With four different Fuzz Faces in the Dunlop stable, we get a lot of players asking us what distinguishes one from another. The differences range from subtle to obvious depending on which two models you compare—it takes a discerning ear. But you don’t have to be Eric Johnson to tell them apart.

Way Huge founder and Fuzz Face guru Jeorge Tripps recently sat down with Voodoo Lab’s VP of Marketing James Santiago for a demonstration of all of the Fuzz Faces side by side in high quality, crystal clear audio. Jeorge gives you a look under the hood of each pedal and explains the components that most affect their tone. James uses a Strat and a Les Paul through a Marshall, playing multiple riffs and licks consistently for each Fuzz Face so you get honest, accurate comparisons.

For more information, follow the links below:

Fuzz Face

Eric Johnson Signature Fuzz Face

Joe Bonamassa Signature Fuzz Faces

Jimi Hendrix Signature Fuzz Face

We often find ourselves backstage when our artists are on the road. We had the privilege to hang out behind the scenes at a recent Mastodon/Opeth/Ghost show, and it got us thinking about backstage conduct. Below are three important guidelines to follow if you find yourselves backstage at a gig.

1. Let people work. You might be there to have a good time, but most people are there to do a job. Don’t mess with that. Avoid talking to people who are setting up equipment or are otherwise busy doing something. If you see people carrying stuff, hug the wall.

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2. Don’t take anything without being offered. Any food or beverages, including beer, have been provided for the artists. Partake if you’re offered (and do not overindulge), but if you aren’t offered, don’t even ask.

3. Be respectful. This rule is the sum of the others. Be invisible. Speak when spoken to. Don’t go looking for pictures and autographs—almost everyone is on the job, including the artists. They’re mentally preparing for their gig before the show and trying to relax and unwind afterward. Backstage is the last place they want to deal with an uber fan. Respect that.

If that sounds a bit harsh and a bit stuffy, them’s the breaks. The show is onstage, not backstage. The likelihood that you’re going to party like a rockstar is very small—that stuff rarely happens at venues anymore. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to get stone cold treatment, either—artists and roadies and backstage crew are like anyone else. Some will want to hang out, others won’t. Just play it cool.

Share your backstage stories with us. Did you play it cool?

Since we’ve been talking about Flangers today on Facebook and Twitter, we figured we should make the MXR M177r Flanger today’s Friday Giveaway prize.

The MXR Flanger creates a variety of wild sounds from dynamic jet plane or cool space effects to short delay, chorus and vibrato. Back off Width to zero to disengage auto-sweep, then use the Manual knob to physically place the effect anywhere along the frequency spectrum; use with guitar, bass, keyboards or vocals!

To enter to win this awesome Flanger, use the comments section below to tell us all about your favorite Flange-drenched guitar (or bass, keyboards or vocal) line — who plays it, which song, and which album it’s on.

(This giveaway is open to US residents only. We’ll announce the winner next Thursday 5/17.)

UPDATE THURSDAY 5/17: Congratulations to Joey R. of Richardson, TX, the winner of this Dunlop Friday Giveaway! Stay tuned, we announce a new Dunlop Giveaways (almost) every Friday!

We’re so stoked on the new MXR Bass Envelope Filter demo video, we thought it was a perfect candidate for today’s Dunlop Friday Giveaway.

The Bass Envelope Filter delivers classic, analog, envelope filter sounds in an easy-to-use and compact pedal designed specifically for bass. Separate Dry and Effect controls let you dial in the perfect mix of effected and direct signals, so you can bring the funk without losing the low end. Its wide range of filter tones can be shaped with the Decay and Q controls, and a simple twist of the Sensitivity knob can tailor the pedal for your attack—as well as adjust for passive or active basses. The Bass Envelope Filter’s power supply circuitry is designed to withstand over-voltage or polarity mishaps, and its true-bypass switching preserves your tone in bypass mode. It’s all packaged in a durable, lightweight, Phase 90-size aluminum housing for the ultimate in portability and pedalboard space-saving dimensions.

In case you missed it, here’s our new MXR Bass Envelope Filter demo video, featuring Tim Lefevbre…

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Enter to win this awesome bass effect by using the comments section below to tell us about your favorite envelope filter-laden bass line—what song, who played it, on what album?

(This giveaway is open to US residents only. We’ll announce the winner next Thursday 5/10.)

We’re digging into the archives for this week’s Friday Giveaway item—an MXR M86 Classic Distortion!

This limited little beauty is currently unavailable, save the occasional eBay auction, and was only sold through Guitar Center a couple of years ago. It contains a similar circuit to the classic MXR Distortion III, and is housed in a sexy black case with custom graphics, simple controls and bonehead simple setup. And it really roars—from gritty overdrive to dark and mean distortion, the MXR Classic Distortion is a timeless bedrock tone shaping device.

Enter to win this rare effect by using the comments section to tell us about your favorite classic distortion tone—which song, who played it, on which album?

(This giveaway is open to US residents only; we’ll announce a winner next Thursday, May 4.)

UPDATE Thursday 5/03: Congratulations to Brodi K. of Wakefield, MI, winner of this giveaway! Check our Facebook page or Twitter feed every Friday for more Dunlop Giveaways!

From his distinctive look to his timeless riffs and unmistakable tone, Slash is one of the most recognizable rock guitarists of all time. When it was time to create a line of signature pedals, he turned to his friends at Dunlop.

Slash took time out of rehearsals for his upcoming Apocalyptic Love tour to talk about his new signature Slash Octave Fuzz and Slash Cry Baby Classic.

Talk a little bit about what got you into wah and fuzz in the first place. What were the songs that featured those effects that made a big impact on you?

One of the big influences was Jeff Beck with Rod Stewart doing “I Ain’t Superstitious.” It was this insane wah pedal with distortion—a really unique application that always stuck with me. There were certain things that Jimi Hendrix did with fuzz and octave that I thought were really cool. I’ve always wanted to be able to pull off something along those lines.

You’re not exactly known as a big effect guy.

I have a limited amount of effects that I use, and most of them are effects that I physically control myself, like the wah or the talk box. But the fuzz and the octave up are an extension of the sound that I’m already using—which is an overdriven tube amp. I just want to add a little to that, and that’s what this new Slash Octave Fuzz pedal does.

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What did you want with the Slash Octave Fuzz?

There are some octave fuzz tones on records that I love, but the pedals that created them are very unpredictable. They’re hard to use live and even hard to control in the studio. So I talked to the guys at Dunlop and I told them that there should be a pedal that can just nail those sounds reliably. That’s where the Slash Octave Fuzz comes in. I worked with them and we made a fuzz that’s controllable, with a low octave that didn’t warble too much—that took a bit of work—plus a vintage high octave fuzz and the ability to mix the two.

Do you play differently when you step on the Slash Octave Fuzz?

I’m using it right now in rehearsals for the upcoming tour. The big thing for me is this feeling of confidence—knowing that the tone you’re going for, you can rely on it. You can get into the zone that you need to and play what you want to play. If you have something that doesn’t work properly and reliably, it really interferes with and distracts from what you’re doing. When I step on this pedal and it works so well, it allows me to really play my ass off.

Will you choose different registers to play your lines when you’re using the Octave Fuzz?

No. We designed and voiced this pedal to work over the entire range of the guitar, so I feel like I have the freedom to go anywhere on the fretboard.

Did you use this pedal on your new record?

I used it for a song called “Carolina.” It was in addition to a talk box part, which is a pretty unique combination. I had the amp relatively clean and put this pedal over the top. I used the high octave sound for the song “No More Heroes.” That’s a really cool tone. This is really a flexible pedal that can be set a bunch of different ways. If you’re going for a screaming, Hendrix-y thing, you might turn the high octave up a bit and the fuzz down a little. Or, you can crank the fuzz and dial back the octave. For the parts I’m using it on, I’m looking for it to be even with the guitar tone—not too extreme. You hear it but it’s not overbearing.

Talk about the Slash Cry Baby Classic. What do you look for in a wah pedal in terms of sweep, tone, treble response, and output?

I don’t know if I can verbally describe it, but I need the highs, when the pedal is wide open, to be bright but not out of the stratosphere. I need the sweep to be smooth. I need a nice smooth arc, from the midrangey sound on the bottom—which can’t be too bassy or overly throaty—to the highs, which need to be sweet. I need to be able to hear the note all along the way. The note can’t get lost in the lows and it can’t get lost in the highs. That gives me a fully pronounced wah tone but not that processed sounding wah, which is hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it.

How is this wah different from your last signature model and why the changes?

My first signature wah was very much a professional recording and live wah. You had to spend some time with it and know what you were doing to really control the distortion and use it. This one is much more straightforward.

Did you use it on your latest record?

Yeah. On the title track, “Apocalyptic Love,” and on “Bad Rain.” Those are the two main wah tunes.

Even if you don’t seem like an “effect guy,” you definitely seem like a wah guy.

It’s just one of the great guitar effects of all time. I’ve always felt very natural using a wah pedal. It fits me. It’s timeless.

Check out our MXR demo of the Slash Octave Fuzz below!

We’re pretty excited to see the new Bob Marley documentary, Marley. It looks great, check out this trailer…

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Seems like a fitting time to giveaway a Bob Marley Accessories pack, so this week, two (2) lucky winners will become the proud owners of one (1) Dunlop Bob Marley Signature Guitar Strap (winners’ choice), all four (4) Dunlop Bob Marley Collectors Pick Tins—both the Rasta Series and the Silver Portrait Series—and a 6-pack of Dunlop Strings (any type, winners’ choice).

Use the comments section below to tell us how Bob’s music and legacy speaks to you, and you’ll be entered to win this prize pack. We’ll announce the winner next Thursday 4/26.

We’ve been cleaning up and setting up a bunch of the instruments around the shop lately, and it’s put us in an accessories frame of mind. So…this week’s Friday Giveaway is a Dunlop Strings & Accessories Pack!

We’re offering one winner their choice of a guitar or bass accessories collection: a Formula 65 Polish Kit, a supply of Dunlop Strings (6-pack of guitar strings or 3-pack of bass strings, any type), one set of Dunlop Dual Design StrapLoks (black or chrome), a RoadPro Stringwinder (guitar or bass), and a 12-pack of Tortex Picks (choice of gauge).

Enter to win this Dunlop Accessory Pack by using the comments section below to tell us how often and to what extent you apply a little TLC to your instruments.

Open to US residents only. We’ll select and announce a winner next Thursday 4/19.

UPDATE 4/19: Congratulations to Kyle C. of Merced, CA, who won last week’s Dunlop Friday Giveaway: the Dunlop Strings & Accessories Pack! Stay tuned, we announce fresh giveaways most Fridays!

Jim Marshall built Marshall Amplification from the ground up in 1962, creating the Marshall Sound with his revolutionary guitar amplifiers and providing the firepower that the world’s biggest rockstars have relied on ever since. He passed yesterday at the age of 88, and while he will surely be missed, he will not be forgotten.

Jim Dunlop had these words to say about his old friend: “I am very proud to have known Jim, and I would say he was the personification of the words “a trooper.” He was definitely one of a kind, and may he lie in peace at last. God rest his soul.”

This week’s giveaway item is fresh off the MXR / CAE production line!

The MC406 CAE Buffer is a solid little utility box that most players don’t know they need until they try it.

When you run your signal from your instrument to your amp though long cables and/or through a large array of effects with varying impedances, there’s bound to be some signal degradation. Placing the MC406 Buffer in your signal chain addresses this issue.

- It’s a low-noise buffer in a small, rugged housing;

- it can add up to +6dB of gain with the front-facing gain slider;

- it makes up for signal loss that can occur when combining effects with different impedence levels;

- it fine-tunes signal recovery with Hi and Lo cut switches;

- it has an extra output for a tuner, separate effects chain or amp, and can be set to receive either a buffered or unbuffered signal;

- it also features a convenient 9VDC power output jack provides power for another pedal.

It truly is a mighty utility with a small footprint—an ideal addition to any effects rig or pedalboard!

Enter to win the MC406 CAE Buffer: Use the comments section below to tell us how you buff up your tone. We’ll choose a winner at random next Thursday 4/12…

UPDATE 4/13/2012: Congratulations to Frank B. of Bismarck, ND, who won last week’s Dunlop Friday Giveaway, the MXR / CAE Buffer! Watch this blog, “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with new giveaways every Friday!