This all started when I finally decided to try an Axis fuzz a few months back. Now, for all my Hendrix obsession, I have never really spent all that much time exploring his different fuzz tones. I got an Analog Man NKT275 Sunface way back in 2002 or 2003, and have been so hapy with it that until recently I never went looking for much else. I've owned a Fulltone 69 and 70, and tried a few others, but only the Sunface has stayed. If forced to choose, early (66-67) Jimi is probably my favourite Hendrix era, at least that's where I started. EL is my fave Hendrix *album*, but for me it all started with AYE. And another album I got early on in my Hendrix infatuation was the BBC Sessions CD on Rykodisc back in the early 90s.
The Sunface is perfect for most of the AYE tones and works quite well for BBC tones and EL tones too with some tweaking (it does have an input trimmer which allows it to work a little better with a wah, although that does of course affect the saturation of the fuzz full up).
Fast forward to earlier this fall, and I decided to finally try an Axis Fuzz. So many people had claimed it was the sound for BOG, Woodstock *and* the Axis album fuzz tones, and some have insisted it was the sound for the fall 67 BBC tones. I got a late 90s Roger Mayer Axis, and was altogether rather disappointed. I could hear some qualities that I liked: tighter, brighter, better on chords. All qualities that I could hear in those BBC tracks. And in a chain with lots of curly cords, Uni-Vibe preamp, daisy chained amps (like the actual BOG setup), it works fairly well for more of a mid-gain fuzz boost (which is what I believe the BOG fuzz to be). So with that kind of setup, it can get reasonably close to BOG...but only ballpark close. But ultimately, I think it's a good idea that's poorly executed. It just sounds thin, bright and harsh, and has none of the qualities that I expect from a good *fuzz*; woody, harmonically rich, flutey and sustaining. I simply do not accept that this is the same circuit/pedal/transistors that was used on the Axis album, or the BBC sessions (or BOG, for that matter), no matter what Roger Mayer the salesman says. Listen to the solo on Bold as Love, for instance: super warm, blooming, yet fuzzy and tight. It just "jumps" out in exactly the right way. The RM Axis by comparison sounds completely one-dimensional and undynamic, let alone much brighter and harsher.
I got talking with Stuart Castledine when I was ordering a drop-in wah PCB from him. I had intended to do that for ages, but there were always other priorities. I already have another fuzz of his, the Supa Mk I, which is a clone of an extremely rare prototype Marshall Supafuzz. He owns one of only two(?) known examples of the original. When I got that one a few years ago, my jaw dropped to the floor. It's a stunning fuzz, midway between a Mk I and Mk II Tonebender. It proved to me that Stu has a way with fuzz, that's for sure. I really can't recommend that fuzz enough, but I definitely like it best into a clean amp (the case with all Tonebenders IMO). I am digressing, but my point is that Castledine isn't just any old hack with a soldering gun. His wahs are very highly regarded, and his Supra-Vibe is an excellent Uni-Vibe replica including the preamp which can be used also in bypass.
Stu had noticed me posting about the Axis on TGP, and he shared my sentiments about the RM Axis. He then told me that the Axis, as well as Octavia/o, are very similar circuits that *both* were clearly copied from the uniqe preamp in the recording console at Olympic Studios. That console was apparently designed by a guy called Dick Swettenham who later went on to found a company called Helios. Now, this isn't really new info to a lot of people in the know, in fact, there was a guy on the forum who talked about it a little while back. But to me, I've never really delved deep into this before, and I've never built a pedal (only lots of amps) nor studied fuzz schematics. Stu told me he had built his own "Axis" fuzz using silicon transistors, but based on a schematic that is closer to the original Olympic console preamp than the one RM builds today, and to his ears it sounded much better than the current RM Axis. So I asked whether he would build me a clone to buy and he agreed. I also mentioned my love of those BBC sessions and that being just as much reason for me to search out a "better" Axis type fuzz. Stu then said he had speculated whether Roger Mayer may have used germanium transistors in his first Olympic-based fuzzes. After all, the Olympic console used germanium transistors, and at the time (67) that this fuzz first came into existence, silicon transistors were still considerably more expensive than germaniums. So Stu made up a prototype germanium based "true" Axis fuzz ("true" meaning it is closer to the Olympic preamp), which he thought really nailed those late 67 BBC session sounds.
I am talking about the two sessions recorded October 6 and December 15. Tracks like Drivin South, Catfish Blues, Little Miss Lover, Spanish Castle Magic, Day Tripper and Hear My Train A Comin'. I love, love, love those fuzz sounds!! Ripping, tight, screaming, blooming, flutey fuzz tones, that even work well with a wah! That feedback squeal at the end of Day Tripper has to be the single greatest squeal ever - it sounds like 10000 wild horses screaming!
So, this pedal is what we believe to be the original Axis fuzz pedal, one that Jimi started using in the fall of 67 and used on those BBC sessions, and probably on several Axis album tracks. Again, the current RM Axis sounds nothing like this and is a silicon based fuzz. We don't have anything to base our assumptions on other than sound, and the fact that this is a circuit that is much closer to the Olympic studio console preamps. So we decided to call it the Olympic Fuzz. Stu even used the original logo from Olympic Studios on the pedal!
Soooo...the pedal arrived today....more to follow...
