John Frusciante’s Boss FZ-3 Fuzz

This Boss FZ-3 Fuzz pedal was used by John during the early part of the Californication tour, circa 1999, as seen on his pedalboard during live performances. It was also featured in a photo published in Guitar Player magazine in September 1999, which was apparently taken during the studio sessions for Californication. This suggests that the pedal may have been used on the album, although it’s unclear on which songs specifically.

Without any direct quotes from John, it’s also possible that the Boss FZ-3 was used primarily to recreate the fuzz tones of the Blood Sugar Sex Magik era, during which John likely used a Dunlop Fuzz Face.