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If you were to find yourself in a conversation about game-changing bassists of the 1990s, Stuart Zender’s name would likely be in the discussion. His technique laid the funky foundation that brought Jamiroquai to prominence and compelled a slew of bassists to sit by their CD players to copy his effects-seasoned style. Through a recent collaboration with Ashdown Engineering to create an effects pedal worthy of Zender’s name, the SZ Funk Face was born. It offers tube-driven distortion and auto-wah articulation for steering your bass from funk to punk and beyond.
The Funk Face’s stout chassis and rugged components make it feel road-ready. A 12AX7 is at the heart of the drive section, from which you can conjure tube warmth to heavy distortion with the centrally located drive dial. The output dial to its left provides the means of balancing the signal, and to its right is the wah section, which is comprised of a single knob for sensitivity. This control sets the level of the signal that passes through the filters to vary the wah’s personality.
Activation of the effects is confirmed through the topside SZ logo, where a blue light shines through when the drive is engaged and a red light illuminates when in wah mode. (Both letters light up when both effects are engaged.) It’s a handy feature, for sure, and looks super-cool, too. Adding tonal flexibility is a pre/post valve button on the lower right side of the pedal, which changes the signal path of the wah to go either before or after the drive.
The SZ Funk Face requires a 15V or 18V power supply, and the pedal reduces the incoming power to 12V, which is the preferred level to drive the valve and internal circuitry. (A 15V supply is included.) The Funk Face can operate with a 9V supply, though the drive may not be as effective and an increase in noise is likely.
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