Dunlop Band of Gypsys fuzz pedal

The Dunlop Band of Gypsys fuzz pedal is a fuzz effect from Dunlop built around one specific tone in Jimi Hendrix's history: the aggressive, biting fuzz he used at the Band of Gypsys show and other iconic performances. Dunlop describes the original as a mysterious Fuzz Face Distortion that Hendrix used at several iconic shows between 1969 and 1970, most notably the Band of Gypsys performance¹.

Dunlop has released the circuit in several forms over the years. The best known is the FFM6 Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini Distortion, a pedalboard-friendly mini housing introduced through the press in late 2014². Later versions include the Jimi Hendrix '69 Psych Series Band of Gypsys Fuzz (JHW4) in an MXR mini housing¹³ and the Authentic Hendrix '68 Shrine Series Band of Gypsys Fuzz, part of a four-pedal mini series announced in February 2023³¹⁴.

What it does to your sound

Dunlop says the pedal nails the aggressive, biting fuzz tone Hendrix used at some of his most iconic live performances, and that the original fuzz box sounded like a completely different animal from any of the other Fuzz Face pedals in his arsenal, snarling with a far more aggressive, biting tone⁵. The manual calls it "the biting, aggressive fuzz tone used by Jimi Hendrix for the Band of Gypsys show and other iconic performances"⁶.

Guitar World's reviewer found that plugging into the pedal infuses your playing with an aggressive biting character, suited to snarling solos and funky soul rhythms⁸. JHS Pedals, writing about the FFM6, characterizes it differently from a typical Fuzz Face:

MusicRadar's review sums the FFM6 up as "an aggressive vintage fuzz for Hendrix tones and beyond"¹⁰.

Controls and switching

The control set is the same three knobs across the versions, with no mode-selecting switches⁶¹¹.

The footswitch toggles the effect on and bypass, with a blue LED indicating the effect is on⁶. Like all Fuzz Face pedals, the FFM6 features true bypass switching, so it leaves your dry signal alone when off²¹².

The Fuzz Face Mini format

The FFM6 packs the circuit into a pedalboard-friendly Fuzz Face Mini housing, complete with an AC power jack and an on/off status LED⁵. Guitar World's reviewer appreciated how Dunlop packed this meticulously re-created sound into a modern, pedalboard-friendly enclosure⁸, and the mini format is a deliberate contrast with the large, round original Fuzz Face body, which was never designed for a pedalboard.

The same tone later appeared in other compact formats. The JHW4 version puts the Band of Gypsys fuzz in an MXR mini housing with a Tone control³, and the '68 Shrine Series version arrived in 2023 as one of four MXR mini pedals with Shrine Auditorium poster artwork¹⁴³.

Which Fuzz Face did Hendrix use?

Hendrix used a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face in the late '60s, and then a mysterious Fuzz Face Distortion at shows between 1969 and 1970, most notably the Band of Gypsys performance¹¹³. Guitar.com's reviewer, reviewing the Dunlop reproductions, describes the original as the red and white unit he used in the Band of Gypsys era (1969 to 1970), a feistier-sounding variant among his fuzzes¹⁴¹.

Dunlop's reproductions of that unit span several product lines:

• FFM6 Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini Distortion: the Fuzz Face Mini version, announced in 2014⁵⁶¹²
• Jimi Hendrix '69 Psych Series Band of Gypsys Fuzz (JHW4): an MXR mini housing version¹⁴³
• Authentic Hendrix '68 Shrine Series Band of Gypsys Fuzz: announced February 2023 as part of a four-pedal series¹¹

What reviewers said

Guitar World reviewed the Fuzz Face Mini version in 2015, calling it a faithful reproduction of a vintage Fuzz Face that delivers first-class fuzz in the ultra-compact Fuzz Face Mini package¹⁵. The magazine also included the pedal in a roundup of modern effect pedals inspired by classic albums, noting it achieves Jimi's unique Band of Gypsys fuzz tone⁸.

Guitar.com reviewed the '69 Psych Series version in 2019 and gave it 8 out of 10, calling it "a great vintage-style silicon fuzz for laying it on thick" and probably the pick of the three fuzzes in that series¹⁴.

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