FM-3 Fuzz Master

The Ace Tone FM-3 Fuzz Master is a vintage Japanese fuzz and boost pedal produced in the 1970s as the successor to the FM-2. Influenced by the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, its circuit uses four 2SC1000 transistors to produce thick, saturated fuzz with pronounced sustain, compression and good chord definition. The fuzz section features Volume, Tone and Sustain controls, with a wide-ranging Tone adjustment for shaping the distortion's frequency response. A separate booster section provides independent Volume and Tone controls, allowing additional output adjustment and frequency shaping from treble-focused to bass-heavy sounds. The main Volume control incorporates an on/off switch. Its enclosure design shares similarities with the later Roland BeeBaa.