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Vintage Pedal Experts WTF is this? (Mosrite/EH Content)

Amp360

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
852
Hi,

I was hoping you guys may be able to help me. I found this old pedal at Salvation Army. I thought (and it seems to be) a Mosrite Fuzzrite but it has Electro Harmonix written on it.
The knobs, transistors and box all are right for it to be Mosrite and I have never seen an EH box shaped like this (or with Mosrite parts) so I thought you may be able to give me some info.

Thanks!

1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg6.jpg7.jpg8.jpg
 

guitartsar

Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Messages
85
Mike Mathews (Electro Harmonix) took over production of the Fuzz rite/Foxey Lady from Mosrite in the late 60"s when they went bankrupt so this could be a very early crossover version. I've never seen that style case with the knobs on the end with an Electro Harmonix logo. The Foxey Lady that was built for Guild had the knobs on the top of the case and that later became the Electro Harmonix Axis fuzz and then the V1 Triangle Big Muff. It's a pretty rare pedal!
 

Amp360

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
852
I ended up talking to probably the most well known pedal guy out there as well as someone who has connections to EH.

They were able to ask the guy who started EH about it and it’s from when he first started his own company and was not yet using consistent enclosures, etc… but building things for people who asked him. Since he had done work for Mosrite that explains the surplus parts. They also took high res photos I sent and were able to figure out using computer software that the black Paint above/below the switch was from lettering and compared it to other examples in their collections. Also the date on the inside of the knobs put this to (IIRC) 1965.

Basically, it’s a cool pedal from a historical point of view but sound wise there really isn’t anything odd about it.
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
I could be wrong but could this be a variation on a Tone Bender ?
 

Tonekat

Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2001
Messages
566
I had a Guild Foxy Lady fuzz, and discovered an orange Mosrite chip just like that in the above photo. When it went down on me and I returned it for repair, it came back with a different chip.
 

nightraven

New member
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
Messages
3
I ended up talking to probably the most well known pedal guy out there as well as someone who has connections to EH.

They were able to ask the guy who started EH about it and it’s from when he first started his own company and was not yet using consistent enclosures, etc… but building things for people who asked him. Since he had done work for Mosrite that explains the surplus parts. They also took high res photos I sent and were able to figure out using computer software that the black Paint above/below the switch was from lettering and compared it to other examples in their collections. Also the date on the inside of the knobs put this to (IIRC) 1965.

Basically, it’s a cool pedal from a historical point of view but sound wise there really isn’t anything odd about it.
I know this pedal has since been sold, but I'm still replying to this post just for the sake of posterity.

There's nothing about this pedal that suggests that it was built by EHX. It's a Mosrite build throughout. There's also not enough of the original lettering by the footswitch visible to be able to determine what it might have originally said, and it actually doesn't match up with any known early EHX typeface that was being used. There also isn't actually a direct link between EHX and Mosrite. Mosrite produced pedals for Guild (i.e. the Foxey Lady), and EHX later took over production for Guild later on (presumably because Mosrite went bankrupt). There is no precedent for Mosrite building pedals for EHX (or indeed the other way around), and for this to be a pedal that Mosrite built for EHX as the OEM, in the way that Mosrite did for Guild, it would be a unique example, and the only known instance of an EHX-branded pedal that wasn't actually built by EHX.

This pedal is certainly unusual, but there has been a lot of jumping to conclusions, to create a narrative for it. What is absolutely certain, however, is that this is a Mosrite-built pedal, and not an EHX-built pedal. It also looks extremely likely that a battery exploded inside at some point, and that that is why the pedal has had its power switch removed. It's good practice to treat something like this simply as 'unusual' until there actually is some evidence to support any of these theories.

BTW, the pot codes on this pedal would be 1968. The Sprague 'chip' is dated 1968 too. It's all consistent with a late-production Fuzzrite.
 

Amp360

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
852
I know this pedal has since been sold, but I'm still replying to this post just for the sake of posterity.

There's nothing about this pedal that suggests that it was built by EHX. It's a Mosrite build throughout. There's also not enough of the original lettering by the footswitch visible to be able to determine what it might have originally said, and it actually doesn't match up with any known early EHX typeface that was being used. There also isn't actually a direct link between EHX and Mosrite. Mosrite produced pedals for Guild (i.e. the Foxey Lady), and EHX later took over production for Guild later on (presumably because Mosrite went bankrupt). There is no precedent for Mosrite building pedals for EHX (or indeed the other way around), and for this to be a pedal that Mosrite built for EHX as the OEM, in the way that Mosrite did for Guild, it would be a unique example, and the only known instance of an EHX-branded pedal that wasn't actually built by EHX.

This pedal is certainly unusual, but there has been a lot of jumping to conclusions, to create a narrative for it. What is absolutely certain, however, is that this is a Mosrite-built pedal, and not an EHX-built pedal. It also looks extremely likely that a battery exploded inside at some point, and that that is why the pedal has had its power switch removed. It's good practice to treat something like this simply as 'unusual' until there actually is some evidence to support any of these theories.

BTW, the pot codes on this pedal would be 1968. The Sprague 'chip' is dated 1968 too. It's all consistent with a late-production Fuzzrite.
Well, I sold it for 4 figures to a guy who has asked me not to disclose who he was. I know he was in contact with Mike Mathews who verified what I was told. At the end of the day I'm happy it went to someone who is excited to have it and I made a little money as well.

All's well that ends well :)
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
My favourite Fuzz has been the Jordan Bosstone! I got one in 1967 from a friend for $10.00. With my little Gretsch "Copy" of a Country Gentleman into my brown Fender Princeton, I could sound like Jeff Beck..
 

Tonekat

Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2001
Messages
566
My favourite Fuzz has been the Jordan Bosstone! I got one in 1967 from a friend for $10.00. With my little Gretsch "Copy" of a Country Gentleman into my brown Fender Princeton, I could sound like Jeff Beck..
I remember watching a HS classmate playing with a Jordan Bosstone into his blackface Tremolux when his band performed "Journey to The Center of the Mind". It sounded great!
 
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