Danelectro Nichols 1966

The Danelectro Nichols 1966 is a fuzz pedal that blurs the lines between fuzz and overdrive. Built around a unique three-transistor circuit, it delivers a dynamic range of tones, from subtle overdrive to saturated fuzz, and Danelectro describes its circuit architecture as completely unique, one that has never been seen again¹. It was introduced by Danelectro as new for 2024 at NAMM².

The pedal is a modern re-creation of the Liverpool Fuzz-Tone, the first effects pedal designed by Steve Ridinger, the founder of Foxx pedals and Danelectro's current owner³. GuitarPlayer calls the Nichols 1966 a reissue of Ridinger's own original-design dirt pedal from 1966⁴.

A three-transistor pedal between fuzz and overdrive

The Nichols 1966 houses a unique three-transistor circuit⁵, and its behavior depends heavily on where the knobs sit. gearnews describes it as straddling somewhere between a fuzz and a distortion, depending on where the controls are set³. The build document for the circuit puts it similarly: a versatile palette from subtle overdrive to saturated fuzz¹.

Pedal of the Day's review characterizes the sound as a distinctive "glass-shattering" quality that falls somewhere between a fuzz and a distortion, and notes it is highly reactive to the guitar's volume knob⁶. That volume-knob responsiveness is worth knowing for players who roll their guitar back to clean up.

The four knobs interact with each other. Both Delicious Audio and Pedal of the Day highlight the interactive Fuzz and Drive knobs as the heart of the pedal, bolstered by more conventional Tone and Volume controls⁵⁶.

Pedal of the Day's overall take on the control set:

History: Steve Ridinger's Liverpool Fuzz Tone

The circuit behind the Nichols 1966 goes back to 1966, when a teenage Steve Ridinger hand built the first Liverpool Fuzz-Tone units in the garage of his parents' Nichols Canyon home in Hollywood, California, and sold them to his high school classmates²⁶. The pedal's name comes from that location: Nichols Canyon Place, where Danelectro says Ridinger created his first effects pedal².

Ridinger went on to design the 1972 Foxx Tone Machine⁷, and Danelectro credits him with a circuit architecture for the 1966 pedal that it says has never been seen again². Guitar Pedal X describes the original Liverpool Fuzz-Tone as rare⁸.

Danelectro notes that it is not affiliated with any current owners of the Liverpool or Fuzz Tone trademarks², which explains why the modern pedal carries the Nichols Canyon name rather than the original one.

A timeline of the circuit:

Part of a Danelectro fuzz trilogy

Guitar Pedal X also documented a later variant of the Nichols 1966 with changed main typography, described as a much neater variant⁸.

What reviewers said

Reviews of the Nichols 1966 have been positive, with a few qualifications.

• Pedal of the Day called it a true tone tweaker's delight thanks to its interactive controls and tweakability⁶.
• GuitarPlayer's verdict: "The Nichols 1966 is a satisfying pedal that's loaded with cool distortion textures, is a blast to play, and kind of inspiring in how it's rooted in a place and time when grind pedals were limited"⁴.
• Guitar Pedal X, rounding up 2024's fuzz pedals, found it "part novelty obviously but actually delivers some wiry / buzzy / spitty flavours of fuzz", a little raw around the edges overall⁹.

Price

GuitarPlayer lists the Nichols 1966 at $199⁴, matching the $199 price Guitar Pedal X reported at the pedal's release in early 2024⁴⁹. An earlier preorder listing at Thomann, cited by gearnews in February 2024, showed $136.00³, so street pricing has run below list at times.

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