JHS Pedals Muffuletta Distortion Fuzz

It just so happens that I love fuzz pedals, but I ALSO love sandwiches, so today’s pedal celebrates 2 of my favorite things at once! The Big Muff Fuzz has a ridiculous cult following, especially a few choice models from the 1970s, but if you can even find them, they’re pricey and usually need repair and maintenance to keep them alive and going strong. Well, thanks to JHS Pedals and circuitry wizard Jon Cusack, there now exists a pedal that combines the tones of some of these legendary pedals into one slick, black box: the Muffuletta Distortion/Fuzz.

In accordance with the control layouts of past Muffs, the Muffuletta boasts a simple control section: Volume, Sustain and Tone (we’ll get to the Mode knob in a minute). If you’ve ever played a Big Muff, then you know what these knobs do, and if you haven’t, they’re pretty self-explanatory, really. There’s plenty of output volume here, great range of gain stages as well, which, along with the Tone knob, interact with the Mode knob to produce a vast array of fuzzy and distorted sounds. The Tone knob itself has a bigger range than usual, it seems, really adding to the character and usability of the Muffuletta, and the Sustain knob lets you mix a little or a lot of grit and grime into your chain.

The Modes knob gives you the opportunity to select from 6 different dirt modes, all based on former Muff versions, except the last one, which is a new take on the Big Muff circuit from JHS. The Civil War (more mid-range, brighter), The Russian (low gain, smoother), The Pi (aggressive, more sustain), The Triangle (high-gain, articulate) and The Ram’s Head (darker, less sustain) are the 5 Muff modes your get to choose from, each bearing a striking resemblance to the originals, and each one containing it’s own unique tonal palette from which to paint your fuzzy sonic masterpiece.

All said and done, the Muffuletta Distortion/Fuzz is just a downright fun pedal to sit down and play with. With so many options and tones, the vast fuzz-laden expanse that presents itself is truly something to behold, and you will love experimenting and trying to find the guitar tones of your heroes with this pedal. After all this talk about fuzzes and deli meats, I think I’m gonna have to down to the deli for a big, fat hoagie…right now. And if, by some chance, you haven’t been to the JHS Pedals website yet, find the other 4 people in existence that haven’t been either and go check it out, they’ve got loads of gear for you to investigate and cherish! Bye!