In 1965 The Rolling Stones released "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", and Keith Richards' riff became one of the first fuzz guitar sounds most people ever heard on the radio. It's buzzy, nasal and a bit rude: less like a distorted amp, more like a guitar pretending to be a saxophone through a blown speaker. Sustained notes swell and hang in the air instead of dying away.
What was used
The pedal most commonly cited is the Gibson Maestro FZ-1 Fuzz-Tone, one of the first commercial fuzz boxes. It's widely reported that Richards meant the fuzz riff as a placeholder, a guide for a horn section that was never added. The guitar and amp on the session are less certain, and accounts differ, so don't worry about matching them.
A fuzz is different from an overdrive: it clips the signal so hard that the wave turns almost square. That's where the buzz and the long, even sustain come from.
The rig below is an approximation: a common way to get close to this sound, not the exact original gear or settings.
Playing it
- Pick firmly and let each note ring its full length. The fuzz rewards long notes and punishes rushing.
- Think like a horn player: start a note clean and let it bloom. Short, choked notes lose the brassy swell.
- Mute strings you aren't playing. Fuzz amplifies every stray noise.
- Roll the guitar volume back to about 7 and listen: the buzz thins out and gets crisper. Find the spot where it still sounds like a horn.