BSM J-Fuzz Fuzz Machine

The BSM J-Fuzz Fuzz Machine is a stompbox fuzz pedal from BSM, a maker best known for its treble boosters. BSM describes it as "a faithful recreation of the old original Jennings Fuzz from the late 60's", the circuit that powered the early Vox-era fuzz sound. It is one of several fuzz machines in the BSM range, alongside the BSM FuzzBender Fuzz Machine and BSM Spectrum.¹

What it does to your sound

BSM's own description of the J-Fuzz sets it apart from the harder-edged silicon fuzzes players may know. The maker says the original Jennings fuzz used two silicon transistors like most fuzz boxes of its time, "but had a much milder and rounder" character than its peers. Of the J-Fuzz itself, BSM reports: "With the volume control fully opened, the sound was warm, full and incredibly fat. A tone that reminds of old germanium" fuzzes.¹

In other words, this is a fuzz for players chasing the rounder, vintage-flavored end of the fuzz pedal family rather than a splattery modern fuzz¹².

Specifications

Power and output

The J-Fuzz runs on a 9V battery or an external 9V power supply, with a current consumption of approximately 2mA. That draw is low enough that it sits comfortably on any pedalboard supply. BSM adds one note for anyone powering it externally: "The negative pole of the battery is ground."¹

On output, BSM gives an average output level of 5dBm and a maximum output voltage of 0.4V "when the strings are struck really hard".¹

Placement in the signal chain

BSM's recommendation is simple: "the J-Fuzz should be connected in the signal path directly after the guitar."¹ That is standard practice for fuzz circuits, which are sensitive to what feeds them, and it means the pedal goes ahead of buffers, wahs and time-based effects.

For a fuzz of this kind, that placement matters for a few practical reasons:

• The guitar's own signal shapes the fuzz response, so pickup strength and volume knob settings change what you hear.
• Buffers and wahs ahead of a fuzz can alter how the circuit clips.
• Time-based and modulation effects belong after the fuzz, not before it.

Where the circuit came from

The original circuit the J-Fuzz recreates has a named designer. BSM states: "This fuzz circuit was engineered by Dick Denney, and is one of his master pieces." Denney is the engineer associated with the Jennings organization, the company behind Vox, in the late 1960s.¹

For questions about the pedal, BSM names its "tech-head and mastermind Mr. Bernd C. Meiser", who the maker says "would be happy to talk to you" by email or contact form.²

Videos

Click to load

Questions