The Fender Kevin Shields Blender is a signature octave fuzz built for and with Kevin Shields, guitarist of My Bloody Valentine. It is based on his vintage '70s Fender Blender, a pedal Guitar World describes as "renowned for its uniquely vicious, dynamic octave fuzz, partially inspired by the Octavia circuit"12. Shields became Fender's first ever signature pedal artist when the pedal was announced in June 20233.
The pedal first appeared as a limited edition of 700 hand-signed units in June 2023, priced at £449 / $4994. That run sold out worldwide almost immediately after release5. In September 2023, Fender announced a standard production version joining the brand's mainline pedal range, priced at £279 by MusicRadar's report4, with Guitar.com giving the non-limited pedal at £279/$2995. By December 2023, gearnews.com listed it at Thomann for $238.00 / £225.00 / 269.00€2.
The standard production model drops the hand signature of the limited edition. MusicRadar notes that on the standard version "the signature back plate is gone from the enclosure"4. Guitar.com's review describes the non-limited version as identical to the limited one bar the hand signature6.
An octave fuzz from a vintage '70s Blender
The original Fender Blender was an octave fuzz of the late '60s and '70s, a circuit guitar.com has called "the amazing Fender Blender octave fuzz of the late 60s"72. Shields's version is a modern reimagining of that circuit. gearnews.com's Jef, naming it among 2023's favorite stompboxes, called it "This modern-day reimagining of the effect has a lot of crazy sounds within, making it perfect for getting creative with."2
Shields himself described the pedal's character to MusicRadar:
"It's kind of pretty extreme but also very interesting when it's set up in a subtle way."
The controls: four knobs and four footswitches
Shields's design roughly doubles the original Blender's layout. Guitar.com's review notes the pedal carries "eight control knobs instead of four" and "four footswitches instead of two" compared with the vintage unit6. The fuzz circuit itself has controls for Volume, Blend, Tone and Sustain4.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level for the fuzz circuit4 |
| Blend | Blend control for the fuzz circuit4 |
| Tone | Tone control for the fuzz circuit4 |
| Sustain | Sustain control for the fuzz circuit4 |
The four footswitches are Bypass, Octave, Sag and Expand4. Sag is one of the updates Shields made to the standard Blender circuit; gearnews.com notes the pedal "has had a few updates to the standard circuit and offers things like Sag to the mix"2.
Limited edition and standard versions
| Version | Release | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited edition | June 2023 | £449 / $4994 | 700 hand-signed units4; some contained a secret drive with new My Bloody Valentine music4 |
| Standard production | September 2023 | £2794 | Mainline range; signature back plate removed4 |
The secret drive was a genuine extra: MusicRadar reported that "in some of the 700 limited edition units there was a secret drive containing new music from the legendary shoegaze band"4.
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Questions
How much does the Fender Kevin Shields Blender cost?
The limited edition launched in June 2023 at £449 / $499. A standard production version was announced in September 2023 at £279, and Guitar.com reported the non-limited pedal at £279/$299. By December 2023, gearnews.com listed it at Thomann for $238.00 / £225.00 / 269.00€.
How many limited edition Kevin Shields Blenders were made?
700. The limited edition run of 700 hand-signed units sold out worldwide almost immediately after its June 2023 release, according to Guitar.com.
What does the Sag footswitch do on the Kevin Shields Blender?
Sag is one of the updates Shields brought to the standard Blender circuit. gearnews.com describes the pedal as having had a few updates to the standard circuit and offering things like Sag to the mix, and it is assigned its own footswitch alongside Bypass, Octave and Expand.
Is the Kevin Shields Blender based on a vintage Fender pedal?
Yes. gearnews.com reports it is based on Shields's vintage '70s Fender Blender fuzz pedal, an octave fuzz renowned for its uniquely vicious, dynamic character and partially inspired by the Octavia circuit.
What was on the secret drive in the limited edition?
MusicRadar reported that in some of the 700 limited edition units there was a secret drive containing new music from My Bloody Valentine.
Sources (7)
- Fender and Kevin Shields make history with the firm's first ever signature fuzz pedal, Guitar World, 2023-06-13
- Best Effect Pedals 2023, gearnews.com, 2023-12-18
- Kevin Shields: Fender were among the first ever to ask me to do a signature pedal, guitar.com, 2023-06-22
- And shoegaze for all! Fender adds the Kevin Shields Blender fuzz pedalto its mainline pedal range, MusicRadar, 2023-09-05
- Now everyone can enjoy Fender's Kevin Shields signature pedal, guitar.com
- Fender Shields Blender review, Guitar.com, 2023-09-15
- Fender Effects Pedals Review, guitar.com, 2018-05-21
