In 1962 the worlds first manufactured guitar pedal was introduced in the Maestro Fuzz-Tone. Three years later in 1965, it made its way across the pond from the USA to the hands of a British engineer named Gary Hurst in London. The legend has it that he was asked by a London session player to modify the circuit for more bass and better sustain. After some tweaking, the Tonebender was born. The Tonebender MKI was a three transistor circuit as was the following MKII that came later in 1966. Decades after the Tonebenders heyday of the 1960s, a collector named Dennis Johannsen realized that his 60's era Tonebeder had only two transistors, not three. This discovery caused a puzzling situation because all Tonebender circuits through MKIV are a three transistor design. Through further investigation, it came to light in an interview with Gary Hurst that he did make a very small batch of two transistor Tonebenders in February and March of 1966. Dennis Johannsen named his discovery the MK1.5, and it is one of the rarest pedals ever produced, a collectors dream. The Arbiter Fuzz face that came in late 1966 is an almost direct clone as well as various other two-transistor fuzz circuits of the era. The MK1.5 is a true legend of guitar that almost went unnoticed to history. The sound of this fuzz is very aggressive, full of low end, and sustain. You may also notice a slight velcro-ish type decay as notes decay off in extreme settings. As with most classic fuzz pedals, it loves a dirty amp or overdrive afterward in the signal path. Staying true to the original, I used high-grade carbon composition resistors, oversized capacitors, and two germanium transistors that I hand-matched to the circuit. 

Each small batch of Benders will use different transistors as it is challenging to find reliable sources of these devices in large quantities. The circuit uses vintage positive ground voltage, so do not daisy chain your power with other pedals. Inside the pedal is a battery snap or use any isolated power supply with a normal polarity power cable like your other pedals as I have wired it internally to work that way. The Bender is identical to the original except that I adjusted the taper of the pots to feel more intuitive. I also added a single power supply filter capacitor to help with noise and adjusted one resistor value for more volume. The switching is true-bypass. Each pedal in this batch is built-in identical form, but because of parts tolerances and the slight variance in the transistors, they will all be a bit different while still being the same. Be sure to always have this pedal first in your signal chain; the guitar must be plugged into its input due to the impedance it requires on its input, no exceptions. 

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1966 Series Bender

In den 1990er Jahren machte ein Effektpedal-Hersteller aus England auf sich aufmerksam - mit Ideen abseits des Mainstreams und Sounds, die noch heute als 'legendär' bezeichnet werden. Innerhalb kürzester Zeit fanden sich die Pedale in den Setups von The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page, Radiohead, Kevin Sheilds (My Bloody Valentine), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Gary Moore und vielen anderen und die Preise auf dem Gebrauchtmarkt steigen heute teilweise über 800 $. Mit dem Cheese Ball bietet JHS Pedals jetzt eine akkurate Nachbildung der legendären Lovetone Big Cheese Schaltung und das Pedal hält was der Name verspricht! Neben den klassischen Reglern für Volume, Gain und Tone kommt das Effektpedal mit einem 4-Wege Mode-Schalter, der zwischen verschiedenen Tone- und Gain-Settings wählt. In der 'Off' Position wird der Tone-Regler deaktiviert und das Pedal erzeugt einen hellen, bissigen Fuzz / Distortion Sound. In der '1' Position liefert der Cheese Ball einen Sound mit Mid-Scoop, der an satte Big Muff Verzerrung erinnert. Position '2' bietet einen Mid-Boost der sich durch jeden Mix schneidet und Position '3' kommt mit einem aggressiven Gated Fuzz Sound, der spuckt, beißt und schreit!

Long ago in a mysterious time that we call the 1990's, a new pedal company was created in England. Its ideas were off the beaten path, and its sounds were otherworldly. Despite existing only a few short years, these creations became the things of legend and one product in particular cast the biggest shadow. With such artists as The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page, Radiohead, Kevin Sheilds (My Bloody Valentine), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Gary Moore, and many others using the out-of-production units, their Used market prices have begun to rise more and more, sometimes into the $800 range. The Cheese Ball is JHS Pedals faithful and extremely accurate recreation of the original circuit, it is a tribute to one of the most fascinating brands and circuits of all time! The Cheese Ball has your standard Volume, Gain, and Tone knobs found on most distortion fuzz boxes, but comes with an extra mode selector knob that gives you four different overall tone and gain selections. In the 'off' position, the Tone knob is disengaged, giving you a bright and trashy fuzz / distortion sound. In the '1' position you have a mid-scooped sound that will give you a Big Muff style buzz for a rounded sound reminiscent of fine mozzarella that sits just right on your pizza but doesn’t get in the way. The '2' position is a mid-boost sound that will cut through a mix like a hot knife through Velveeta. Finally, the '3' position gives you a biting, gated fuzz tone that, when cranked, spits, spats, and bites like gorgonzola naturale.

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JHS Cheese Ball - Demo Video (No Talking) - Guitar Bonedo

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JHS Cheese Ball - Demo Video - Living Room Gear Demos

JHS Cheese Ball - Demo / Review Video - Dennis Kayzer

JHS Cheese Ball - Demo Video - Pedal Of The Day

Cheese Ball

Das legendäre Big Muff Fuzz gibt es schon so lange, es wurde auf so vielen klassischen Aufnahmen verewigt und hat dabei so viele Variationen durchgemacht, dass wahrscheinlich jeder Gitarrist eine Lieblingsversion des ikonischen Tones hat. JHS Pedals wollte diesem unbestreitbar klassischen Fuzz Pedal Tribut zollen, aber sie konnten sich nicht darauf einigen, welche Muff-Version die beste war. Mit dem Muffuletta kommt diese Unentschlossenheit nun jedem Musiker zugute: JHS Pedals hat fünf komplett analoge Nachbildungen der beliebtesten Variationen des Pedals in diese Stompbox gepackt und sogar eine exklusive JHS-Version hinzugefügt, die eine einzigartige Interpretation des historischen Effekts ist. Egal, welche Big Muff-Ära man bevorzugt, man kann sie alle im JHS Muffuletta Fuzz Pedal finden. Die Army Green-Version bietet genau die gleiche Schaltung und die gleichen Sounds, Regelmöglichkeiten und Klänge wie die klassische schwarze Version - nur mit einem aktualisierten, atemberaubenden Finish!

The legendary Big Muff fuzz has been around so long, been on so many classic recordings, and been through so many variations that every guitarist out there has a favorite version of its iconic tone. JHS Pedals wanted to pay tribute to that undeniably classic fuzz pedal, but they couldn't come to a consensus about which Muff was king. With the Muffuletta, their indecision is every musicians gain. JHS Pedals crammed five all-analog re-creations of the pedal's most beloved tones into this box and they even threw in a JHS-exclusive tone that is their unique take on the historic stomp. No matter what Big Muff era you prefer, you can get 'em all in the JHS Muffuletta fuzz pedal. The Army Green version provides exactly the same circuit, sounds, control and tone as the classic black version - only with an updated stunning finish!

JHS Pedals Muffuletta (Army Green) - Demo / Review Video - Musiker TV

JHS Pedals Muffuletta (Army Green) - Demo Video - Musiker TV

JHS Pedals Muffuletta (Army Green) - Demo Video (No Talking) - Guitar Bonedo

Muffuletta

Jimi Hendrix erschien 1966 in London und das damals neue Arbiter Electronics Fuzz Face wurde sein bevorzugtes Fuzz-Pedal - der Rest ist Geschichte. In den ersten Jahren wurde das Fuzz Face mit Germanium-Transistoren gebaut bis das Pedal 1969 komplett auf Silizium-Transistoren umgestellt wurde. Hendrix selbst bevorzugte die Silizium-Version wegen des aggressiveren, bissigeren Sounds und natürlich wegen der besseren Beständigkeit. Der JHS Pedals Smiley bietet eine klanggetreue Nachbildung der Eigenschaften, die die frühen Silizium Fuzz Faces bis heute zu einem Meilenstein der Musikgeschichte machen. Mehrere Vintage Pedale wurden sorgfältig analysiert um die Magie dieser Ära mit dem Smiley perfekt einzufangen. Der Smiley ist klar und definiert und überspannt die Grenze zwischen Fuzz Effektpedal und 'sägendem' Sustain. Die Stompbox erhält das Low-End und den knackigen Biss in der Midrange wie man es von einem Vintage Arbiter-Pedal erwartet. Eine der am meisten verehrten Eigenschaften eines guten Fuzz Face ist die Fähigkeit dynamisch auf das Level der Gitarre zu reagieren und cleaner zu werden, wenn die Lautstärke der Gitarre zurückgedreht wird - der Smiley tut dies mühelos. Die Regelmöglichkeiten sind mit Volume und Fuzz denkbar einfach. Volume kontrolliert das Output Level, Fuzz regelt den Grad an Verzerrung - je weiter man den Regler aufdreht, desto mehr Fuzz erhält man. Über einen Schalter an der Seite lässt sich der einzigartige 'JHS Mode' aktivieren, der den Smiley in High-Gain / Gated Fuzz Bereiche bringt. Wenn man nach einem Fuzz für klassische Sounds sucht wird man genau hier fündig. Legenden wie Jimi Hendrix, Jack White, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour und Eric Johnson haben diese Schaltung auf ihren Alben verewigt - jetzt seid ihr an der Reihe!

In 1966 Jimi Hendrix arrived in London and adopted the Arbiter Electronics Fuzz Face as his weapon of choice, and the rest is history. 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 Pedals Smiley is a sonically faithful recreation of what makes these early silicon Fuzz Faces great. Several vintage units were considered and analyzed so that JHS Pedals could be sure to perfectly capture the magic that everyone loves 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. The controls are Volume and Fuzz. Volume sets the overall output level of the effect; turn it up and it gets louder. Fuzz is the distortion control; the more you turn it clockwise, the more fuzz you create. On the side you will see a 'Mode' control. Push this button to access our own unique 'JHS Mode'. This mode sends the Smiley into high gain / gated fuzz territory that you may never want to come back from. 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.

JHS Pedals Legends of Fuzz Smiley, Supreme, Bender & Crimson - Review by Gitarist [NL], [04-2021]

JHS Pedals Legends of Fuzz Smiley, Supreme, Bender & Crimson - Review by Muzikus [CZ], [12-2020]

JHS Legends Of Fuzz Series - Demo Video - Sweetwater

JHS Legends Of Fuzz Series - Demo Video - Pedal of the Day

JHS Legends Of Fuzz Series - JHS vs Original Demo Video - Reverb

JHS Pedals Smiley - Demo / Review Video - Living Room Gear Demos

JHS Legends Of Fuzz Series - Official Demo Video

JHS Pedals Legends of Fuzz Smiley, Supreme, Bender & Crimson - Review by Gitarre&Bass [DE], [10-2020]

Smiley - 1969 London

Das JHS Pedals 3 Series Fuzz ist eine extrem vielseitige Fuzz Box, die wunderschön mit dem Volume-Regler der Gitarre interagiert. Das Pedal bietet mit einem 'sägenden' Sustain und einer definierten Ansprache die perfekte Balance aus Vintage und Modern. Über die einfachen Regelmöglichkeiten lässt sich ein breites Spektrum an möglichen Sounds abdecken. Der Bias-Regler kontrolliert die Spannung in der letzten Gain Stage und erzeugt Gated Fuzz Sounds, wenn man ihn aufdreht. Der Fuzz-Regler erzeugt im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Pedalen spielbare Sounds im kompletten Regelweg und ermöglicht sogar Distortion- oder Overdrive-ähnliche Verzerrungen. Der Fat-Kippschalter bietet einen Bass Boost, der den Sound des Pedals insgesamt kräftiger und satter macht. Jedes Pedal der 3 Series wird von JHS Pedals in Kansas City, MO, hergestellt. Wie man es von JHS Pedals kennt, überzeugen auch hier hochwertige Teile, eine zuverlässige Qualitätskontrolle und die Liebe zum Detail. Jedes Pedal kommt mit drei einfachen Regelmöglichkeiten und einem Schalter, die eine breite Palette an möglichen Sounds bieten und sowohl für Anfänger als auch für Profis geeignet sind. Die JHS Pedals 3 Series wurde entwickelt, um Musiker zu inspirieren und bei der Suche nach neuen Sounds zu einem absolut erschwinglichen Preis zu helfen.

The JHS Pedals 3 Series Fuzz is a versatile fuzz box that cleans up well with your guitar's volume knob. The Fuzz is the perfect balance of vintage and modern with soaring sustain and clear articulation. The controls allow you to create a wide variety of sounds via the Bias knob, which gives the Fuzz a more gated sound as you turn it up. Unlike many fuzz pedals, the fuzz knob is usable across 100% of the sweep for many different flavors not typically found in a fuzz, like distortion, and even pushed amp-style overdrive tones. The Fat toggle engages a bass boost for an overall fatter, more powerful sound. Each 3 Series pedal is made by JHS Pedals in Kansas City, MO, using high-quality parts, quality control, and attention to every detail. Each pedal has three simple controls and one toggle that offer a wide range of sounds, perfect for beginners and professionals alike. The JHS Pedals 3 Series will inspire your playing and help you explore new sounds at a totally approachable price point.

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Review by Muzikus [CZ], [03-2021]

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Review by Gitarre&Bass [DE], [12-2020]

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Fuzz / Reverb / Delay - Demo / Review Video - 60 Cycle Hum

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Official Demo Video

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Demo / Review Video - Reverb

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Demo / Review Video - Musiker TV

JHS Pedals 3 Series Fuzz - Demo Video - Dennis Kayzer

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Fuzz / Overdrive / Distortion - Demo / Review Video - R.J. Ronquillo

JHS Pedals 3 Series Fuzz - Demo Video - Living Room Gear Demos

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Fuzz / Reverb / Delay - Demo / Review Video - Rabea Massaad

JHS Pedals 3 Series - Review by Bonedo [DE], [11-2020]

3 Series Fuzz

3 Series Fuzz by JHS

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