The Danelectro Fab Tone is a distortion pedal from the 1990s, a period when Danelectro was turning out compact, affordably priced effects alongside its reissued guitars. Danelectro's own description of the pedal, quoted in a technical analysis of the circuit, says it "delivers the definitive vintage distortion. Its tonality covers a range far superior to most popular distortion units. 2 tone controls offer infinite variation."12 MusicRadar has described it as "a clone of a 1990s Danelectro Fab Tone" when tracing later pedals back to it, and gearnews.com called it "the somewhat obscure 1990s Danelectro Fab Tone distortion pedal."23
Controls and tonal range
The Fab Tone's headline feature is its pair of tone controls. Danelectro's marketing claimed the two tone controls "offer infinite variation," giving the pedal a wider sweep than most single-tone-knob distortions of its day.1 The top panel carries the following controls:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tone (two of them) | Danelectro says the two tone controls "offer infinite variation"1 |
| Bass | Low control on the top panel1 |
| Treble | High control on the top panel1 |
| Volume | Output level1 |
One builder who worked from the layout noted that running the bass, treble or volume all the way up at the same time produced a high pitched feedback, so the controls have real range at the extremes.1
Circuit and the Metal Zone connection
The Fab Tone's original transistors are 2SC1815GR, a common small-signal NPN type. Builders reproducing the circuit have noted that other NPN transistors can be substituted:1
- 2N5088
- 2N3904
- BC549
- BC550
The circuit has drawn attention for how close it sits to the Boss Metal Zone. The builder behind the Guitar FX Layouts analysis, who checked his layout against a real pedal, put it plainly1:
"The schematics for the Fabtone and Metal Zone are very close, other than the midrange."
The Fab Tone's two tone controls stand in for the Metal Zone's more elaborate midrange section, which is the main point of departure between the two designs. The schematic also holds a gyrator section before the input buffer, which was trimmed away in the published DIY layout of the circuit.1
Where it turned up later
The Fab Tone's circuit has drawn attention from pedal builders. On the schematic, there is a gyrator section before the input buffer that was trimmed away for this layout, as the builder noted: "Since I notice a gyrator section before the input buffer on the schematic (that was trimmed away for this layout)"1
- The schematic shows a gyrator section before the input buffer, a part of the circuit that was trimmed away for this layout1
That a small builder would build a signature pedal around the Fab Tone's circuit says something about how the design has held up among players who dig past the obvious names.
Danelectro's own distortion line has since grown well beyond the Fab series, from the D-1 Fab Distortion and D-3 Fab Metal to later designs like the Roebuck and the BC-1 Cash Cow. For more on the category, see Distortion Pedals.
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Questions
Is the Danelectro Fab Tone the same circuit as the Boss Metal Zone?
Not the same, but very close. A builder who checked the Fab Tone layout against a real pedal found that the schematics for the Fabtone and the Metal Zone are very close, other than the midrange section. The Fab Tone carries two tone controls rather than the Metal Zone's full three-band arrangement, which is where the two designs part ways.
What transistor does the Danelectro Fab Tone use?
The original pedal uses 2SC1815GR transistors, according to a technical analysis of the circuit. Builders reproducing the layout have noted that common NPN types such as the 2N5088, 2N3904, BC549 or BC550 can be substituted, though the original part is the 2SC1815GR.
How many tone controls does the Fab Tone have?
Two. Danelectro's own description says the pedal's two tone controls offer infinite variation, and the pedal also carries bass, treble and volume controls on its top panel.
Does the Fab Tone have a volume control?
Yes. Alongside the two tone controls, the pedal has bass, treble and volume controls. One builder noted that turning the bass, treble or volume all the way up at the same time produced a high pitched feedback.
When was the Danelectro Fab Tone made?
The Fab Tone dates from the 1990s. MusicRadar has described it as a 1990s Danelectro Fab Tone, and gearnews.com called it the somewhat obscure 1990s Danelectro Fab Tone distortion pedal.
Sources (3)
- Guitar FX Layouts: Danelectro Fab Tone, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2013-03-26
- Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite and Reuss Effects join forces for dual-circuit fuzz/distortion pedal, MusicRadar, 2021-08-04
- Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite bags a signature Plasmatron fuzz monster, gearnews.com, 2021-08-03
Stuart Braithwaite
