Maestro FZ-M

The Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-M is an all-analog fuzz pedal with two voices in one box: a Classic mode inspired by the early-1960s Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, and a Modern mode with a thicker, more contemporary fuzz tone. Maestro describes it as "two pedals in one functionality," selected by a mode toggle switch¹. It launched in January 2022 at $149 as part of the five-pedal Maestro Original Collection, the brand's first pedals since 1979, alongside the Ranger Overdrive, Invader Distortion, Comet Chorus and Discoverer Delay².

The FZ-M is an update of the FZ-1 that harks back to the original's wedge-shaped enclosure, but it is not a straight clone. It adds a Tone control the original never had, a Modern voicing, and a Level control that can push well past unity gain¹³⁴.

Classic and Modern fuzz voices

The core of the pedal is the two-position mini-toggle that selects between Classic and Modern sounds⁸. Maestro says the switch provides "both an FZ-1 inspired fuzz sound and a thicker, more modern fuzz tone"¹.

• Classic mode is based on the FZ-1A, using discrete transistors⁸. GuitarPlayer's reviewers found it "sounds like an early Fuzz-Tone, with its slightly scooped response and frazzy fuzz sound"⁸. Gearnews describes it as "based on the exact FZ-1 raucous fuzz tone"⁹, and Premier Guitar notes that in Classic mode "it cuts through the mix like a hot knife through butter"⁶.
• Modern mode is thicker, with a slightly different voicing⁹. Performer Mag's Chris Devine found it "cleans things up a bit with more punch and presence"¹⁰, and Maestro says it also suits electric bass⁶.

Reviewers generally treated the two voices as complementary rather than redundant. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis found Classic mode had "a tightness to the bottom end that balances the raspy aggression of the treble," while Modern gave "a much thicker, less fizzy voicing that's instantly addictive and will probably prove more useful to most players"³. Devine found Classic "rich and can get plenty hairy at the same time," working well with both single-coil and humbucking pickups¹⁰.

Guitar.com scored the FZ-M 9/10, calling it "gutsy and distinctive" and "much more than just a straight retro reboot"³. GuitarPlayer's review summed it up as delivering "vintage-style Maestro tone plus modern fuzz"⁸, and MusicRadar's review team wrote that it "brings the slashing Fuzz Tone sound with fuller tones ready to dial in"¹¹.

The controls: Attack, Volume and Tone

The FZ-M keeps the original Fuzz-Tone's control names but adds a third knob. Where the FZ-1 and FZ-1A carried only Volume and Attack¹², the FZ-M has Attack, Tone and Level¹.

The Tone control is the notable addition for players comparing the FZ-M against the vintage units or their clones. Delicious Audio describes the FZ-M as "a 2022 relaunch of the original with an added Modern mode and a Tone control for more flexibility"⁴.

From the FZ-1 to the FZ-M

The FZ-M is the latest step in a lineage that began with the Maestro Fuzz-Tone FZ-1, which Gibson's Maestro division sold at a retail price of $40¹². The design was refined in 1965 and reborn as the FZ-1A¹³, with a further transistor change in the FZ-1A in 1966⁷. In 1968 the design changed again with the FZ-1B redesign¹⁴, and in the 1970s the FZ-1S Super-Fuzz updated the design with a different look and a distinctly different sound¹⁴.

The FZ-1's influence reached well beyond Maestro. Craig Hockenberry named the circuits it inspired: "Obviously, the Tone Bender and Fuzz Face, but there were so many others that followed suit"¹⁵¹⁶. Premier Guitar also groups the FZ-1 among lower-voltage vintage fuzzes, a class that behaves differently from higher-voltage designs¹⁵.

Gibson revived the Maestro brand in January 2022 with the Original Collection, timed around the FZ-1's 60th anniversary. GuitarPlayer's Rod Brakes wrote that the FZ-M "bridges the gap between those vintage sounds and contemporary tones by offering two distinct" voices⁸⁵. MusicRadar noted the new iteration aims to deliver the reedy "Stones tones" of the original while using the voicing switch to give players more range¹⁷, and the pedal was later described as the FZ-1 "reissued for a new generation as the FZ-M"¹⁸.

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