For the first time, Fender has captured the pioneering sounds of Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine in a singular enclosure. The new Fender Shields Blender is a wildly versatile multi-fuzz octave effect, designed in collaboration with the MBV frontman himself.
With a carefully chosen selection of effects (including the original Fender Blender) and unconventional production techniques, Shields created layered walls of fuzzed-out, cascading guitar tones that became a defining feature of My Bloody Valentine’s sound—a sound that would go on to inspire generations of musicians across countless genres.
"Sometime in, I think, ‘89 in America I saw it in a shop," Shields told us, of the moment he picked up his first Fender Blender. "It looked really interesting and different, and I didn’t know exactly what it was… It was in ‘You Made Me Realize’ actually, when I first used it."
Shields went on to use the pedal on seminal My Bloody Valentine records and on stages across the world. He favored the Blender because of its rich sound and how well it responded to his playing dynamics, helping to create massive walls of reactive noise.
The still popular original Fender Blender was discontinued in 2010, and what we’re getting with the new Fender Shields Blender isn’t an exact reissue—it’s even better. The first channel of the pedal features a hand-copied version of the original Blender circuit, while the second houses a powerful octave blender.
What’s particularly unique about this pedal is the truly Shields-inspired footswitchable sag circuit. It’s incredibly reactive, controlled by a player’s picking dynamics, and is built to emulate a tube amp pushed to its limit. This particular feature was Shield’s inciting idea—the feature that he’d always wanted the pedal to have and that truly allows a player using this pedal to channel his legendary tone.
Be sure to check out the video above to hear Kevin Shields describe the new unit and demonstrate how it sounds. The Limited Edition Fender Shields Blender is available now on Reverb. Update: As of 4 pm CT, June 13, the Fender Shields Blender is sold out. Save the product now to be notified if restocked or used pedals become available.