JHS Muffuletta

The JHS Muffuletta is a single-pedal solution to one of fuzz pedal collecting's most enduring problems: which Big Muff Pi do you actually want? Electro-Harmonix has produced more than a dozen meaningfully different versions of the Big Muff since the original launched in 1969, each with a distinctive voicing that defined particular records and particular eras. The Muffuletta puts six of the most-loved Big Muff variants — plus an original JHS design — into a single all-analog pedal, with mode selection via a single rotary switch.

The six modes cover the canonical Big Muff history. The 1973 Rams Head is the dark, scooped-mid Muff favoured by David Gilmour on Pink Floyd records and J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) — less gain than other Muffs, with a noticeable midrange dip. The 1969-70 Triangle was the first Muff and is the most articulate, with extended low end and clearer note definition; Carlos Santana and Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) both used Triangles. The 1977-78 Pi is the most aggressive of the historical Muffs — more midrange, more gain, the sound that Frank Zappa and Jack White have used. The 1991-93 Civil War is brighter and more articulate with less gain, associated with Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore) and Wilco (Jeff Tweedy). The 1999-2009 Russian Muff (the green one) has less clarity and reduced low end, and is the Muff used by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and Chris Wolstenholme (Muse). Finally, the JHS mode is Josh Scott's own modification — more powerful, less compressed, with a more cutting midrange. JHS recommend it as the best mode for bass.

The pedal's three audio controls (Volume, Tone, Sustain) work in the standard Big Muff fashion. Volume sets output level, Tone is the famous mid-scoop tilt control (rolling clockwise emphasises treble, counter-clockwise emphasises bass — with the characteristic Muff midrange notch in the middle), and Sustain sets the gain. The Mode selector is the sixth rotary switch on the panel and instantly swaps between the six fuzz circuits — there is no audible click, gap, or volume drop between modes. Each mode is a genuinely different circuit, not an EQ or filter trick.

The Muffuletta is built around all-analog discrete circuitry — every mode uses real Big Muff topology with appropriate component values for the era being modelled. There is no DSP or modelling involved. Power is standard 9V centre-negative with a remarkably low 4mA current draw, the dimensions are 2.2" × 4.8" × 1.6" (a touch larger than nano format), and the pedal is hand-built in Kansas City, Missouri.

Who Is This For? The Muffuletta suits guitarists who want the Big Muff sound but cannot decide which one — or who want different Muff voicings for different songs without carrying half a dozen pedals. It is particularly popular with players whose music spans multiple eras or genres (a Gilmour-style Rams Head sound on one song, a Russian Muff for a stoner-rock track, a Pi for a punkier moment), and with bass players who want a versatile fuzz that handles low frequencies well (the JHS mode is bass-friendly, the Triangle has good low-end retention). Producers and studio musicians also keep one as a Muff library — six different fuzz tones in a single pedal. Players who only need one Muff sound and know exactly which one will be cheaper served by a dedicated single-mode pedal, but for any kind of variety the Muffuletta is hard to beat.