Shin-ei Astron FY-6 Super Fuzz

The Shin-ei Astron FY-6 Super Fuzz is a limited edition fuzz pedal from Shin-ei, the Japanese company whose original FY-6 Super Fuzz was produced from 1968 until the late 1970s¹². It is branded "ASTRON" rather than Shin-ei, and Shin-ei describes it as "an exact 100% identical clone of our current 1968 Shin-ei FY-6 Super Fuzz"³⁴⁵. The first production run was limited to twenty-five signed and numbered units, offered as a Black Friday special at $398.00³.

A Super Fuzz branded Astron

The Astron FY-6 sits inside Shin-ei's current lineup of reproductions of its own 1960s circuits, alongside the Shin-ei Companion FY-2 Fuzz Box Reproduction⁸. Where the regular FY-6 reproduction carries the Shin-ei name, the Astron is branded "ASTRON", and its stainless steel bottom has "Super Fuzz" printed on it, which Shin-ei calls "a tribute to the old days"³⁴⁵.

Shin-ei says it "duplicated the original electronic circuitry of the FY-6 and recreated its original magic," using "the highest quality original design Matsushita/Panasonic transistors," and that it is "almost impossible to tell the difference between an original and our current unit"⁵. The enclosure follows the original too, from the foil label to the recessed control area on the steel box⁵.

The original FY-6 has a long brand history behind it. The circuit was sold for almost a decade under different brand names¹. TONEHOME notes the Shin-ei Rands Super Fuzz FY-6 was made in Japan by Shin-ei in 1977, and calls the FY-6 "probably the most sought after Japanese fuzz pedal of the 70s," with production numbers that "have presumably reached a couple of 10,000s"¹. Aion FX adds that the circuit is "best known for being re-branded as the Univox Super Fuzz"⁹, and tru-fi lists further variations including the Ibanez Standard Fuzz and an FY-6 Super Fuzz by Yamaha¹⁰. General Guitar Gadgets distinguishes the FY-6 from the earlier FY-2, noting the FY-6 "is the re-branded Super Fuzz"¹¹.

Controls: Balance, Expander and the Tone slider

The Astron FY-6 keeps the original control layout. The unit is controlled by the Balance and Expander knobs and a slider switch selecting Tone 1 and 2, all located on the left side of the unit⁶.

Versions and pricing

Shin-ei sells two current versions of the FY-6 circuit, distinguished by product code and run size⁵¹³⁶:

Both are reproductions of the original 1968 Shin-ei branded FY-6 Super Fuzz⁷¹³⁴, and both ship now⁷¹³⁴. The Astron uses original design Matsushita/Panasonic transistors and a steel enclosure with a recessed control area, finished with the original "Shin-ei" foil label⁵.

The Astron is not the only modern take on the circuit. The Honey Baby Crying FY-6 Super Fuzz is a reissue released by Honey Co. Ltd, the same company that launched the Super Fuzz, listed at $498 and up¹⁴. Delicious Audio noted of that reissue's price that "At almost $500 it may break some budgets"¹⁵.

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