Jen Distortion Booster

The Jen Distortion Booster is a fuzz unit made by Jen in Italy, first advertised in 1968 by the British music retailer Rosetti as part of a series of Italian-built effects. Unlike a pedal that sits on the floor between guitar and amplifier, it was designed to be fitted directly to the guitar's output rather than to the amplifier, in the manner of a plug-in unit¹. Players looking at where it sits in the wider family of dirt boxes can compare it with modern Fuzz Pedals and Distortion Pedals.

What it does

The Distortion Booster adds a fuzz effect to the guitar's signal before it reaches the amp. According to Fuzzboxes.org, it was "the first time that a Distortion Booster unit was built with a potentiometer to adjust the intensity of the fuzz sound", meaning the player could dial the amount of fuzz with a knob rather than accept a fixed effect¹. The circuit uses silicon transistors, the newer transistor type of that era, and the unit is housed in a square plastic casing¹.

Where it came from

Jen built the Distortion Boosters at the same facility in Italy for the British, American and European markets. In 1968, Rosetti, the British music retailer, began running press advertisements for a series of Italian effects that included the plug-in Distortion Booster¹.