Arbiter England

Arbiter England

Also known as: Arbiter, Dallas-Arbiter, Dallas Arbiter, Dallas-Arbiter England, Dallas Arbiter England

Unclaimed

Arbiter England was a British musical instrument and effects company founded by Ivor Arbiter, whose London shop Drum City on Shaftesbury Avenue served as the hub of his operations starting in the late 1950s. The company became the UK franchise for Fender guitars and is credited with bringing the first Fender Stratocaster to Britain, before expanding into its own line of products aimed at the Br...

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Arbiter England was a British musical instrument and effects company founded by Ivor Arbiter, whose London shop Drum City on Shaftesbury Avenue served as the hub of his operations starting in the late 1950s. The company became the UK franchise for Fender guitars and is credited with bringing the first Fender Stratocaster to Britain, before expanding into its own line of products aimed at the British and European market.

The brand is best known for the Fuzz Face, a fuzz distortion pedal designed by Ivor Arbiter and released in 1966. Early units carried the 'Arbiter England' script around the base of the round, smile-shaped enclosure; after the 1968 merger of Arbiter's guitar venture with Dallas, the labeling transitioned to 'Dallas-Arbiter England.' The original Fuzz Face used NKT275 germanium transistors and became closely associated with players such as Jimi Hendrix, who used Fuzz Face pedals extensively. Arbiter also launched the Hayman drum line during the Dallas-Arbiter era.

The original Fuzz Face was discontinued in 1975, and the rights were later acquired by Dunlop, which has produced reissues and variants of the pedal. Original 'Arbiter England' and 'Dallas-Arbiter England' units from the late 1960s and early 1970s are sought after on the vintage market for their distinctive germanium-transistor tone.

Arbiter England has 5 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Guitar Amplifier Heads, Solid Body Electric Guitars, and Delay Effects Pedals. Their gear is featured by 6 artists, with the strongest followings in Rock and Blues. Notable users include Jimmy Page, Frank Zappa, and Pete Townshend.

Artists Who Use Arbiter England

Jimmy Page uses 1 Arbiter England product

Jimmy Page

Guitarist · Led Zeppelin

Frank Zappa uses 1 Arbiter England product

Frank Zappa

Singer, Guitarist · The Plastic Ono Band

Pete Townshend uses 1 Arbiter England product

Pete Townshend

Singer, Guitarist · The Who

Tony McPhee uses 1 Arbiter England product

Tony McPhee

Singer, Guitarist · The Groundhogs

Mick Cook uses 1 Arbiter England product

Mick Cook

Drummer · The Groundhogs

Rod de'Ath uses 1 Arbiter England product

Rod de'Ath

Drummer · Rory Gallagher Band

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