Original Hendrix FF? How much will it go for???

[1wahfreak]

Hey guys, something to keep an eye on for the next 8 days......
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3379494701&category=33009

[spongebob]

Over 500$ :shock: already, and still 8 days to go!

The picture of the interior is quite interesting:



What kind of transistors are these? At least a few parts are different from the supposed original Dallas Arbiter device (here)

Any comments?

[b_rogers]

i havent seen many old fuzzface guts, but the board looks different from the one pictured at fuzzcentral. it looks like a standard silicon fuzzface circuit, but different style ground and out cap..maybe a mayer modded version? did they usually insulate the tranny base like that?

[Stuart]

I have one like that. It has BC209Cs:




Note that it's an early '70s Dallas Music Industries pedal, not a Dallas Arbiter.  The pot dates on mine are July '73.

[Fret Wire]

I wonder what Roger Mayer has to say about it. If Jimi had used it for any length of time, chances are that Roger handpicked it, and then modded it to what he now calls his classic fuzz specs. It would be interesting to hear his take on it.

[Joe Davisson]

Read between the lines, there's no guarantee as to the authenticity of this. A reputable seller would guarantee this in writing. It's probably a scam, like most other things on Ebay. Whaddya gonna do, fly to Singapore and get your money back? Gimme a break...he'll never refund the money, it probably takes a month to return something there anyway.

The resistors are stock 100k, 33k, 8.2k, and 330 ohm. Nothing modded here. Build one on perf for $5 and save $495 for an amp to play it through.

-Joe

[MRTelec]

I didn't notice it was in Sigapore.   :shock:   But,  344 feedback with 99.4% positive...

[phillip]

Stuart has all the neat stuff  Are the BC209C transistors still available anywhere?

Phillip

[brian wenz]

Yeah, Hello Hello--
       Avoid this one like the plague!   I'm sure somebody with more money then brains will  gladly invest in the fantasy of owning "a piece of rock history"  but if there is no guarantee then screw 'em!
I've seen all kinds of things get sold as  "belonging to so-and-so" when all that happened was they picked it up in a music store to check it out and then put it down again!
A big clue here is that it is  un-modded [by Mayer or anyone else] when it comes from the era that Hendrix was clearly using the Axis circuit.  Hey, somebody needs to check the dates on the pots, too!   Also, any original Hendrix stuff would probably NOT be sold on ebay for this [kind of low] price.
I seem to remember talking to Ammscray about the seller, too.
Brian.

[phillip]

Check out the circuit board in that one compared to Stuart's original one.  In the eBay unit, the circuit board is see-through, while all the other Dallas Fuzz Faces that I've seen have the brown circuit board that you can't see the traces through.

I don't know for sure if Dallas used the type of circuit board material that the traces show through or not...but it's something to look into anyway

Phillip

[Kilby]

Personally I would rather have the poster that is shown in the auction catalogue (Floyd, Hendrix, The Move & Amen Corner & several others).

As that was one Floyds of only two appearences in Belfast (where I live) and as far as I know the only Hendrix appearence.

Rob...

[brian wenz]

Hello Kilby--
   Yeah, I agree with that!
Has it ever been determined what fuzz Syd Barrett was using on that first album??  A bunch of English players back then were using Vox Tonebenders [as well as Maestro Fuzzes and some  other Shin-Ei Japanese stuff] and anything pre-'66  [pre-Fuzz Face!]  is worth investigating!.
Brian.

[Kilby]

Sorry if this is a bit OT.

I'm sure that Barrett did use a FF at some point, as PF & Hendrix did a pretty long tour together and often shared venues in London, and anybody who used up to 12 echo boxes at once is sure to have used a FF.

Well over the last few weeks I have spent a hell of a lot of time listening to 'See Emily Play" and "Astronomy Domine" in as much detail as my tin ear allows (from the echoes compilation) so simply try and play the songs.

Neither the Fuzz Face or Tonebender sound right for Barretts sound at that point, though the Tonebender sounds closer (though I'm very likely wrong).

Selmer amps are often mentioned in connection with Barrett, and there is  a FF one in the background of Mick Rocks photos for the Madcap album.

Have a look at  http://www.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk/features/john_cavanagh/ as he mentions some of Barretts guitar techniques.

I may try contacting Mr Cavanagh.

Rob...

[bobbletrox]

$2,800 with 8 days to go?

The highest bidder so far (tinycrumb) recently bought a Tycobrahe Parapedal for $640, a Tycobrahe Pedal Flanger for $740, a Charlie Hunter 8 String Guitar for $2,500, a Jimi Hendrix autographed Axis Bold for $4,000, & an Illustration of Jimi Hendrix for $6,000.

This person obviously has the dough to back his bid up!  Obviously, they're either rich or working for Hard Rock Cafe or something.

[Bluesgeetar]

Jimi's early FF used AC128. I never built any tonebenders.
--
Kindest regards,
Roger Mayer
www.roger-mayer.co.uk


I posted this email from him a ways back but I don't think no one cared or gave a flip then, but maybe it is appropriate now.  Note he says JH early FF.

[Ge_Whiz]

I think that Stuart's picture is most revealing - I don't remember such brightly coloured wire insulation as appears in the 'Jimi' unit back in the 60s and 70s - it was always more pastel, like Stuart's. Also, my old 60s Ge unit certainly had an opaque SRBP printed circuit board, not translucent.

[Ammscray]

I can say I did see a board like this in a dallas industries "deep dish" FF, the shell that they used for a short time that was about 1 1/4 inches high...looked pretty cool and most of them were blue...but that was the only time, every other board was brown...

I just don't see how Jimi could've played it since this thing is like 72-73??

I wish I could get ahold of G Oliver, I used to know him well back in the early 80's when the manager of the metal band I was in used to be Saxon's photographer...real nice guy and a real Hendrix fanatic (like myself)

Oh FWIW I really like the sound of the BC209C's!

[Ammscray]

Thought you guys might like to see this pic of an original FF from 70 or so that I restored for a guy because the guts were gone...I etched the board, chose colored wires as close as I could get...used some AB pots and it sounds great! Anyways, I know I'm not the only guy that's done it!

[Paul Marossy]

I'm sure some fool will pay $5000 or more for it.
Oh, look, it's true bypass, too. Were they all like that?

[Nasse]

How bout using that brown board material, ask little less and claim that it is some little less famous guitar hero´s old pedal...

:lol: Just kidding, but be aware of fakes...