The Fairfield Circuitry Modèle B is an overdrive pedal built around the same circuit as the company's Barbershop, packed into what Fairfield Circuitry calls "the same circuit in a tiny box"1. Where a normal overdrive pedal has a footswitch to bring it in and out, the Modèle B has no bypass switch and no light: it is meant to stay in your signal chain permanently, always on, never off1.
An always-on Barbershop in a tiny box
The Modèle B takes the Barbershop overdrive circuit and strips away everything a player would use to switch it off. Fairfield Circuitry describes the pedal plainly: "Always on, never off, this is serious."1 For a player, that means the pedal behaves less like a stompbox and more like a permanent part of your rig, closer in spirit to an always-on preamp or buffer than to a switched overdrive.
Because there is no footswitch, no LED and no external controls beyond the internal tone jumper, the enclosure can stay small. The trade-off is simple: you set the pedal once, inside the box, and it colors your sound from then on1.
Controls and tone options
There are no knobs on the outside. The one adjustment is a jumper inside the pedal that selects between two tone options1:
| Tone jumper position | Character |
|---|---|
| Flat | Like the original Barbershop1 |
| Wide | Like the middle tone position of the Barbershop Millennium Edition1 |
So the choice is between two voicings, selected with a jumper inside the pedal: one flat and wide, like the original Barbershop, and one like the middle tone position of the Barbershop Millennium Edition2.
How it relates to the Barbershop line
The Modèle B carries the Barbershop's circuit forward in a smaller box, with the tone choice moved inside: instead of an external switch, the two voicings, flat and wide like the original Barbershop or the middle position of the Millennium Edition, are selected with an internal jumper2.
The Modèle B is listed as sold out on Fairfield Circuitry's product page, at a regular price of $265 CAD1. The page does not indicate whether it will return.
Videos
epow6oow
Once Upon A Tone
Gadgets Lab
Questions
Does the Fairfield Modele B have a bypass switch?
No. The Modele B has no bypass switch and no LED. It is designed to be always on, never off, so it sits in your signal chain permanently shaping your tone rather than being switched in and out.
What is the difference between the Modele B and the Barbershop?
The circuit is the same as the Barbershop, just in a tiny box. The Modele B drops the bypass switch and light, and instead of external tone controls it uses a jumper inside the pedal to select between two tone options, flat and wide.
Is the Fairfield Modele B discontinued?
Fairfield Circuitry's product page lists the Modele B as sold out, at a regular price of $265 CAD. The page does not say whether it will be restocked or has been discontinued.
Sources (2)
- Modèle B, Fairfield Circuitry
- Guitar FX Layouts: Fairfield Circuitry, Guitar FX Layouts
