Fender SHIELDS BLENDER User manual

OWNER’S
MANUAL

BLOODY AMAZING ...
The Fender Shields Blender is the ultimate experimentation fuzz unit—delivering everything from classic
fuzz tones to all-new splattering and rumbling fuzz textures that explode in response to picking dynamics.
This distinctive new re-imagining of the prized Fender Blender fuzz/octave eects unit of 1968-1977 comes
straight from the mind of guitarist, songwriter and tone pioneer Kevin Shields, founding member of My
Bloody Valentine and a pioneer of pedal-driven tonal soundscapes.
At its core is the vintage Fender Blender circuit, hand copied from Shields’original unit and given one small
tweak—an added bypass switch for the infamous octave-up generator. Designed around this core is a world
of performance-ready fuzz-sculpting tools that will introduce players to a whole new fuzz experience, all at
the touch of the unit‘s four footswitches.
The footswitchable Sag Stage interacts with your playing to introduce sag into the pedal’s power supply,
creating more pronounced ducking and sputtering eects the harder you play. To extend the unit’s sonic
range, a footswitchable Octave Stage has been grafted to the classic Blender circuitry, combining a thick
analog sub-octave generator with the Blender’s signature fuzz tone for groundshaking walls of fuzz.
It’s a singularly distinctive fuzz experience from two great innovators—Kevin Shields and Fender. Let’s get
started, and step on it ...
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FEATURES
Output Jack Input Jack
DC Power Connector
Fuzz Level
Octave Level
Sag Trigger
Sag LED
Sag Level
Volume
Tone
Octave-Up Button
Sustain
Bypass
Footswitch/LED
Octave Footswitch/LED
Expand
Footswitch/LED
Sag Footswitch/LED
Blend
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OUTPUT JACK: Low-impedance output jack that connects
to amp or next eect pedal in signal path.
INPUT JACK: High-impedance input suitable for guitar, bass,
acoustic guitars with pickup systems, keyboards, and other
instruments.
DC POWER CONECTOR: Standard center-negative 9VDC
jack for use with appropriate power supplies.
FUZZ LEVEL: Controls volume of Fuzz-stage signal when
Octave stage is engaged. Maximum fuzz volume when set to
10; fuzz signal is muted when set to 1. Use with OCTAVE LEVEL
to blend the two signals when Octave stage is engaged.
Control does not function when Octave stage is bypassed.
OCTAVE LEVEL: Controls sub-octave volume when Octave
stage is engaged. Maximum octave level when set to 10;
octave signal is muted when set to 1. Use with FUZZ LEVEL
to blend the two signals when Octave stage is engaged.
Control does not function when Octave stage is bypassed.
SAG TRIGGER: Controls sensitivity of trigger used to activate
Sag stage circuit (trigger is activated by signal level at input).
Maximum sag trigger sensitivity when set to 10—Sag will be
engaged even with lower level input; minimum sensitivity
when set to 1—Sag will be engaged only when input level is
higher. Settings 5-10 will best accommodate most instru-
ments. Control does not function when Sag stage is bypassed.
SAG LED: Illuminates red when Sag is triggered.
SAG LEVEL: Controls depth of voltage sag introduced into
Fuzz-stage power supply when Sag is triggered. As Sag is
introduced into power supply, signal level is momentarily
lowered (”ducked”) before returning to full signal level.
Varying this control alters signal ducking depth and
duration. Maximum ducking eect when set to 10; minimum
ducking eect when set to 1.
VOLUME: Controls volume of Fuzz stage when Octave stage
is bypassed. Maximum volume when set to 10. Control does
not function when Octave stage is engaged.
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BLEND: Controls blend of fuzz signal and dry (unaected)
signal. Fuzz signal only when set to 10; dry signal only when
set to 1. Control does not function when Octave stage is
engaged.
TONE: Controls fuzz signal frequency range. More high-fre-
quency presence and brighter tone when set to 10; more
low-frequency presence and darker tone when set to 1. This
control is always functional.
OCTAVE-UP BUTTON: Adds octave-up signal to fuzz signal.
In up (o) position, bypasses octave-up circuit in fuzz signal.
In down (on) position, octave-up circuit is engaged and
button is illuminated. This control is always functional.
SUSTAIN: Controls sustain of fuzz signal. Maximum fuzz
when set to 10; minimum fuzz when set to 1. This control is
always functional.
BYPASS FOOTSWITCH/LED: Pressing this footswitch
bypasses entire eects circuit (true bypass); in eect turning
the unit o. LED illuminates red when eects circuit is engaged;
turns o when eect is bypassed. Note that when bypass is
engaged, the neighboring OCTAVE FOOTSWITCH LED will
remain illuminated to indicate which mode the pedal is in (red
for Original Blender mode; white for Octave Blender mode).
OCTAVE FOOTSWITCH/LED: Bypasses Octave stage and
octave controls. LED illuminates white when Octave stage is
engaged; illuminates red when Octave stage is bypassed.
SAG FOOTSWITCH/LED: Bypasses Sag stage and sag
controls. LED illuminates red when Sag stage is engaged;
turns o when Sag stage is bypassed.
EXPAND FOOTSWITCH/LED: Boosts fuzz volume and adds
more bite and presence by expanding middle and high
frequency range. LED illuminates red when expand circuit is
engaged.
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ORIGINAL BLENDER MODE
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Original Blender mode is the default state of the pedal.
Using the same circuit as the original Fender Blender, this
mode splits the input into clean and fuzz signals that can
be blended to preference using the ve controls found in
the section labeled FUZZ.
The four control knobs found in the FUZZ section are
labeled identical to the original Fender Blender and serve
the same functions, controlling the pedal’s VOLUME,
BLEND, TONE and SUSTAIN. The newly added OCTAVE-UP
button turns the octave-up voice in the fuzz signal on and
o (not an option on the original Fender Blender),
creating a new fuzz voice with no octave added. This
button illuminates white when octave-up fuzz is on.
To set the pedal to Original Blender Mode, turn on the eect (indicated by the Bypass Footswitch LED illuminating red) and
press the Octave Footswitch until the Octave Footswitch LED illuminates red. The Octave Footswitch LED will remain
illuminated red even when the eect is bypassed to indicate the mode of the pedal when you turn it back on. Pressing the
Octave Footswitch again will change the pedal to Octave Blender Mode.

OCTAVE BLENDER MODE
In this mode, the input signal is split into two fuzz
signals: the classic Fender Blender fuzz signal and a
sub-octave fuzz signal. The output level of both the
fuzz and sub-octave fuzz signals can be set individually,
allowing them to be blended to preference.
In Octave Blender mode, the clean signal is muted and
the VOLUME and BLEND controls in the FUZZ section
are disabled. The SUSTAIN, TONE and OCTAVE-UP
controls in the FUZZ section still function to shape the
tone of the fuzz signal. In the pedal’s two-knob OCTAVE
section at far left, the FUZZ LEVEL control knob now
controls the fuzz signal output level and the OCTAVE
control knob sets the sub-octave signal output level.
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To set the pedal to Octave Blender Mode, turn on the eect (indicated by the Bypass Footswitch LED illuminating red) and
press the Octave Footswitch until the Octave Footswitch LED illuminates white. The Octave Footswitch LED will remain
illuminated white even when the eect is bypassed to indicate the mode of the pedal when you turn it back on. Pressing the
Octave Footswitch again will change the pedal to Original Blender Mode.

SAG / EXPAND FOOTSWITCHES
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SAG CIRCUIT
The Fender Shields Blender’s Sag circuit presents a
new and distinctive way to control fuzz using playing
dynamics, creating interplay between the player’s
touch and the voice of the fuzz—plus some explosive-
ly cool sound eects.
“Sag”is the eect on a signal when a tube amp or fuzz
pedal is underpowered (deprived of voltage). It’s
similar to the way a ashlight ickers and dims when
its batteries are running low, but here it’s the audio
signal that ickers and dims. The signal degrades (or
“ducks”) and regenerates, creating sonically interest-
ing fuzz eects with tremolo-like character.
Using dynamic-sensing circuitry, the pedal’s Sag
Footswitch and its two control knobs let the player control the amount of sag and when the sag is introduced; only applying sag
when the input signal reaches a certain volume—set by the TRIGGER control—and applying as little or as much sag (continued)

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SAG / EXPAND FOOTSWITCHES
as desired—set by the SAG control. With the TRIGGER and SAG
controls set at maximum, sag acts like a“semi-chaotic”tremolo
that kicks in whenever the strings are touched; slowly coming to
stillness when playing stops. With TRIGGER at maximum and
SAG at minimum, sag activates whenever the strings are
touched, but only note attack is altered.
With the TRIGGER contol ne-tuned to preference and SAG set
at maximum, the pedal will“listen”for the player’s dynamics,
only producing the sag’s semi-chaotic tremolo eect when the
strings are strummed hard. This lets the player use a lighter
touch to get a standard fuzz sound, then play more forcefully to
trigger the tremolo-like sag eect.
When the Sag circuit is engaged, the Sag Footswitch LED
illuminates red; the Bypass Footswitch LED also remains
illuminated red. The Sag Footswitch and controls are functional
in both Original Blender and Octave Blender modes.
EXPAND CIRCUIT
The Fender Shields Blender’s Expand circuit delivers bigger,
more wide- ranging tone by boosting fuzz volume. It also adds
more bite and presence by expanding the middle and
high-frequency ranges. When the Expand circuit is engaged, the
Expand Footswitch LED illuminates red; the Bypass Footswitch
LED also remains illuminated red. The Expand Footswitch is
functional in both Original Blender and Octave Blender modes.

SPECIFICATIONS
Product specifications subject to change without notice
IMPEDANCES
POWER SUPPLY
POWER REQUIREMENTS
DIMENSIONS
WEIGHT
Input: 100kΩ
Output: 1kΩ (octave on) Output: 15kΩ (octave off)
90mA min @ 9VDC regulated adapter
5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel connector (not included)
9VDC
8.13” x 4.5” x 2.1” (206mm x115mm x 54mm)
1.8 lbs. (0.82 kg)
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
•WARNING: To prevent damage, fire or shock hazard, do not
expose the unit or its AC power to rain or moisture.
•Do not alter the AC plug of the connected power adapter
•Do not drip or splash liquids on the unit.
•No user serviceable parts inside, refer servicing to qualified
personnel only.
•WARNING: The unit must only be connected to a safety agency
certified, regulated, power source (adapter), approved for use
and compliant with applicable local and national regulatory
safety requirements.
•Unplug AC power adapter before cleaning unit exterior. Use only
a damp cloth for cleaning; wait until the unit is completely dry
before reconnecting power.
•Amplifiers and loudspeaker systems, and ear/headphones (if
equipped) are capable of producing very high sound pressure
levels which may cause temporary or permanent hearing damage.
Use care when setting and adjusting volume levels during use.
A PRODUCT OF
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CORP.
345 CESSNA CIRCLE
CORONA, CALIF. 92880 U.S.A.
AMPLIFICADOR DE AUDIO
IMPORTADO POR: Fender Ventas de México, S. de R.L. de C.V.
Calle Huerta #279, Int. A. Col. El Naranjo. C.P. 22785.
Ensenada, Baja California, México. RFC:
FVM-140508-CI0 Servicio al Cliente: 01(800) 7887395,
01(800) 7887396, 01(800) 7889433
Fender®is a registered trademark of FMIC.
Copyright © 2023 FMIC. All rights reserved.
PN 7727213000 REV B
ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES
Manual available in additional languages at
www.fender.com/support
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© FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 2023