Fender Blender

4 knobs , 2 switches....just can't get a usable sound from it.

Thin, extreme, sterile, undynamic, unmusical, harsh, irritating, over the top, unusable, etc...

I don't get it. These things are selling for over $300 on eBay and the one I played over the weekend (a friend of mine has had this pristine one in a box for the last 25 years)and as much as I love fuzz and the Smashing Pumpkins and all...I hated it! I spent an hour with it! Yuk!

I'll stick with my 5 vintage Electro Harmonix pedals! I have 3 old Big Muffs, an old Hot Tubes and an old Deluxe Big Muff. These pedals all have very different tones from each other and yet all sound 1000% better than the Blender. No 2 Big Muffs are alike! Some are quite suitable for mellower rock while other are just insane. I hate the Russian Big Muffs. I tried a new USA Muff but was unimpressed.

I will say that Fender built this thing well. Knobs are well protected from being stepped upon! Solid container. The placement of the battery is sketchy as it can fly around inside.

I've been playing since 1969. I play blues, rock, grunge and metal. I play rythym and lead. I play in a church band and do a show every Sunday. I have 5 vintage Marshall half stacks and a real 1964 Stratocaster I bought from Norms Rare Guitars in Reseda back in 1979.

I have over 50 old effects pedals from over the years.

If this pedal was stolen my friend would have killed me.

It's over the top fuzz is useless. I have a Big Muff that is more extreme but is at least fat and dynamic. Far more musical than this lifeless noise box.

I read somewhere that Billy from Smashing Pumpkins mentioned that the Fender Blender had tons of drive. This must be the reason that people are throwing $$$$ out the window to buy these things. I don't know of any band who has ever used one. You know Billy uses Big Muffs. However, if you have ever seen the Smashing Pumpkins video where they are playing in Japan on a TV show...at first I thought Billy's amp was fried but it was the same sound the Flender Blender produces.

3-Knob version, easy as pie to use. Given to me as a gift. I mostly used the sustain feature. Never got a manual for it.

The Fender Blender was the first pedal that I really enjoyed the sound of. The Little Big Muff and the Small Stone didnt make it for me, I was looking for sustain and found it with the Blender. I used to use it with my 76 L.P. Custom, now it sits pretty much unused.I started out with a solid state Kustom and it helped a lot, I moved up to a Bassman for a guitar amp and it was louder, with the Bandmaster Reverb, it works pretty good. the "fuzz" is intense to say the least.

The Blender always worked, but with a wall wort it seems to have 60 hz humm in it. Now the battery will not work and it can only be used with AC power...hence ..a humm....bummer..I retired it.

Now that theres the internet, I see schematics, I may have an old TV repair guy look at it.

easier to say what styles I do not play. Playing since 1967..do the math. Other gear? Is there room here? ZOOM 606 pedal(the mother of all pedals) 76 LesPaulCustom, 73 Tele(natural Ash body white pickguard), Ovation Celebrity Deluxe, Kramer "The Duke" headless bass, 70's Bassman, early 60's Fender Reverb tubetype, mid-'70's Bandmaster Reverb, 2 Fender Cabs one with 2-15's, one with 2-12's, Hughes -Kettner 60 watter solid state, Gorilla carry around (nice sound), Peavey 12 ch/stereo mixer, Furman voltage conditioner, Furman 31 band stereo E.Q., ART stereo 3-way crossover, Alesis MidiverbII , Alesis stereo compressor/limiter, (2)Peavey CSX 800's, 4-JBL Voice of the Theatre Perkins Bins, 2-JBL 2426J compression driver horns with Altec H-11(?) steel bells. Most all of my gear is irreplaceable, I chose the Zoom 606 over the Line6 Pod. I need a trailer and a roadie with a strong back now days to move it from gig to gig. Am I too old for this yet? The Zoom pedal is the latest addition to my gear, and just when I thought I had enough instruments...I am messin with the mandolin...I intend to purchase an M-Audio Delta1010 sound card for hard drive recording when the price comes down.

Okay, I'll try not to say anything about this pedal that hasn't been said below, but my favorite fuzz is the Blender, and I have/had many fuzzes. But, I'll be reviewing the harder-to-find 3 knob version, just to mix it up--I do also own the 4 knob version (Go to sonicflux.com to see, they're selling a 3-knob as of this writting). With 3 knobs and only one foot switch, obviously it's much easier to use. It has LEVEL, SUSTAIN (fuzz amount), and tone select--and that's the special thing about this pedal. Whereas you get the 2 tone choices when you step on the right switch on the 4-knob version, they've put the tone selection preference in the center knob. It has 4 selections you click to, one is a clean boost (which bypasses the SUSTAIN knob), the other 3 are the fuzz tones. Two are the same that you get with the 4-knob (a trebly one and a mid-rangey one). The last tone selection is a BASS fuzz. Yeah, you heard right. You lose some tweekability without the BLEND knob, and you can't select between tones with your foot (the switch is only for on/off), but that added BASS fuzz is pretty cool, especially with the Blender sound that is fairly well-described below. Pretty easy to use--that's about it.
Actually, it did come with a manual--pretty cool. Also has an AC jack, some thing I wish the other 4 knobber had.

I won't elaborate on what's been said except to say that this is fuzz, people. Don't expect to play Stairway to Heaven broken chords through it. If you want fuzz, this is the place, though...

See below. Aluminum case should hold up fairly well...

See below...

I think I did pretty well considering I've only seen one other 3 knob version in all my years (been playing casually for about 20 years), and that one's about twice what I paid due to the rarity. I still like the 4 knobber better--nothing beats the BLEND knob and the second switch for tone select. It still gets that BLENDER sound, awesome over-the-top, Germanium-grinding fuzz with a wierd octave thing. A little less tweekability, but an extra tone selection makes it unique. A real gem in my collection. For fuzzes, I also have a Unicord Uni-Fuzz (similar fuzz, but not as much Octavia effect-see my review), a Sam Ash Fuzzola (same as the Uni-Fuzz), and a Foxx Tone Machine (my favorite after the Blender--raspier with that specificly-pitched octave switch effect).
Hope this review has been enlightening, and NO, it's not for sale, unless you have ridiculous money to spend...
I won't leave my email because I don't want a million messages, but you resourceful internet people can probably find me if you NEED to. There aren't too many homemikeys around.

The pedal is not exactly complex, but it's not Boss DS-1 simple either. You can't just plug in and play, it takes a little adjustment (particularly the blend and tone) to get a good sound.

Holy christ on a crutch, does this thing sound awesome. I bought it sight-unseen after I saw Giddy Motors play live through one of these, and I can't tell you how much better it sounds than any other distortion pedal on the market. The amount depth it has is stunning. And the sound is not typical fuzz or distortion......it's like an out of control Soldano Supercharger or Harmonic Percolator, both of which I own and love (played into a Peavey Classic).

The "boost" switch is almost like a ring modulator or flanging effect...it just puts the sound over the top and out of control.

I thought that all the rumors of this thing's sound were exaggerated until I heard one on "Make it Pop" and then played one myself. It really is insane.

The battery goes very, very quickly. Other than that, fine.

n/a

The myths are true, this thing really is the most over-the-top pedal you can find. I don't know what Fender was trying to do when they made this thing, but obviously it wasn't exactly what they expected because it was discontinued quickly.

This thing would have little or no use if you play jazz, blues, and all that stuff. You'd have to be ready to play some fairly harsh music in order to really be happy with this, but if that's what you're looking for, this is it.

This pedal is about as easy to use as any other standard fuzz pedal. Personally, I think that every fuzz out there should have a Blend knob. That has to the the most useful idea for an effect ever. The only thing that really sucks about the layout of this pedal is that the guitar input is on the left side, and the amp output is on the right side (anybody have a Russian Big Muff will understand this frustration).

Whew.....this is one intense fuzz. My current setup is a variety of Gibsons (two Les Paul Customs, a Flying V, and a SG Standard) into a Marshall Super Lead and a 5150 II at the same time. I also have a Sovtek MIG100H that I use from time to time. I have countless pedals, but I pretty much use a Boss CE-1, Zvex Lo-fi Loop Junky, Fuzz Probe, Super Hard-On and Octane, Ross Phaser, Ibanez FL-9, and two Ibanez AD-9's and a Line 6 Echo Pro. The Blender has the most fuzz out of any pedal that I've ever heard so far. This thing has more gain on two than a Big Muff on ten! Then, if you REALLY want to get your hands dirty, kick on the tone boost, otherwise known as the octave switch. JESUS! The octave has a VERY fast attack on it; you don't have to shake the strings to get it to really ring out. It's very present on the low strings, just as much as it is on the upper frets. This is the only octave fuzz that I've ever played the the octave doesn't get washed out on the lower frets on the low E string. This pedal in front of a driven non-master volume amp (like a Marshall Super Lead) produces a tone that is UNMATCHED. Incredible fuzz......

The casing doesn't have a clip to keep the battery from flopping around in the pedal. Because of this, the battery smacked into one of the diodes next to it, and broke it. I had to replace the diode; luckily, that part still is pretty easy to find.

It sucks batteries dry, and the bypass sucks. Get yourself a good DPDT switch, and possibly a 9-volt battery clip adapter that's filtered for noise.

I doubt anybody working at Fender now would even remember this piece of music history.....I wish that they would start making them again.

I play mostly progressive rock in the King Crimson vien. I love fuzz, and I try to play everything that is available in that category (this can take years, folks :P). Most octave pedals have a very soft octave sound, like my other favorite octave pedal, the Zvex Octane. This one punches you in the face it's so present in the sound.....it's really nasty, and I love it.

Great pedal, but you must experiment a bit with it. The blend knob and tone boost are great ideas, and very useful! Can cover a wide range of sounds from subtle sonic backing to all-out robotic death!

I bought this from a used music store. Some guy had about 4 of them in his basement from when he used to play bass and just decided to get rid of them. I couldn't believe I stumbled upon one of them at this music store for the price. I was looking for one, but Ebay was running them for $250 or more at the time. Some other kid had his eye on it for the same reasons, but he had gone home earlier that day to get $100 dollars to buy it. Hadn't returned in a few hours, so the shopkeeper offered to sell it to me for $110. You snooze, you lose. Kid's probably pissed off now, I hope he finds one !)

I run a Samick strat-copy into a Creamy Dreamer, which goes into the Fender Blender, to a DOD FX 90 Delay (another great pedal!), and finally out to a Line 6 2x12 Spider combo. The sound quality is a bit tricky at first, but once you get it down this pedal is very versatile! You can get Out-of-this-world Fuzz with a unique octive effect. The best additions are the blend knob and tone boost fuctions. With a little bit of tweaking, you can blend your original clean guitar tone with the hairy fuzz effect, which allows you to play chords clearly with no problem! This pedal provides a great sonic backdrop to your sound if used in a subtle mannner and can cover a wide range of sounds, while still remaining unique and original. Another plus is that it doesn't color your tone in any way when switched off or bypassed.

I bought it used from a pawn shop. When I brought it home, the footswitch buttons sometimes cut out. They seemed to be just dirty contacts (this pedal is old after all). I changed the buttons and the input jack, and there was no problem afterwards. I've never had any probs with the actual circuitry, but I've never really with it either. I mainly use this pedal in my home studio and for private practice about 3 times a week at low volume.

Fender Blender? Eh? They make kitchen appliances?

Thank goodness there's some schematics on the internet if I ever really need them.

Great pedal to own. Very good if you want something different in your setup. This pedal handles other pedals very well, and can be molded in a useful manner for many kinds of music. I mostly use it for Alternative Rock and Underground Rock to get a great lo-fi sound, and I use it to play some blues for the same reason.

I love the versatility of this pedal, but sometimes the unique octive effect is a little too muddy and uncontrollable. If I could change one thing on this pedal it would be to add a control for the octive effect. I really can't compare it to any other pedal because it has a sound all its own.

If it were stolen I would definitely try to find another one, but not for $250 unless I won the lottery. It is a great find if you can scout one out. All in all, this pedal is a pleasant find and an integral part of my setup.

Easy to use, four knobs, two switches, but you MUST experiment first.

I play through a PRS standard, an old Fender Mustang, and a new Strat with Lace Sensor pickups in silver, red, red (neck to bridge), cranking those through a mid-eighties JCM 800 (just like Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, who uses one as well!). I have owned five fuzzboxes in cluding the Blender: a Big Muff reissue, a crappy Fuzz Face, a MXR octave fuzz, and a Sustain Punch Creamy Dream. This is by far the most saturated, sickest fuzz ever. The octave effect on the blender is alot like my Voodoo Labs Proctavia. I still have the Big Muff and Sustain Punch, but sometimes I wonder why. Using low gain through the amp and cranking the Blender, you get a great fuzz that hangs with any pedal made. Crank your amp, and you get ear-splitting feedback, even while standing about 10 feet away. But this can be a problem. It sounds like listening to two jet planes take off with an earthquake and two tons of C4 as background noise. The speakers sound like they'll jump out. Once you crank it, don't try to use chords. It won't work. It's best left for VERY saturated solos and Sabbath-y one string riffs. If you want earth shaking distortion, this is for you, for the rest of you, just get a Big Muff.

It EATS batteries. Always have a backup. They're very old and I guess that's normal (mine's early '70s, exact year unknown), so consider yourself warned.

Fender probably regrets making it. You'll get no help from them. Good luck in finding parts, too. I had to pay big $$$ for capacitors.

I play in a emo/alt rock band. It works well in some areas, fails in others. Remember, chords don't work. At all. It's like alot of effects, cool to use for some parts of songs, but kind of a novelty. If you want a HUGE fuzz AND an octavia-style effect, this is for you. I wish it were more versatile, I would definately use it more. I got lucky to pay that much for one because I found it in a pawn shop (always check 'em out). I've seen them go for $300+. I personally wouldn't pay that but if you find one for under $100, buy it. If you don't like it, I'm sure there are buyers who would love to take it off your hands.

It easily sounds ugly if you don't work with it. You need to have good fingering and very good picking/muffing skills to make this work. Chords work if your modest. Once you get used to it the rating goes to 10!

Pristine saturated distortion with not a peep of background noise (while pausing) when used by itself. I recommend this box running parallel to other effects for this "clean" factor! Octave squirts through wall of fuzz and does exactly what it's supposed to do! Can be used as a booster too, but not recommended.

The pots in mine are date coded to 1968 and '69. I bought it used in
'77. It has been squealin' like a slit pig for me all these years with NO problem. During the mid '80's I gigged with it and used a Radio Shack battery eliminator with my custom resistor/capacitor hum eliminator network and used an A/B box for the bypass. I've since removed all that and wonder why I worried about squeezin' her so hard (for extra squeal!) 'cause she wails just fine (for months!)with just a battery. (Keep a wild boar nearby for a backup if you must!!!)

What?

Very complex circuit using very nice leaky Germanium transistors and diodes. Squeals perfectly with any guitar or amp I've pushed her through. Single coil neck pups probably sound best though. If it were lost I'd squeal. If it were stolen I'd find the thief and make 'em squeal like a slit pig! This effect is somewhat limited in my style to a few different phrasing technics. You don't use this effect,....IT uses YOU! The Roger M. Octavia is superior but does not have quite the "quality" fuzz this one does. The only improvement would be a switch to run the octave without the fuzz. (Like the.........Roger M. Octavia......!!!)

I found the volume and distortion getting very weak on this within the last 6 months. What I found with an ESR capacitor checker was that all 10 of the electrolytic capacitors(all of them 10uf@12V) had dried out. These pedals are getting close to 30 years of age on them and is to be expected. I replaced all of them with new capacitors(10uf@35V). These are the exact same size as the older ones and can handle over twice the voltage of the originals which hopefully they never will have to. Not only did this bring the volume back up but the effect has a much wider range of sound. Anything from a smooth distortion to a Hendrix-like fuzz to indiscernable harmonic static. These capacitors are only 21 cents each through Mouser Electronics. if you notice the distortion getting weak or decreased volume, check to see if your electrolytic capacitors are dried out.

If you think Fender still cares about these, I'm laughing along with them at you.

Simple... 4 Knobs, 2 switches... Infinite supply of Gnarly sound.

I have a 2000 American Series Fender Strat Limited Edition run through a cybaby 535q, a POD, and this killer and it is the sickest most gnarly sound I've ever heard.

It is built like a tank.

I play all sorts of rock. It fits with classic rock, metal, industrial, and more. Its good for making noise. If I lost it I'd cry. It's amazing... End of Story.