The Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Band Of Gypsys FFM6 Fuzz Face Mini is a fuzz pedal in Dunlop's pedalboard-friendly Fuzz Face Mini housing, with AC power and an on/off status LED1. Dunlop's manual describes it as delivering "the biting, aggressive fuzz tone used by Jimi Hendrix for the Band of Gypsys show and other iconic performances"2. It is part of a wider family of Hendrix-themed fuzzes, including the Dunlop Jimi Hendrix '69 Psych Series Band of Gypsys Fuzz and the Dunlop Authentic Hendrix '69 Band Of Gypsys Fuzz, and sits among Dunlop's broader range of fuzz pedals.
The red Fuzz Face behind the circuit
The FFM6 is based on a rare vintage fuzz circuit1: a mysterious white-knobbed red Fuzz Face that accompanied Hendrix on stage3. JHS Pedals' history of the mini Fuzz Faces traces that unit to a Roger Mayer-modified red Fuzz Face with white knobs, seen with Hendrix on stage, which Dunlop tracked down in a museum. As JHS tells it, the unit "was essentially the Roger Mayer Octavia, but without the octave circuit. They recreated it into the FFM6"4. Players curious about the octave-equipped side of that lineage can look at the Dunlop Octavio.
How it plays in a mix
MusicRadar's reviewer, Mike Astley-Brown, found that the FFM6 keeps the same mid focus as its predecessor and "cleans up with a quick twist" of the volume knob, making it extremely usable in a band mix3. On the pickups, he heard "a wilder, edgier tone to the FFM6, with a piercing shriek on bridge pickup sounds, and flutey sustain" from the neck position3.
His verdict: "Cuts through brilliantly in a band mix. Jimi obsessives will love it. Meaty fuzz tones."3
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Questions
What is the Dunlop FFM6 Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini based on?
Dunlop built the FFM6 around a rare vintage fuzz circuit: a white-knobbed red Fuzz Face that accompanied Jimi Hendrix on stage. According to JHS Pedals, that unit was Roger Mayer-modified and was essentially the Roger Mayer Octavia without the octave circuit, and Dunlop recreated it for the FFM6.
Does the FFM6 clean up when you turn down the guitar or pedal volume?
Yes. MusicRadar's reviewer, Mike Astley-Brown, found that the FFM6 has the same mid focus as its predecessor and cleans up with a quick twist of the volume knob, which he said makes it extremely usable in a band mix.
How does the FFM6 sound on the bridge and neck pickups?
MusicRadar's review describes a wilder, edgier tone than the standard Fuzz Face, with a piercing shriek on bridge pickup sounds and flutey sustain from the neck position.
Is the FFM6 a mini pedal?
Yes. It comes in Dunlop's pedalboard-friendly Fuzz Face Mini housing, with AC power and an on/off status LED, according to the Guitar World press release.
Which Hendrix performances inspired the FFM6?
Dunlop's manual describes the pedal as delivering the biting, aggressive fuzz tone used by Jimi Hendrix for the Band of Gypsys show and other iconic performances.
Sources (4)
- Eric Gales Demos Band of Gypsys Fuzz Face Mini Distortion, Guitar World, 2014-10-31
- FFM6.pdf, Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., 2019
- Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Band Of Gypsys FFM6 Fuzz Face Mini review, MusicRadar, 2014-12-17
- MINI FUZZ FACES, JHS Pedals
