The Jeds Peds 1590a Waspish is an octave fuzz with no knobs, sold as a DIY project for pedal builders. Jeds Peds describes it as "An octave fuzz pedal with no knobs and a hefty RRP is what you are looking at here," and lists its price at £32.00 GBP as of 26 October 20261. It is a variant of the Third Man Records Bumble Buzz, and Jeds Peds' kit comparisons list its basis as "Third Man Records The Bumble Fuzz"2.
What it is and what it does
At its heart, Jeds Peds calls the Waspish "a 4 transistor super fuzz esque pedal"1. That puts it in the family of octave fuzzes, circuits that add an aggressive, buzzing octave-up edge to the fuzz tone. The lineage runs back through the Bumble Buzz: Guitar FX Layouts describes that pedal as "Essentially it's just a modified Kay F1 Fuzztone, which itself was just a simplified Univox Super Fuzz," hand made by Chris Young of Union Tube & Transistor and designed by Third Man Creative Hive3. JHS Pedals, writing about one-knob and no-knob fuzzes, says the Bumble Buzz is "based on the original, no knob, single treadle Kay fuzz"4.
No knobs
The Waspish has no controls at all. Jeds Peds puts it plainly: "This one relies on the tone within your fingers as you can't dial it in any other way"1. In practice that means the player shapes the sound with picking strength, the guitar's volume and tone controls, and where the pedal sits in the signal chain. It is the same fixed-voice approach as the original Kay fuzz the design descends from4.
A kit, not a finished pedal
The Waspish is sold to builders in several stages of completeness1:
- PCB Only: just the plain PCB
- PCB & Components
- PCB & Components and off board parts
- Full Kit
- Full Kit & Drilling
- Pre Built Kit
The PCB is designed for a 1590A enclosure, one of the smallest standard pedal boxes, and "hangs from the 3PDT for the builders ease," meaning the board mounts to the footswitch rather than needing extra hardware1.
This is a DIY product. Unless you choose the Pre Built Kit option, you will be soldering the circuit together yourself, and the 1590A enclosure it is designed for is notably small1.
Who it is aimed at
Jeds Peds describes the Waspish as "best used for riffage and searing lead guitar licks not too dissimilar to those which the one and only Jack White could produce from his wee finger tips"1. That fits the family tree: the Bumble Buzz it is based on appeared on Jack White's pedalboard, produced in collaboration with Chris Young of Vancouver based Union Tube & Transistor, according to GuitarPlayer's rig rundown5. Premier Guitar's review of the Bumble Buzz, carried on the Union Tube & Transistor site, called it "the Howlin' Wolf of fuzzes"6.
For players who want a related sound with more control on the face of the pedal, Jeds Peds also makes other fuzz projects such as the Jeds Peds Fuzz 22 and the Jeds Peds Silicon Tone Bender, and the Fuzz Pedals type page gathers more of the category.
Videos
Jeds Peds
Questions
Does the Jeds Peds Waspish have any knobs?
No. The Waspish is a one-sound octave fuzz with no controls on the enclosure at all. Jeds Peds says it relies on the tone within your fingers, because you cannot dial it in any other way. Players shape it from the guitar's volume and tone controls and by how hard they attack the strings, in the same spirit as the original knob-less Kay fuzz it descends from.
What circuit is the Waspish based on?
Jeds Peds lists it as based on Third Man Records' The Bumble Fuzz. At its heart the Waspish is a four transistor, Super Fuzz style circuit. The Bumble Buzz line it follows was described by Guitar FX Layouts as essentially a modified Kay F1 Fuzztone, which itself was a simplified Univox Super Fuzz.
Is the Waspish a finished pedal or a DIY kit?
It is a DIY project, not a finished pedal. Jeds Peds sells it in several forms: PCB only, PCB and components, PCB and components with off board parts, a full kit, a full kit with drilling, and a pre built kit, so builders can choose how much of the work they take on.
What kinds of playing is the Waspish aimed at?
Jeds Peds describes the Waspish as best used for riffage and searing lead guitar licks, not too dissimilar to those Jack White could produce. It is a fixed-voice octave fuzz for players who want one aggressive sound and are happy to shape it with their hands and guitar controls.
What is the Bumble Buzz?
The Bumble Buzz is a fuzz pedal made by Third Man Records in collaboration with Chris Young of Vancouver based Union Tube & Transistor. JHS Pedals describes it as based on the original, no knob, single treadle Kay fuzz, and Premier Guitar called it the Howlin' Wolf of fuzzes.
Sources (6)
- 1590a Waspish, Jeds Peds (jedspeds.co.uk)
- Kit Comparisons, Jeds Peds
- Guitar FX Layouts: Third Man Records Bumble Buzz, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2020-07-29
- 8 ONE KNOB FUZZ PEDALS YOU NEED TO TRY, JHS Pedals
- Take a Close Look at Jack White's Insanely Cool Pedalboard, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2022-06-09
- Premier Guitar Reviews Bumble Buzz, Union Tube & Transistor, 2014-03-20
