Blend Vintage Octave Fuzz with Swirling Shoegaze Sonics
Kevin Shields is no stranger to fuzz pedals. Across three albums fronting shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine, Shields’ offset-equipped barrage of buzz-saw tones and enveloping walls of distortion has seen him utilize likely hundreds of different fuzzboxes. One of Kevin’s self-admitted favorite stompboxes is his vintage 1970s Fender Blender, a rather rare octave-fuzz pedal he favors for its raw, noisy vibe and interactive feel. The Fender Shields Blender is an exacting sonic re-creation of Kevin’s personal Fender Blender, upgraded with a new control set and a few welcome modern utility upgrades. At Kevin’s request, the Shields Blender now features double the knobs and double the switches of the original, boasting two distinct channels of fuzz, expanded octave control, an explosive Sag section, and versatile blend features. Plug in your offset, toss in a (reverse) reverb or three, and the Fender Shields Blender will instantly transform your tone into a cacophony of swirling shoegaze soundscapes!
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Two switchable channels of fuzz
While the original Fender Blender sported a more-or-less traditional set of stompbox controls, the Shields Blender significantly ups your sonic potential with two footswitchable channels of fuzz, activated by pressing the Octave footswitch.
- Channel one: This Channel offers a blend between the fuzz signal and your dry guitar signal, allowing you to mix in your cleans to add a touch of clarity to the Shields Blender’s turbulent tone.
- Channel two: The second channel operates more like a traditional fuzzbox, but blends your signal with a monophonic sub-octave fuzz. Moreover, this pedal’s massive-sounding octave effect provides a sweeping 3-octave range!
Tweed-inspired reactive Sag circuit
An all-new addition to the Fender Blender formula is the Shield Blender’s reactive sag circuit, a chaotic control supplying an explosion of sputtering distortion. How does it work? Cranking up the Sag circuit starves the transistors of power, mimicking the much-sought-after tube rectifier sag found in Fender’s classic tweed-era amplifiers. When testing the Shields Blender out at Sweetwater, we were stunned by how dynamic and reactive this effect is — even subtle shifts in pick placement and attack result in drastically different tones.
Fender Shields Blender Fuzz Pedal Features:
- Based on the personal Fender Blender Fuzz of Kevin Shields — leader of My Bloody Valentine and arguably shoegaze’s most influential guitarist
- Fender's very first signature fuzz pedal
- Circuit hand-traced from Kevin’s original pedal for the utmost sonic authenticity
- Offers all the tones of an original 1970s Fender Blender, with the addition of a greatly expanded control section and enhanced sonic options
- Double the footswitches and double the knobs of the original pedal
- 2-channel design swaps between a deep octave fuzz and a dry/wet blend
- Each channel sports dedicated controls, allowing you to craft two drastically different fuzz tones to swap between
- Exceptionally Dynamic Sag circuit captures the wild and touch-sensitive feel of traditional tube-rectifier-style sag
- Heavy-duty angled brush aluminum chassis with vinyl appointments, inspired by the suave 1970s style of the original Fender Blender
- True bypass switching to keep your tone clear when the pedal is turned off
- Can be powered by a 9V battery or an optional power adapter
