The Fender Shields Blender is Fender's first ever signature fuzz pedal, built with Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine and based on the vintage Fender Blender circuit he has used for decades12. It is an analog octave fuzz: two footswitchable channels blend fuzz, octave-up fuzz and a monophonic sub-octave fuzz with your original clean signal, so you can go from a crisp blended edge to a full fuzz wash13.
Where the original Blender from the late '60s and '70s had four knobs and two footswitches, Shields' design doubles both counts: eight knobs and four footswitches45. It launched as a limited edition of 700 hand-signed units in June 2023 at $499, sold out worldwide almost immediately, and a standard production version followed in September 2023 at $299567.
Fuzz, octave-up and sub-octave blended with your clean signal
The pedal is built around two channels and three octaves of blendable, analog fuzz3. The Octave footswitch toggles between them:
- Channel One blends the fuzz voice with your original clean signal1.
- Channel Two blends fuzz with a monophonic sub-octave fuzz1.
A later Octave Blender mode sends the signal separately to the fuzz and the sub-octave fuzz, as Delicious Audio described it in a 2024 roundup of unusual fuzz pedals8. Fender's own framing for players chasing the My Bloody Valentine sound is direct: the pedal targets the lo-fi/hi-fi sound found on records like Loveless and m b v1.
The original Fender Blender was famously used by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins as well as Kevin Shields, which is the pedigree the circuit carries9.
The controls: eight knobs and four footswitches
The control surface splits into two sections. Volume and Blend set the balance between your guitar's clean signal and the fuzz; Fuzz and Octave shape the mix of dual or triple octave fuzz14. The fuzz circuit itself carries Volume, Blend, Tone and Sustain controls5.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Sets the balance between your guitar signal and the fuzz4 |
| Blend | Sets the balance between your guitar signal and the fuzz4 |
| Fuzz (octave section) | Adjusts the fuzz level to taste4 |
| Octave | Adjusts the octave content to taste4 |
| Tone | Part of the fuzz circuit's Volume, Blend, Tone and Sustain set5 |
| Sustain | Part of the fuzz circuit's Volume, Blend, Tone and Sustain set5 |
The four footswitches are Bypass, Octave, Sag and Expand5. The Octave switch selects between the two fuzz channels; Fender describes the four footswitches together as providing "a wealth of fuzz tone and effects on tap"1.
"An unprecedented four footswitches provide a wealth of fuzz tone and effects on tap"
History: Kevin Shields' Fender Blender, five years in development
The pedal is designed around Kevin Shields' original Fender Blender circuit, with his added tweaks; channel one holds a hand-copied version of the original Blender circuit, of which Shields is a longtime user and fan1. The first Blender unit was produced in its four-knob format from 1968 to 197710.
Development was long. Shields told Guitar.com that nailing the sag sound alone took the best part of five years2. MusicRadar described the finished circuit as far evolved from vintage Blender units and reported four years in the making, so the development window sits somewhere around four to five years depending on where you count from5.
With this pedal, Shields became Fender's first ever signature pedal artist, as part of the Fender Artist Signature Series12. He has been using it in the studio himself: "I've been using it a lot recently in the studio, it's been great"1.
The limited edition and the standard model
The two versions are identical in circuit and controls; the differences are the signature, the build location and the price671.
| Limited edition | Standard model | |
|---|---|---|
| Units | 700 worldwide, hand-signed by Shields67 | Non-limited, mainline range56 |
| Backplate | Shields-signed6 | Signature backplate removed56 |
| Made in | USA (final assembly)1 | China7 |
| Price | $499 / £449 at launch, June 20235 | $299 / £279, September 20236 |
| Status | Sold out worldwide almost immediately6 | In the mainline range5 |
A quirk of the limited run: some of the 700 units contained a secret drive with new My Bloody Valentine music5. The enclosure on both versions is an angled, brushed aluminum chassis with vinyl appointments, in a vintage Fender aesthetic15.
The limited edition sold out worldwide almost immediately after release, so the standard, non-limited version is the one to find today. It is the same pedal minus the hand-signed backplate, built in China rather than final assembled in the USA67.
What it costs
Prices have moved since launch, and published figures differ on the current price567:
- June 2023: limited edition at $499 / £4495
- September 2023: standard model at $299 / £2796
- December 2023: Gearnews listed it at $238 / £225 / 269.00€ through Thomann3
- January 2026: Guitar.com's review gave the price as $346.99 / £23511
What reviewers said
Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed the standard version and called it a powerful device for players pushing extremes7:
"'Oddball' hardly covers it, but this is a powerful device for sonic extremists that nails those fuzz-washy Loveless tone"
Gearnews named it among its five favorite stompboxes of 2023, calling it "a modern-day reimagining of the effect" with "a lot of crazy sounds within, making it perfect for getting creative with"3. Delicious Audio's 2024 roundup of unusual fuzz pedals highlighted the Octave Blender mode that sends the signal separately to the fuzz and the sub-octave fuzz8.
Who uses it
Kevin Shields is the pedal's designer and its highest-profile user, both on record with the original Blender circuit and recently in the studio with this pedal19. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was a famous user of the original Fender Blender fuzz on which the circuit is based9.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
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Questions
How do you get the Loveless sound with the Shields Blender?
Fender positions the pedal for the lo-fi/hi-fi sound heard on My Bloody Valentine records like Loveless and m b v. You balance your clean signal against the fuzz with the Volume and Blend knobs, then dial in Fuzz, Octave, Tone and Sustain, and use the Octave, Sag and Expand footswitches to stack the fuzz and octave layers. Guitar.com's reviewer found it nails those fuzz-washy Loveless tones.
What is the difference between the limited and standard Shields Blender?
The limited edition, released in June 2023, was 700 units worldwide, hand-signed by Kevin Shields on the backplate, final assembled in the USA, and some contained a secret drive with new My Bloody Valentine music. The standard version, announced in September 2023, drops the signed backplate, is made in China, and costs $299 instead of $499.
How much is the Fender Shields Blender?
The limited edition launched at $499 in June 2023. The standard production model followed in September 2023 at $299 in the US and £279 in the UK. Gearnews listed it at $238 through Thomann in December 2023, and a January 2026 Guitar.com review gave the price as $346.99.
Where is the Fender Shields Blender made?
The limited edition was final assembled in the USA. The standard, non-limited version that joined Fender's mainline range in September 2023 is made in China, according to Guitar.com's review.
What does the Sag knob do on the Shields Blender?
Sag is one of the pedal's four footswitches, alongside Bypass, Octave and Expand. Kevin Shields told Guitar.com that nailing the sag sound itself took the best part of five years of the pedal's development, though he did not detail the circuit behavior behind it.
Sources (11)
- Fender Launches Shields Blender Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2023-06-13
- Kevin Shields: Fender were among the first ever to ask me to do a signature pedal, guitar.com, 2023-06-22
- Best Effect Pedals 2023, gearnews.com, 2023-12-18
- Fender unearths a shoegaze fuzz holy grail for My Bloody Valentine fans with the Kevin Shields Blender, MusicRadar, 2023-06-13
- 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, 2023-09-06
- Fender Shields Blender review, Guitar.com, 2023-09-15
- The Best Crazy, Weird, And Unusual Fuzz Pedals In 2024, Delicious Audio, 2024-10-24
- New Pedals: DS Custom Blender Octave Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2023-05-01
- Fender and Kevin Shields make history with the firm's first ever signature fuzz pedal, Guitar World, 2023-06-13
- RhPf Electronics Mosrawr review: a noise-bringer, Guitar.com, 2026-01-26
Kevin Shields
