The Dunlop JHF1 Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Distortion is a guitar effects pedal in the Fuzz Pedals family, built by Dunlop as a full-sized Fuzz Face carrying the Jimi Hendrix name. Dunlop describes it as "delivering the thick, smooth Fuzz Face tone that Jimi Hendrix made famous in a pedalboard-friendly size," and the manual calls it a "meticulously faithful reproduction of Jimi's 1969-70 Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face."12 It lists at $179.99 USD on Dunlop's site.3
Controls and power
The control set is the classic two-knob Fuzz Face layout, per Dunlop's manual2:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FUZZ knob | Controls amount of fuzz |
| VOLUME knob | Controls overall effect volume |
| FOOTSWITCH | Toggles on/bypass |
Power comes from a single 9 volt battery; the manual notes you remove the bottom plate to install it.2 Bypass is True Hardwire, and the manual lists output impedance at 115 kΩ at mid volume.2
The circuit and the mini alternative
MusicRadar's review of the related mini version notes the JHF1 "features matched BC108 silicon transistors," the silicon type tied to the late-1960s Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face the pedal reproduces.5 Silicon Fuzz Faces like this sit alongside germanium versions in Dunlop's range, such as the Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini Germanium and the Dunlop Silicon Fuzz Face Mini.
Dunlop also offers the mini Dunlop FFM3 Jimi Hendrix Mini Fuzz Face Distortion, which carries the same Hendrix Fuzz Face concept in a smaller, pedalboard-friendly housing.56 The full-sized JHF1, by contrast, features matched BC108 silicon transistors, "which features matched BC108 silicon transistors" being how Dunlop describes the circuit.25
The JHF1 is the full-sized version; the FFM3 is the mini take on the same Hendrix Fuzz Face idea. The two differ in size, and That Pedal Show's comparison covers how each responds differently.6
Videos
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Pedal Science
Chris Kilian
Questions
What transistors are in the Dunlop JHF1?
The JHF1 uses matched BC108 silicon transistors, according to MusicRadar's review. Silicon transistors are generally less sensitive to temperature than the germanium types used in some other Fuzz Face versions, and the BC108 is the transistor type associated with Hendrix's own 1969-70 Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face, which Dunlop says the pedal reproduces.
How is the Dunlop JHF1 powered?
Dunlop's manual says the JHF1 is powered by one 9 volt battery, installed by removing the bottom plate. The manual lists True Hardwire bypass and an output impedance of 115 kΩ at mid volume.
Sources (6)
- JIMI HENDRIX® FUZZ FACE® MINI DISTORTION, Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- JHF1.pdf, Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc., 2019
- SILICON FUZZ FACE® MINI DISTORTION, Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- AUTHENTIC HENDRIX™ '68 SHRINE SERIES FUZZ FACE® DISTORTION, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face Mini FFM3 review, MusicRadar, 2013-07-08
- Big Or Small Hendrix Fuzz Face? JHF1 & FFM3, That Pedal Show
Jimi Hendrix
