The Legends of Fuzz - New Fuzz Pedals from JHS

Introducing 4 new fuzz pedals from JHS… Bender, Crimson, Smiley, and Supreme - Incredible replicas of some of the best fuzz pedals/circuits in rock history!

The story from JHS:

At JHS Pedals, fuzz pedals have been in our lineup for over a decade. We have designed original circuits, replicated classics, and we have seen the trend of fuzz popularity come and go. The "Legends Of Fuzz'' series is our tribute to the most important fuzz circuits ever made. It is our way of ensuring that the stories of these effects live on in the music that you are going to make. From the earliest days of fuzz in the mid-60's London scene to the 1990's ex-Soviet military factories that brought the Big Muff back to life, fuzz tells a story, and that story includes guitarists just like you. There is nothing more primitive than plugging your guitar into a vintage fuzz circuit; it is raw, untamed, and so pure that it pushes the boundaries of what your instrument can accomplish. Plug into a fuzz and plug into sixty years of beautifully broken sound. 

So if you like that vintage fuzz tone, you must check out these pedals from JHS. Shop our selection here: https://musicvilla.com/collections/effects-pedals/jhs-pedals

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A Deeper Look at each pedal:

BENDER

If you love the fuzz sounds of Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, Mick Ronson (David Bowie), and My Bloody Valentine, then the Bender is for you. 

From JHS: The JHS Bender is our attempt to recreate the most prized Tonebender* in my collection: my 1973 MK3 Silver/Orange “Onomatopoeia” version. This version has three very special germanium transistors, tons of mojo, and fifty plus years of experience, but it is finicky and it doesn’t always do what you want it to do. I had to ask: could we replicate this pedal sonically? Could we capture what it's all about, but in a way that is more consistent, dependable, and easy to manufacture? Yes. The end result is a pedal that gives you the touch, feel, and response of the vintage germanium fuzz but with accuracy and consistency of carefully chosen modern silicon transistors.

CRIMSON

If you love the tones of the Smashing Pumpkins, Wilco, Sonic Youth, David Gilmour, White Stripes and Dinosaur Jr, then this is the pedal for you.

From JHS: In the early 90’s Mike Matthews noticed that his 1970’s Electro Harmonix pedals were selling for vintage/rare prices. By 1991 he worked out a manufacturing agreement with an ex-soviet manufacturing company in St. Petersburg and brought the Big Muff back to life. This new version was technically the 7th version of the now famous Big Muff, but since Mike no longer owned his old trademarks, he labeled it the “Mike Matthews Red Army Overdrive” by Sovtek*.

This is the very first Russian-made Big Muff ever produced and possibly the rarest of all time. Only manufactured in small numbers from 1991-1992, very few examples of this still exist, making this almost impossible to find. It shares characteristics with the famous Sovtek* “Civil War” (Late 1992) version, but it stands on its own. Warmer, clearer, and more defined than any of the Soviet Big Muffs that followed, the Red Army offers a unique flavor of a very familiar effect. The Crimson is an exact replica of my own Red Army Overdrive, allowing you to own a unique part of fuzz history.

SMILEY

If you want a fuzz that covers coveted classic tones, look no further. Legends like Jimi Hendrix, Jack White, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, and Eric Johnson have used this circuit on countless albums. Now it's your turn.

From JHS: The first few years of the Fuzz Face* were manufactured using germanium transistors but by 1969, germanium fully gave way to silicon devices and Arbiter never looked back. Hendrix himself preferred the silicon versions over germanium because of their sound, aggressive bite, and their stability in environments where germanium proved inconsistent. The JHS Smiley is a sonically faithful recreation of what makes these early silicon Fuzz Faces great. Several vintage units from my collection were considered and analyzed so that we could be sure to perfectly capture the magic that I love in this era.

The Smiley is clear and defined, straddling the line between distortion pedal and a searing sustain, sustaining low end and crisp mid-range bite that you expect from a vintage Arbiter unit. One of the most revered characteristics of a good Fuzz Face* is its ability to clean up when the guitar's volume is rolled back, and the Smiley does this effortlessly.

SUPREME

If you want to replicate the classic octave fuzz sounds of Pete Townsend, Black Keys, White Stripes, Beastie Boys, and Mudhoney, this is it. 

From JHS: Thanks to product placement by Pete Townsend of The Who, the Univox Unicord Super-Fuzz version found fame above all the rest. First produced in a simple, unassuming grey metal enclosure (1968), it transitioned into a more eye catching form factor utilizing a large rectangle foot pad that said SUPER-FUZZ in large letters across the top (1970). Red and blue, black and grey, white and black, you could pick your color.

The Supreme is an exact replica of my favorite Super-Fuzz in my collection, my extremely rare black and grey model. Although every early version of this pedal sounds strikingly similar, this 1972 unit has a certain magic that makes it stand out above the others. Imagine an Octavia Fuzz that woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and that’s what you're plugging into here: a loud, screaming, full and vibrant octave fuzz that is always at 11.

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Interested in any of these pedals? Give us a call at (406) 587-4761 regarding shipping, pricing, and availability. Or simply buy from our website here: https://musicvilla.com/collections/effects-pedals/jhs-pedals