Thanks to my buddy Ed for giving me a heads-up about this one, I picked up this Shin-ei FY-2 fuzz that was in need of repair. It didn’t take much convincing for me to jump on the opportunity to experience this cool vintage fuzz and bring it back to life. Ed pointed out that it was an early version because it features a switched volume pot and germanium transistors, unlike the later versions, which used silicon transistors, had a different faceplate and knobs, and eliminated the switch on the volume potentiometer.
I replaced all of the faulty electrolytic capacitors and thoroughly cleaned the pedal inside and out. I did everything I could to make it look as nice as possible. The pedal was missing one of its original knobs, so I modified a very similar set of 1960s Japanese knob from my parts stash to create a close match. I also printed and installed a reproduction schematic label, just as these pedals originally had from the factory.
The pedal is now 100% functional and sounds fantastic. It delivers the raw, aggressive fuzz tone that made these early Shin-ei pedals so distinctive and influential.
Guitar-Restos 