Boss FZ-3 Fuzz

The FZ2 was an extreme fuzz. You could get some ridiculous sounds out of it, and it's a staple in the stoner metal community. However, not everybody wanted that extreme fuzz sound. Boss revised their main fuzz pedal to be more like the classic 60s style fuzz that you're used to hearing. The pedal features a level, tone and fuzz knob for shaping the sound, and it also has a FET buffer installed in it to help boost your signal and keep it a bit consistent.

UTILIZATION

The pedal is housed in the famous Boss enclosure. These have been proven throughout time as being some of the most reliable pedal enclosures out there. I've toured with Boss pedals throughout my entire career, and they rarely ever fail. If they do, they're also easy to fix. The finish on this is a nice, hammered style silver that looks great. Mine had a few scuffs on it, but it was no big deal as it was a used pedal. The controls are easy to get to, just like every Boss pedal out there. It sucks a little bit of tone with the FET bypass, but it's not too terrible. There are worse pedals out there.

SOUND QUALITY

The fuzz in this is a very classic style fuzz. If you wanted that old school Hendrix style fuzz tone going on, this can do it. It's not quite as good as the old Dunlop fuzz pedals, but it gets the job done when you need that classic fuzz. I actually like modifying these a bit to help make them a bit more organic sounding. If you're interested in that, search the internet for a few mods out there for these pedals. They can really make this thing come alive and make it a bit more useful.

OVERALL OPINION

If you need a solid fuzz that's not going to cost a ton of money, this could be exactly what you're looking for. It's a solid fuzz; not the best, but far from the worst. Great if you just need something basic to get you going, but I'm not sure if it would suit those guys out there who are looking for that experimental/industrial kind of sound.

This is the revised Fuzz box from Boss pedals. This would have come right after the finalized Boss FZ-2 pedal. This pedal had a short life span and only lasted on the market for two years. Pretty much the same lifespan of the previous Boss Fz-2.

This pedal is a lot simpler than the Boss Fz-2. Not that the Boss FZ-2 was difficult but this pedal simplified it down to three control knobs. You had a level for the overall volume of the pedal. Next you have a tone knob that would control how bright or dark the pedal would get. Finally, you had a Fuzz control knob that would give you distortion/fuzz. This is basically the same operation as the famous Electro Harmonics Big Muff. On that pedal you had a sustain knob for the fuzz.

UTILIZATION

Specifications

Controls: Level, Tone, Fuzz
Connectors: Input, Output, AC Adaptor
Current Draw: 6 mA (DC 9V)
Recommended AC Adaptor: PSA Series


SOUND QUALITY

This pedal doesn't use any integrated circuit so the tone is a lot more pure and natural. This pedal will sound much better than the previous Boss Fz-2. You will get a purer signal and a clarity that will be retained within the natural voicing of the unit.

This pedal goes great with a single coil guitar. If you use this is a clean Marshall plexi type amp with a Fender Stratocaster then you will get some great Jimi Hendrix type tones. The pedal breaks up nicely as you dial up or in the fuzz knob. It gets thicker and chewier the more you give it.

OVERALL OPINION

These pedals have been discontinued so the used market is the only way to go at this point. I have seen them for right around $100 or so. They are not as easy to find as the Boss Fz-2 but they are definitely out there and at a good price point. If you have the room on your pedal board then I would go with an Electro harmonics Big Muff. That to me is still my favorite fuzz box on the market today.

The Boss FZ-3 is a fuzz pedal designed for use with electric guitar. You can definitely use it with other electronic instruments if you wanted to since it just has simple 1/4" connections for input and output. I've only got experience with the pedal with electric guitar, which is what the pedal is originally intended for. Like all Boss pedals of this size, you can power this either with a nine volt power supply or battery. It isn't rack mountable as it is a stomp box.

UTILIZATION

There isn't anything difficult to understand about the Boss FZ-3 when it comes to using it. It's got all of the standard parameters that you'd expect with a distortion, overdrive, or fuzz pedal, and nothing else. Those parameters are for level, tone, and fuzz, and as experienced distortion pedal users will tell you, this is a pretty common make up. Since it's so easy to use, a manual isn't necessary.

SOUND QUALITY

While the Boss FZ-3 doesn't have the type of fuzz sound that I usually go for, it still sounds quite good. It's overall a pretty dirty sounding pedal, but you can keep it in check if you want to by keeping the 'fuzz' parameter down at like two or three. I've used the pedal in the recording studio with a Fender Strat and a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. While the pedal certainly did the job well, there are other fuzz pedals that I like over this one. I look for a whole lot of grit when it comes to fuzz pedals, and there are other ones out there that have more than this one.

OVERALL OPINION

While the Boss FZ-3 fuzz pedal will definitely do the job more times than not, I'd encourage those interested in picking up a fuzz pedal to explore your options a bit. There are plenty of fuzz pedals out there, as well as other overdrives and distortions, so having an idea about what you're after is really half the battle. If you do decide you're looking for a fuzz pedal like this, I'd recommend also checking out the Dunlop Fuzz Face and some other fuzz pedals before making your choice...