Dunlop FFM3 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini Distortion

The Dunlop FFM3 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini Distortion is a compact fuzz pedal from Dunlop, built to put the sound of the full-size Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face into a housing that fits on a modern pedalboard. Dunlop describes the Fuzz Face Mini line as delivering "legendary Fuzz Face tones in smaller, more pedalboard-friendly housings"¹, and the manual pitches it as "legendary Fuzz Face tone with pedalboard-friendly size"².

The circuit is the point of the pedal. Dunlop's product page states plainly that "the FFM3 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini Distortion has the same circuit as the JHF1 in smaller housing"¹, and the manual says it delivers "the thick, smooth Fuzz Face tone that Jimi Hendrix made famous"². The JHF1 it is based on is, in Dunlop's words, a "meticulously faithful reproduction of Jimi's 1969-70 Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face"³, a BC108 silicon transistor design that MusicRadar notes "featured on much of Jimi's studio work"³⁴.

Where it came from

The FFM3 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini Distortion carries the same basic control scheme as its larger sibling, with a footswitch that toggles the effect on and bypass, and a blue LED that indicates when the pedal is on².

The pedal keeps the visual identity of the original. Guitar World describes it as "presented in the same classic round chassis with the same skip-pad 'nose' of the original, albeit at less than one-third the overall size"⁵. So it is smaller, but it still looks like a Fuzz Face rather than a generic mini box.

The controls: Fuzz and Volume

The control set is the classic two-knob Fuzz Face layout, described in the manual²:

There is no tone knob. That matches the full-size JHF1, whose manual lists the same two controls doing the same jobs³. Players who want to shape the character further have to do it from the guitar's volume and tone controls or elsewhere in the chain, which is how the original pedal was always used.

The footswitch toggles the effect on and bypass, with a blue LED indicating when the pedal is on². Guitar World's buying guide notes the Mini Jimi also carries "true-bypass switching, a laser-bright status LED, AC power jack and easy-access battery door"⁵.

Power: 9V, 3.4 mA

Dunlop gives several powering options. The product page says the pedal "can be powered by a 9-volt battery, a Dunlop ECB003 9-volt adapter, or the DC Brick, Iso-Brick, and Mini Iso-Brick" power supplies¹, and the manual lists "a 9-volt AC adapter such as the Dunlop ECB003/ECB003EU, or a DC Brick power supply"². MusicRadar's fuzz buying guide lists the power requirements as "9-Volt battery or AC power"⁶.

The current draw is 3.4 mA², which is low enough that the pedal is easy to accommodate on almost any power supply, shared or isolated.

Same circuit as the JHF1

The FFM3's reason for existing is size, not a different sound. Dunlop says it has the same circuit as the JHF1¹, MusicRadar's review confirms "the FFM3 Jimi Hendrix features the same circuit as the full-sized JHF1"⁷, and MusicRadar's buying guide calls it "a miniature version of the original JHF1"⁶. On That Pedal Show, Mick put it that "there's also the FFM3 Mini version that takes up waaaaay less pedalboard space" than the JHF1, and noted the two are "more or less the same price to buy"⁸.

For a player choosing between them, the practical differences come down to footprint and battery access. The JHF1 keeps the full-size round chassis and needs its bottom plate removed for a battery⁵; the FFM3 measures 3.5" x 3.5" x 2"⁵ and has the easy-access door⁵. Both run on 9 volts, both have the same two controls, and both are listed as True Hardwire bypass in their manuals²³.

Specifications

What reviewers said

Guitar World's mini pedal buying guide summed up the FFM3 as a "classic Sixties-style fuzz" with an eye-catching color and shape and a pedalboard-friendly housing, while cautioning that the distortion "might be too over-the-top for some players"⁵. MusicRadar's review noted the true bypass switching and the shared circuit with the JHF1⁷. On That Pedal Show, the FFM3 was compared directly against the full-size JHF1, with the mini version recommended for the space it saves at effectively the same price⁸.

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