The Ibanez No. 90 Fuzz & Wa is a vintage fuzz and wah pedal sold under the Ibanez name in 1974 and 1975. It puts a fuzz circuit and a wah effect in a single unit, and it carries a volume option as well, so one pedal could cover three jobs on a player's board. TONEHOME describes it as very rare today, and it belongs to Ibanez's first series of effects, alongside units like the No. 59 Standard Fuzz and the No. 91 Tone Machine1.
Who really built it
Although it wears Ibanez branding, the No. 90 was not built in an Ibanez factory. TONEHOME identifies it as "a Steve Ridinger Associates made fOXX pedal with a mere OEM branding", made by fOXX in California between 1974 and 19751. In other words, Ibanez acted as the brand on the box while fOXX supplied the actual pedal.
Its relationship to the fOXX Fuzz & Wa & Volume
The No. 90 is a variant of the fOXX Fuzz & Wa & Volume, and TONEHOME treats the two as identical, pointing players to a demo of the fOXX unit for the Ibanez. The volume function carried over as well: "in fact the Ibanez Fuzz & Wa has a volume option too"1. For a player comparing the two, the difference is the name on the enclosure rather than the effect itself.
Why it is so rare
The No. 90 was listed as a regular production model under its full catalog name of "Ibanez No. 90 Fuzz 6 Wa & Volume", and according to the book "Ibanez - the untold story" it appears there despite being very rare1. The reason for the scarcity lies with the company that actually built it: the Ridinger company went through hard times in the mid 1970s and finally ceased production, which makes the fOXX made Ibanez pedals ephemeral1.
Because production ended after only 1974 and 1975, the No. 90 turns up seldom. TONEHOME, which documents vintage Ibanez effects, describes it as very rare1.
Sources (1)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
