Fender Blender Modifications
The Fender Blender is a fuzz pedal designed and released by Fender in 1968. In terms of classic fuzz pedals, the Blender came on the market relatively late in the game. Maestro released their FZ-1 in 1962 and the Arbiter Fuzz Face had already been melting faces for two years.
In 2010, Fender came out with a reissued version of the original Blender. The modifications provided here apply mainly to the reissued version of the Fender Blender.
- Volume Fix Mod
- True Bypass + LED Mod
- Jack Swap Mod
Fender Blender Mods
Volume Fix Mod
The reissued Fender Blender has a noticeable volume drop and a lack of character compared to the original circuit. The Volume Fix Mod for the Fender Blender adds the character back into the pedal and relieves it of the volume drop.
Note that the Volume Fix Mod comes free with the purchase of the True Bypass + LED Mod (see below).
If you’d like to DIY, I’ve written a how-to article here. Disclaimers apply.
True Bypass + LED Mod
The Fender Blender has vintage roots, and in that era the amount of pedals a guitarist would use would be relatively slim. Because of this, there was little need to add indicator lights when manufacturing pedals (and let’s be real, you’d know when the Blender’s spinning).
The True Bypass + LED Mod brings the Fender Blender into the 21st century by introducing two indicator lights to the front panel: one for ON/OFF status and one for Tone Boost status. This mod can be done on both the reissue or the original Fender Blender.
If you’d like to DIY, I’ve written a small write-up on converting the Fender Blender to True Bypass.
Jack Swap Mod
The Fender Blender comes with the input jack installed on the left and the output jack installed on the right. Usually, for guitar pedals the signal flows from right to left. The Jack Swap Mod rewires and swaps the input and output jacks and adds P-touch labeling (black letters on white background) over the Guitar/Amp text.
Fender Blender vs. Fender Blender Reissue – How to Tell?
To find out which version Fender Blender you have all you need to do is open the back panel to expose the circuit board. Compare it with the photos below to find out which version you have:
The Shields Limited Edition Fender Blender
In 2023, Fender released a limited edition run of Fender Blenders as a signature to Kevin Shields – best known for being the vocalist and guitarist in My Bloody Valentine. The Shields Blender has SMD components and the jacks are in the “correct” positions, so the mods I offer cannot be applied to this edition. Seven hundred of these were released and one hundred of them contained an Easter egg inside – a USB stick with music by Kevin Shields himself.
Got Questions? I Got Answers!
Hopefully I covered everything, but if you have any questions on the mods above feel free to contact me using this contact form!
If the mods above aren’t what you’re looking for, you can always request a custom modification through the Custom Guitar Pedal Modification Request form.
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