Jim Dunlop introduces the “Band of Gypsys” Fuzz Face Mini, based on the Octavio circuit without the octave-up signal.
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The sound of this fuzz is based on a red Fuzz Face pedal that Hendrix used in three notable live performances, it is described as having a bit more bite and aggression than the Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face.
The story goes that 1969 to 1970, Jimi Hendrix would at times use a Fuzz Face that sounds different from his other Fuzz Face pedals. It was heard in three noteworthy live performances that include Live at Woodstock, Live at Berkeley, and Live at the Fillmore East.
Unfortunately, not much information was gathered from this special pedal, which was considered as lost to history. The sound of the pedal however lived on, thanks to the three live performances that were captured on film. Pedal builders and Hendrix fans have since been trying to copy the sound, and the latest of attempt is Jim Dunlop’s Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini.
A representative of Jim Dunlop said, “Poring tirelessly over all of the different customized circuit designs Jimi used over the years, our engineers narrowed down this elusive fuzz tone to a version of the Octavio circuit that didn’t have the octave up signal. After making a few tweaks, they nailed it with the Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini Distortion.”
Interestingly, the company was able to reproduce the sound by tweaking the Octavio circuit. They apparently removed the octave-up effect and tweaked the fuzz tone a bit until they finally found a satisfactory replica of Hendrix’ special red Fuzz Face. They then put it inside a compact Mini Fuzz face form factor and called it the Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face mini.
Check out the video demo and see for yourself if they actually got the Jimi Hendrix sound in this small red stompbox:
The new fuzz pedal does seem to have more punch and more gain, while at the same time being “tamer” or smoother than other fuzz boxes.
Being part of the Fuzz Face line, this pedal comes with simplistic controls, a volume knob for adjusting the output level and a fuzz knob for adjusting the gain.
The new Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini is now retailing for just under $120. You can head over to Jim Dunlop for more information.
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