The BLAMMO! Electronics Jordan Bosstone is a fuzz pedal released on June 6, 2023. It is a point-to-point, hand-wired recreation of the Jordan Boss Tone, a vintage fuzz from 1966, rebuilt in stompbox form and made in Los Angeles1.
The original Jordan Boss Tone was not a pedal at all. It was a little black box that hooked directly into your guitar's input jack, with a symmetrical diode clipping arrangement in a stock unit2. BLAMMO!'s version keeps the circuit's character but changes one key detail: it uses asymmetrical diode clipping, with its signature even-order harmonics, compared to the symmetrical clipping of the stock unit1. According to Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio, the result is "a more midrangey and textured tone reminiscent of two transistor fuzzes like the Fuzz Face"1.
A Jordan Boss Tone circuit with asymmetrical clipping
The Jordan Boss Tone has a long history of being copied. JHS Pedals notes that "tons of companies copied this device (Dan Armstrong, Vox, Electro Harmonix, etc.)"3. Voodoo Lab calls the rare Jordan Electronics Bosstone, from circa 1968, a design "considered by many to be the ultimate vintage fuzz"4. The circuit has also lived on in the DIY world: General Guitar Gadgets sells a replica kit of the Jordan Bosstone, describing it as "a great little fuzztone that can be built with silicon transistors and still has an awesome fuzz sound"5.
What sets the BLAMMO! version apart from a stock unit is the clipping arrangement. In a stock Jordan Boss Tone, diodes clip the signal symmetrically, which cancels even-order harmonics. BLAMMO! reworked this into asymmetrical diode clipping, which lets even-order harmonics through. Delicious Audio reported that this change is what gives the pedal its more midrangey, textured character compared with the original1.
The parts list reflects the hand-wired build: Vishay axial capacitors, a high quality low profile 3PDT footswitch, a red LED, and a hand stamped OEM style faceplate on the enclosure1.
"The BLAMMO! Electronics Jordan Bosstone is a point-to-point, hand-wired (in L.A.) recreation of that unit, in pedal form."
Power and connections
The Jordan Bosstone is an easy pedal to fit on a board. It accepts a 2.1mm center negative DC power supply, the standard Boss type, and draws only 3mA, so it places almost no demand on a power supply shared with other pedals1. There is also a 9 volt battery option, and the battery disconnects at the input jack, so it does not drain when nothing is plugged in1. Jacks are top mounted, which keeps the sides of the enclosure clear for tight pedalboard layouts1.
The original 1966 Jordan Boss Tone plugged directly into the guitar's input jack and had no footswitch, power jack, or bypass of its own1. BLAMMO!'s version is the stompbox adaptation of that circuit, with true bypass and standard 9V power1.
How it compares to a Fuzz Face
Both the Jordan Bosstone and the Fuzz Face are vintage fuzz designs, but they work differently. A Fuzz Face uses two transistors to clip the signal, while the Bosstone circuit uses diode clipping. In BLAMMO!'s asymmetrical version, Delicious Audio found the result lands closer to two transistor fuzz territory, with a midrangey, textured tone reminiscent of a Fuzz Face, while the stock symmetrical circuit sounds different again1.
One quirk of the original circuit worth knowing: in a 2015 review of a different fuzz, Pedal of the Day's Mike B mentioned the Jordan Bosstone fuzz "wouldn't work" with a Stratocaster, a reminder that vintage fuzz circuits could be sensitive to the guitar driving them6. JHS Pedals has also referenced the Bosstone sound in its own products, describing one of its fuzzes as reminding them "of an old Jordan Bosstone fuzz from the 60s if it collided with a DOD Grunge!"7.
BLAMMO! Electronics has built a range of vintage fuzz recreations around this approach, including the P2P Buzz Tone and the Fuzz Banger1.
Videos
Harsh Tones, Inc.
Questions
Is the BLAMMO! Jordan Bosstone true bypass?
Yes. The pedal uses true bypass switching, with a high quality low profile 3PDT footswitch and a red LED to show when it is engaged. When the pedal is off, the guitar signal passes through without the circuit in the way.
Does the Jordan Bosstone run on a battery?
Yes. There is a 9 volt battery option, and the battery disconnects at the input jack, so it only drains when a plug is inserted. With a current draw of 3mA, a battery lasts a long time in this pedal.
What kind of power supply does the Jordan Bosstone use?
It accepts a standard 2.1mm center negative DC power supply, the same Boss-type connector most pedalboards already use. It runs on 9 volts and draws only 3mA, so it is easy to power alongside other pedals on a typical supply.
Is the BLAMMO! Jordan Bosstone hand-wired?
Yes. It is built point-to-point, hand-wired on a custom turret board, and made in Los Angeles. It also uses Vishay axial capacitors, a hand stamped OEM style faceplate, and a low profile 3PDT footswitch.
How does the Jordan Bosstone compare to a Fuzz Face?
Delicious Audio described the BLAMMO! version as delivering a more midrangey and textured tone reminiscent of two transistor fuzzes like the Fuzz Face. The difference comes from its diode clipping arrangement, which BLAMMO! changed from the stock symmetrical design to asymmetrical clipping.
Sources (7)
- New Pedal: BLAMMO! Electronics Jordan Bosstone, Delicious Audio, 2023-06-06
- P2P Buzz Tone, BLAMMO! Electronics
- THE LEGACY OF JORDAN ELECTRONICS, JHS Pedals
- Superfuzz®, Voodoo Lab
- Jordan™ Bosstone™ Clone: DIY Fuzz Kit, PCB & Schematic, General Guitar Gadgets, 2014-05-14
- KMA Machines Fuzzly Bear Silicium Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2015-06-14
- 3 SERIES PHERB, JHS Pedals, 2026-10
