dunlop JD-F2 Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face

SO SIMPLE, VOLUME THEN FUZZ

USING THROUGH A VOXAC30 REISSUE,FULLDRIVE 2 OR A TS9 THEN A VOX V847
W/THE BYPASS MOD.I THINK MINE IS FROM 93 OR 94.IT WAS STUTTERY FOR CHORDS,GREAT TONE .BUT LACKS SUSTAIN.IF YOU GO TO ANALOG MAN.COM THEY WILL TELL YOU WHY THEY SOUND LIKE THAT, BUT YOU CAN STILL FIX IT BY CHANGING THE TRANSISTORS BECAUSE THOSE NKT275'S CAN BE WEAK I ADDED A SILICON ON MINE AND NOW IT SOUNNDS A LOT BETTER.DOES NOT WORK GOOD WITH THE WHA.PLEASE TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.

BUILT LIKE A TANK

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM, FOR WHAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA SEND ME A NEW ONE

GOOD FOR SOLOS AND SOLOS ONLY,TURN THE VOLUME KNOB DOWN FOR CHORD
IF YOU LIKE THE CLASSIC FUZZFACE SOUND THIS IS THE CHEAPEST REMEDYGOOD PEDAL TO HACK AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIX IT.REMEMBER IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT CHANGE THE TRANSISTORS.IF YOU WANT WARM ANND FUZZY GO FOR GERMANIUMS,IF YOU LIKE BRIGHT, WALL TO WALL FUZZ( A BIT HARSH, THOUGH )SILICON ONE MORE THING ABOUT SILICONS IT PICKS RADIO FREQUENCY MORE OFTEN

The most ultimately easiest pedals that Jimi amd myself have used. I got mine pretty cheap considering over here brand new they are valued at $249.00 and I picked up mine that is brand new and it cost me $115.00 probably could do with an upgrade, but was good buy!

I use a gibson epiphone special 2 with a pro tube Laney 100 watt valve amp and put the guitar through the fuzz face and then to my vox wah pedal. Its noisy and high frequencies burning with the fuzz can really bounce around your ears if your amp gets as thrashed as mine!
I have 4 nice fat 15" speakers that have no problems of sustaining the wicked Hendrix bends and notes. Does a great job when playing crossroads (Cream), Manic Depression(Hendrix)etc list goes on!
Works ultimately with Roger Mayers voodoo vibe and with his octavier.
Remember to use it in as many different combinations as possible!
Essentially don't be too critical and beleive every thing that people say as its a pedal strictly for vintage freaks those whom think otherwise simply don't have the knowledge to warrant a valuable opinion!

Any thing that Jimi Hendrix relied on ( For those that don't know Jimi carried dozens of(the real vintage ones anyway) these with the Experience)I defintley can rely on it. You see Jimi didn't just use these pedals he stomped them to death.

I 've looked inside mine and have come to the understanding that there might be something you can do with your circuit board, but don't advise stuffing around until you've seeked help from modification technician. I've heard that for modifications Roger Mayer is very good!

Overall this is a definate pedal for the person whom actually wants to be the ultimate guitarist. I do not advise anyone with little experience to purchase one if your sure your going to specifically play a style of guitar that obviously doesn't suit the pedal. Essentially this means that many people whom have been searching for one of these for so long and are committed to get it to work for them can actually find one in stock or at cash converters. I play blues and funk and I can honestly stand by this pedal as i've been reading up on it for four years now. Playing on it through vox wha or the Roger Mayer Vision Wah, you can rest assured people will notice what you've got on the floor! I think the way it is shaped works for me as it apparently didn't for some. Hey jimi didn't complain!
Would like to here from people that genuinely own Roger Mayer pedals or have used them and anyone whom can tell more about vintage ones even replicas and how they worked for you and how much they'd cost me over in Australia! thankyou!

The re-issue fuzz face is cosmeticaly the same as the original except the paint. The unit is very simple inside and out.

The sound of my Fuzz Face sucked. It is my understanding that germanium transistors vary so much that you really needed to sit down and play a few before you found one that was worth while. Germanium transistors were used on early fuzz face unit. I think they pre-date the addition of Arbiter. I have an original Fuzz Face as well. It is the later Dallas-ARBITER unit and it uses silicone transistors. I smoked one of those and in fear of not finding a replacement I bought the Dunlop. I ended up finding the original BC109C transistor and fixed my unit so needless to say the Dunlop is a paperweight. For those wondering, my opinion is that the silicone is far better. I think the reason everyone wants germanium is because that is how they were originally made when it was just Dallas Fuzz Face.

I can't comment on reliability because I don't use it.

Never used

For people who what the true sound, you can make one of these units for about $15-20. The cross reference for the transistors is 2N2222A. You can get a pair at Radio Shack for $1. The Schematic is available trough anologman.com (I think). You can build a better pedal for less out of pocket.

Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out. It's like, 2 knobs, Duh!!!!

No, this thing goes really bad with other pedals. I play mostly blues and the most rock I'll get is Hendrix. I play a Fender '57 Reissue Strat with the BEST pickups, my Lindy Fralins. And this pedal comes about as close to good as a toilet comes to a sky scraper.

This thing fell apart like crap on me. The switch must be made out of monkey poop because it just won't work.

I have never contacted them. Do you really think that those gorillas down there are going to give a cuss about my no. 10000000000002544 pedal, FORGET ABOUT IT!!!

After about 5 months of having this pedal I have found myself completely ticked off because of quality defects. This thing is about as reliable as a piece of elephant crap! DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!

There are two knobs: Volume and Fuzz. Extremely easy to operate even at 4:00 am. This unit is the same as the day I took it out from its box. There was a little piece of paper that simply explained how to change batteries and hook the unit up if that is a substitute for a manual.

In conjunction with the Fuzz Face I use a Mexican Strat that is built like a '50's American Strat (vintage parts). I have Rio Grande "Muy Grande" Pickups in the girl and they give her a warm and very ballsy sound. I am a lefty and the Strat is a righty, so the Strat is strung lefty; very Hendrix-like. From that I go to a reissue Vox Wha (V847), then comes the Fuzz, then a Dunlop UniVibe(rotating speaker effect heard on "Machine Gun" and "Star Spangled Banner") and the amp is a Line6 XL 2x12 100watt combo. Very into Hendrix's sounds and have found that the Brit Hi Gain is good for Hendrix's Plexi sound. The wha doesn't work with the fuzz and didn't for Jimi either. I have listened to countless live recordings and whenever he used the Fuzz Face the Vox wha they gave him even more high-end for soloing. If he was going to do some "voodoo" with the Vox he would turn the fuzz off. The UniVibe sounds exactly as it did at Woodstock with the Fuzz Face on. Turn on the Vox at the same time and you can get "Star Spangled" fever all over again. I have trully been satisfied with all of my components and the Fuzz Face. Still, it isn't too great all the time clarity wise. The Fuzz can make things very muddy sometimes. Solos are a must and power chords work, but don't try an F6th chord or you won't hear a great deal of it ringing out.

Something seems to be going to hell on the inside of the input jack. If I mess with the cable I use (it happens with any cable so I ruled out bad cables as the reason) at the input, I can get sounds which Trent Reznor doesn't have the "super" electronics to reproduce. So if this happens to yours and you don't like it, get it fixed and if it can't be fixed...get a new one. I would use mine at any gig regardless of it being fixed or not; tapping the input cable will stop that sound.

N/A

Since I am greatly influenced by Jimi Hendrix and David Gilmour as well, so this unit works for me. I first heard Dave Gilmour talk about it in an interview and when I said that I wanted to purchase one I found out that it was Jimi's staple. I've played guitar very seriously for roughly 4 years. The Fuzz Face may not be for you. Try it out first and then decide for yourself. You do need more than just any guitar, any amp, and a Fuzz Face for Jimi's and Dave's sounds though. However, any guitar, any amp, and the Fuzz Face may do the trick. I am quite pleased with this unit's simplicity. I would definitely buy it again if my current one crapped out. It is very inspiring when I use it for solo's. Using the UniVibe and the Vox, along with my amp's built-in effects, the Fuzz Face works quite well for my taste.

As said in submissions below the fuzz face is extremely easy to use. On the other hand, getting a good sound out of may take some time. 2 control knobs how hard is that?

I bought mine like most everyone else searching for that great sounding fuzz heard on the hendrix records. but to my surprise I found that the tone of Jimi's guitar did not come from the fuzzface but the amp he was using. I own a Marshall Plexi that is the exact copy of hendrix's. when you stick all the dials to ten then you will find His sound. that is where all his fuzzed-out sounds come from on records. when he needed a boost for his solos then he would kick in the fuzz face. on the "live at the fillmore east" album, the song 'Wild Thing' gives the exact sound my fuzz face when the fuzz is set at 7 to 10.

I bought mine as a floor model and its held up so far. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Never dealt with them. yet.

overall it's pretty good. do be cautious though because there are some real crappers out there. I searched for 6 months before I bought mine. Great for a solo but terrible for Rhythm playing. you lose signal when on bypass. also I have a vox wah and it does not work with it!!! I've done alot of reading on why this is and has something to do with the germanium diodes in the fuzzface. strangely though a crybaby works fine with it. if it was stolen I would be sad but would look else where. I would advise a roger mayer fuzz. its priced a little high for the circuitry that's involved. all in all its a pretty good fuzz.

It's a big red pedal with two knobs- how hard could it be? The pedal has controls for volume and fuzz. It's not brain surgery kiddies.

I'm playing the Fuzz Fce through a Fender Blues Junior tube amp, with a Squier Super-sonic. I play through a couple of more pedals, a Way Huge Swollen Pickle, a Snarling Dogs Super Bawl Whine-O wah, and plan to get an Electro Harmonix Memory Man. Although I am a Hendrix freak, that's really not the sound I'm looking to get out of my setup. I'm more in tune with (and capable of playing) old Dead Kennedys songs. The fuzz face is really very excellent for boosting into solos, as well as gnarly fuzzed out Juliana Hatfield-type rhythym work. Most people hate this pedal because it's not "instant Jimi-tone in a box". I got over that pretty quick and enjoy the pedal greatly.

Well, it went through the United States Postal Service across three or four states, so I imagine I won't have too much trouble out of it.

Never dealt with Dunlop...

I, quite honestly, think it's a great sounding pedal IF you get it through your head that you're not gonna emulate Jimi Hendrix, SRV, David Gilmour, or (your favorite guitarist here) exactly. If you set out to make an original sound, odds are you'll find it very useful. If you're in a all-covers band, and insist upon buying only antigue and boutique equipment, then you're probably gonna be disappointed it doesn't give you the tone of your heroes. But who wants to re-tread old ground?

Heh, two knobs, volume and Fuzz....and they are even really big knobs that you can turn with your feet if you have to. Nice. Unscrew one screw for access to the battery...and everything else, really. I didnt have a manual, but it's not like I needed one.

I play a mid 80's fender custom Jap strat, with two EMG selects in the neck and middle, and a seymore duncan hotrail at the bridge. I run through a mid 80's Crate tube driver 70. I also use a few other Boss pedals, the CE-5 and the PW-2. It sounds real nice. I have read a few reviews on this sucker and it seems that some people like it and some dont. What's funny is that you do have to have the volume almost maxed to match the rest of your sound... and most of the fuzz settings up to about 3/4 of the way are pretty much usless by themselves. With fuzz cranked, it is rich and chunky and full, a really good sound. Roll back on the fuzz and tweak your eq and you can get a decent Hendrix/Cream sound. I was happy with it anyways. I also combine it with the PW-2 and can get some pretty bizarre sounds, most notably if I set them both just right I can get a very convincing fuzz sound similar to Dave Ghrol's on the song "Exausted" from the first Foo-Fighters album. Super rich, creamy, dirty sound with ample feedback and near endless sustain. Nice. Usually I put the Fuzzface before the PW-2 in the chain, dont know if it matters or not. But with my setup, it is practically noiseless, but the EMG's are the most silent single -coils I have ever seen and the Seymore Duncan is real quiet too until you want to make noise with it. I suppose if you were looking to have a single fuzz pedal to make tons of fuzz sound, then this probably wouldnt do it unless you combined it with something else, but it works for me.

Um, yea, the thing is big, round, metal, and red. The knobs are both covered in a rubber sleeve, and the rubber around the switch is solid and covers a large area. The case is extremely thick metal as well as the back plate too. The only thing that I feel a little uncomfortable with is the way that the battery is mounted. It really isnt. When I first got it, it was kind of floating around in there. There is a little slot in the metal where it kind of wedges the battery agenst the side of the case, and the top plate kind of squishes it down so it dosent go anywhere. But I guess the less amount of stuff that is in it means the less amount of stuff that can break. But yea, you could probably use the thing as a weapon and it would be ok. I dont know how quickly it consumes batteries yet, the first one hasent worn down. Even if it lasts a long time, an AC adapter would be nice, but oh well. One note- I heard that sometimes the germanium transistors in these had a reputation for going bad, and that the quality control in them was not very good. The one that I have I guess was checked out by an effects guy and given the thumbs up, so if you get one make sure that you get it checked out so you dont have a fluke.

Not done it.

Overall, this was what I was looking for. I needed a more "fuzzy" overdriven sound, and the results that I got when I mixed it with other pedals was an added bonus. I really would try to get another if something happend to this one. There is a bunch of fuzz pedals out there, and I really didnt feel like finding them all. I am all for the 'vintage' look and feel and that is what appealed to me about this one. Besides sounding great, I love how the thing looks, amung all of the "high tech" Boss pedals and stuff, then there is this big, round red....thing right in the middle of it all. Kinda funny accually.

Two controls - fuzz and volume. Naturally this makes it pretty easy to use.

I was almost happy with the sound of this unit. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Fuzz Face, but having spent some time on a friends original, I know that this falls short. It is still quite a good fuzz and cleans up pretty nicely with your guitar volume knob, but has a character to it's midrange honk that I eventually was bothered by. As with most fuzz boxes, I found the best sounds came from running into a tube amp that is already approaching some power tube clipping, but has very little preamp distortion. This allows you to go from clean to crunch to solo tones with your guitar volume knob. Running into too much preamp gain will cause things to get pretty mushy (although this may be appealing).

The unit is pretty darn solid and if I hadn't sold it I would use it without a backup (always keep backup batteries though!). The only thing about fuzzes powered by germanium transistors , I am told, is that they are sensitive to extreme temperatures.

The only time I dealt with Dunlop was to get new rubber parts for my crybaby, and they were actually quite nice, and sent me my parts promptly. I can only assume that their warranty service is decent based on this.

I thought about rewiring the board with better components and adding Roger Mayer's and Mike Fullers circuit mods, but decided to sell it and eventually get either a Fulltone '69, Way Huge Foot Pig, or Roger Mayer Classic Fuzz (all GREAT pedals). I don't know why Dunlop can't make their reissues more accurate - the Fuzz Face is a simple device! Anyway, I bought it for 60 dollars as a demo model and sold it for the same, so no loss I guess. If you get one used it is a pretty good pedal, but I have been spoiled by playing an original and listening to Jimi Hendrix records where you can here the real thing.

With two buttons, it can't be hard to use. The manual that came with it was totally useless; well, had I not known how to put the battery in it might have helped.

I usually run it directly into my amp (vibro champ)but I sometimes pair it with a wah-wah. It gives the wah a very strange metallic sound. When I bought it, I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I started playing all different kinds of dist/OD pedals(BOSS, other dunlop). I easily narrowed it down to two pedals: the fuzz face and danelectro's Daddy O. They were both much warmer and fuller than the other pedals. The fuzz suited more of my needs, but had I more money, I would have gotten them both. I can get Hendrix, Clapton, Sabbath, and even some Ramones type(warm fuzzy happy) overdrives from this thing.

My friend set his on the roof of his jeep cherokee and promptly knocked it off onto concrete(on accident of course). It bounced about a foot and a half, but only the bottom plate got a slight dent, it worked fine. You could use it as a discus and it wouldn't phase it.

If this breaks, it will be a sign of the apocolypse.

I play a mix of classic rock, blues, jazz, folk, and punk. It doesn't do much for blues, jazz, and folk, but my amp covers those. I've been playing about five years(two of those only acoustic guitar, though). I have a jazzmaster reissue(and not because its "alternative"),two 1970's vibro champ that I play in stereo, a fuzz face and a crybaby wah. If it were lost or stolen, I'd look around for a used one yet seriously consider a new one if I couldn't find one used. I'm rather short on money(I'm 17 and don't have a job) so I might look for something a little cheaper. I'd be just as likely to get the Daddy O. Its about $30.00 cheaper and just as warm, but definitely not a fuzz.