The Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx is an American fuzz pedal from the mid-1960s, made in New York City by the Astro Amp company. It was first sold as the Astrotone, and later rebranded under the Sam Ash name, taking on the wedge-shaped enclosure it is now known by. The original is long out of production, but the circuit has been revived by makers and DIY builders, and it remains a reference point among vintage fuzz pedals1.
What it does
The Fuzzz Boxx is a fuzz pedal of the kind that appeared in the mid-1960s, when American and British makers were first putting distortion into a box. Its distinguishing feature, per the maker's history, is a Tone knob: it was one of the first American fuzz pedals to employ one, giving players a way to shape the top end of the fuzz rather than take the circuit as it came2.
History and versions
The pedal's history is told slightly differently by different accounts, and both are worth knowing:
- The Astro Amp company made the pedal in New York City in 1966 to 1968, according to Mike Piera of Analog Man, who has studied and recreated the circuit3.
- Tru-Fi's account names the pedal the Astrotone, with the rebrand to the Sam Ash name and the wedge-shaped enclosure coming afterward2.
- Analog Man's own technical page dates the Astro Amp build to 19663.
There were two versions of the Sam Ash case, and the circuit boards were the same in both, so the enclosure changed while the electronics did not3. The case itself was a handmade sandcast ASTROTONE enclosure with a sheet aluminum bottom plate4.
"a recreation of the long extinct Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx"
Where the circuit lives on
The original pedal is no longer made, but the design has been carried forward in two ways5:
- Recreations. Analog Man's Astro Tone Fuzz is described in its manual as based on the old ASTROTONE / SAM ASH FUZZ BOXXX from the mid-1960s1, and Delicious Audio reviewed it as a recreation of the original5.
- DIY builds. The Guitar FX Layouts blog published a DIY layout called the Sam Ash Fuzztainer, a fuzz pedal board for home builders. The layout adds power filtering and polarity protection, which the 1960s original did not have, so it can run from a modern pedalboard power supply6. Builders on that page reported it holds up: one wrote, "Just finished building this and again another great sounding fuzz to add to my collection."6
Videos
Sam Ash Direct
Best Guitar Effects
CaptPostmod
Questions
What was the Astrotone fuzz pedal?
The Astrotone was a fuzz pedal made in New York City in 1966 to 1968 by the Astro Amp company. It was sold as the Astrotone and later rebranded as the Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx, taking on its wedge-shaped enclosure. It was one of the first American fuzz pedals to use a Tone knob, and the original pedal is long out of production.
Is the Sam Ash Fuzzz Boxx still made?
No. The original pedal, made by the Astro Amp company in New York City in the mid-1960s, is described as long extinct. Players who want the circuit today look to recreations such as the Analog Man Astro Tone Fuzz, which is based on the original, or to DIY layouts like the Sam Ash Fuzztainer, which adds power filtering and polarity protection for modern power supplies.
Sources (6)
- AstroTone Manual.pdf, Analog Man Guitar Effects, 2020-09
- Tru-Fi Sammy Fuzz Guitar Pedal, tru-fi.com
- Astro Tone Fuzz by aNaLoG.MaN Guitar Effects, analogman.com, 2023
- Vintage Effect Pot Repair, Analog Man (analogman.com), 2015
- Review: Analogman Astro Tone Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2011-12-21
- Guitar FX Layouts: Sam Ash Fuzztainer, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2013-12-11
