The Reeves Electro Facet FF is a small-batch fuzz pedal and a variant of the Facet IZ, the builder's take on the classic two-transistor Fuzz Face design. Where the IZ adds a tone control and its own voicing, the FF is described by Delicious Audio as "a more faithful (or entirely faithful, according to the builder) reproduction of the 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, vintage parts and all", although "quite clearly, the case is different!"1
What it does
The Facet FF belongs to Reeves Electro's Daughterboard series of hand-built fuzzes, in which designer Markus Reeves builds limited runs of pedals around carefully chosen transistors2. The FF is the variant of the Facet IZ that aims closest at the original 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, using vintage parts, while keeping a case of its own rather than copying the original enclosure1.
For a player, the difference between the two comes down to voicing. Of the IZ, Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio writes that it "surrenders some of the glassy clean-up typical of this circuit in favor of a more fat and aggressive fuzz tone" while still keeping "some of the performance's dynamics at lower guitar volumes"1. The FF is positioned as the more faithful reproduction of the two, so it is the one to look at if the goal is the original circuit's character rather than the IZ's added tone shaping1.
| Facet IZ | Facet FF | |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit | two-transistor silicon Fuzz Face design2 | two-transistor Fuzz Face design2 |
| Tone control | added tone control2 | not described as having one1 |
| Voicing | fatter, more aggressive, less glassy clean-up1 | more faithful to the 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face1 |
| Parts | specially selected transistors1 | vintage parts1 |
| Enclosure | Daughterboard-series case1 | case differs from the original Fuzz Face1 |
The Facet FF is a variant of the Facet IZ rather than a separate circuit1. It is built as a reproduction of the 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, vintage parts and all, but the case is different from the original Fuzz Face1.
Where it came from
The Facet FF sits alongside the Facet IZ as a variant on that model1. Like the IZ, it is a reproduction of the 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face built with vintage parts, although the case is different from the original Fuzz Face1.
Reeves Electro has since continued the Daughterboard series with other fuzzes:
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Reeves Electro Guitar Pedals
Questions
Is the Facet FF the same as the Facet IZ?
No. The Facet FF is a variant of the Facet IZ, which is Reeves Electro's take on a two-transistor silicon Fuzz Face with an added tone control. The FF follows the same basic design but is described as a more faithful reproduction of the 1969 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, vintage parts and all, in a case that differs from the original.
How does the Facet FF sound?
The Facet IZ, of which the FF is a variant, is described by Delicious Audio as trading some of the glassy clean-up typical of the Fuzz Face circuit for a fatter, more aggressive fuzz tone that still keeps some of the performance's dynamics at lower guitar volumes. The FF is positioned as the more faithful reproduction of the two.
Sources (2)
- Reeves Electro Facet IZ And FF, Delicious Audio, 2024-04-30
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-08
