Today’s guest review comes to us from Scott W. – find him on Instagram (@honey.power) and Facebook (Scott Willems).
There are copious amounts of pedals based on the revered Big Muff Pi, but the Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz by Way Huge Electronics proves itself as a very versatile fuzz. Packed in the typical Way Huge anodized aluminum housing, it features three knobs for loudness, filter and sustain, and two external trim pots for a mid-scoop and crunch, which is essentially compression, allowing you to tame the fuzz to your liking. Additionally, there are two internal trim pots that allow you to adjust the intensity of the mid-scoop and the clipping of the sustain.
This may be the only Muff based pedal you ever need. There’s a vast amount of fuzz tones you can achieve with the Swollen Pickle. The band-passed filter knob will range from massive low end to fizzy highs, and really works well with the mid-scoop knob and the internal trim pot. Although it did take me quite a while to find the sweet spot I was able to leave those settings as is and use the filter and crunch knobs to adjust the type of fuzz to my liking. The crunch knob allows you to compress the fuzz and tame it in to a smooth, silky, ‘crunchy’ fuzz.
The Swollen Pickle packs a massive punch, and I mean MASSIVE. There is so much volume available in this pedal. I like to pair it with an overdrive to add wall-shaking low end to the jangly highs that I like for articulation in chords with intervals that don’t fare so well with fuzz.
Besides the large amount of on-tap volume, my favorite part of this pedal by far is the bypass button. Way Huge uses a very high quality momentary footswitch, and is the most satisfying button you will ever push. It is very springy and feels as if it is pushing back on your foot – I find myself turning the pedal on and off just to feel the action of the switch.
Way Huge created an instant classic with the Swollen Pickle. It is one of the most musical and one of the dirtiest fuzz pedals I’ve owned, and considering the price, is a must-have for any style of player.
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