MG-FX014

The Danelectro Nichols 1966 is a unique hybrid fuzz and distortion pedal that modernises a rare, proprietary 1960s circuit architecture. Far from a standard clone, it delivers a highly dynamic, touch-sensitive dirt sound that sits perfectly between smooth overdrive, focused distortion, and raspy, full-blown garage rock fuzz. The 1966 Origin Story The pedal is a reissue of the first stomp box ever designed by Steve Ridinger (founder of FOXX pedals and current owner of Danelectro). In 1966, as a 14-year-old living in Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, Ridinger wanted a fuzz pedal but had no money or access to schematics. Through trial and error in his parents' garage, he engineered a completely unique three-transistor circuit from scratch, dubbed "The Liverpool Fuzz Tone". He built the first few by hand and ultimately sold around 3,000 units while still in high school. More than 50 years later, that rare circuit returns under the "Nichols 1966" moniker. Control Layout & Features Housed in a distressed, vintage-style enclosure with retro Bakelite-style "arrow" knobs, the layout offers classic tone-shaping alongside modern flexibility:

• Fuzz & Drive: Highly interactive controls. Lowering the fuzz while turning up the drive delivers soft-clipping, tube-like overdrive. Cranking the fuzz yields a hairy, characterful saturation. Blending both pushes the pedal into a thick, compressed, doomy sustain.
• Tone: Acts less like a standard high-cut filter and more like an active shaper. Low settings give a sludgy, bloated doom feel, while higher settings emulate a wiry, articulate treble-booster character.
• Volume: Controls the overall output level.
• Stock / Mid-Cut Toggle Switch: The "Stock" setting preserves the full-range voicing of the original 1966 circuit. Switching to "Mid-Cut" scoops the midrange frequencies for a slightly slimmer, tighter, and raspy modern response.

Sonic Character and DynamicsThe Nichols 1966 stands out for its exceptional reactivity to picking dynamics and the guitar's volume knob. Unlike traditional diode-clipping fuzzes that turn muddy or thin when rolled back, rolling off your guitar's volume knob cleans the signal up beautifully into a crisp, articulate rhythm tone. It retains a remarkably thick, warm low-end that is never scratchy, making it adaptable to clean, bright, or dark amplifiers alike.