Ugly Truth: JHS Muffuletta

As a Muff fan, I was excited when I heard that there was a pedal that replicated nearly every popular version of the Muff Fuzz circuit. If you haven't heard, JHS has produced a pedal that takes the Muff circuit and multiplies it by 6. Clones of each one of these pedal have been around since the beginning of cloning pedals. From what I understand, these pedal are all similar but have their own individual characteristics. Hardcore fan of the Muff style fuzz have their favorite variant, but now thanks to JHS, you don't have to choose. Should Fuzz players rejoice? We'll see.




This Pedal Has Been Around For A While

The "select a fuzz" pedal is not new. In fact, it may not even be the best one out there. Big Tone Music Brewery might have the most versatile fuzz on the market. BTMB is the sister company to everyone's favorite pedal cloners, Build Your Own Clone. BTMB have produced the Royal Beaver, and it is a beast of a thing. Is it directly comparable to the Muffuletta? not really. But it it is a boutique fuzz that has a wide range of tones. I hope it come with an instruction manual, because it has all the knobs. JHS has taken a different approach for their "all in one". A simple 4-knob interface can deliver nearly endless variation of tone.

It's Pricey

The JHS Muffuletta goes for north of $200 right now. It's a great idea and a boutique pedal, so of course it's going to be expensive. It's also going to be hand built and hopefully rock-solid. A lot has been said about the "cost-of-parts" verses the "cost-of-production" so I'll stay out of it. If you want something bad enough, then you'll shell out the dough. If not, then wait and try to catch it on Ebay, or Craigslist, but there is nothing saying that this pedal won't gain value if/when they stop production.

It's a JHS Pedal

I've written a piece about what I think about JHS here, so if you are interested, then read it. I honestly don't care who makes the pedal as long of it's a good piece of gear. I might care if is ISIS or something, but other than that...

Conclusion

Is it a great pedal? From what I've heard, it is something special. But is it right for you? you have to ask yourself. Is it important to me that I accurately replicate the sound of a fuzz from a certain era? Can you tell me the difference between a Russian Muff and a NYC reissue? If not then what JHS has done is put out a box where you can A/B all the colorful Fuzzes that you always hear being tossed about. Likely, you will find an ideal setting and leave it there. Do your self a favor, find some friends with Muffs or maybe a Youtube Channel and Make up your mind now.