The JEN Double Sound is a vintage combination pedal from 1973 that puts a wah and a fuzz in one enclosure. It was made in Pescara, Italy, by JEN, and it also appeared rebranded as the Ibanez No.84 Double Sound1. For players of fuzz and wah pedals it is a collector's piece: TONEHOME lists the Ibanez version's collectibility as high2.
Built in Pescara: the Double Sound and its Fuzz Wah version
TONEHOME dates the JEN Double Sound to 1973 and describes it as a wah/fuzz pedal1. The same circuit was sold under the Ibanez name as the No.84 Double Sound, and TONEHOME notes that three versions of the Ibanez pedal are available, which matters if you are comparing examples on the used market2. The Ibanez version's owner's manual is dated 19782.
The Guitar FX Layouts page, which documents the circuit for builders, calls it "a Fuzz-Wah produced in the 70's by Jen"3.
How the fuzz and wah are arranged
The two effects sit in series, with the fuzz feeding the wah. A former owner who read the schematic put it plainly3:
"No it is not parallel, it is series, the fuzz part first, then into the wah."
That ordering shapes how the pedal behaves: the fuzz drives the wah's filter, so sweeping the treadle sweeps the tone of an already distorted signal. The same former owner described the result this way3:
"What you are hearing is basically a fuzzface going thru a vox wah, thats all. No phasing or cancellation."
Using the wah and fuzz on their own
The pedal can run each section separately. A former owner described the switching options3:
"Mine switches from strait to amp , no wah no fuzz , or fuzz only , or wah only or both together"
So in practice the Double Sound gives you four settings: bypassed, fuzz only, wah only, or both together. One limitation to know before hunting one down: the fuzz output level is fixed. As the Guitar FX Layouts write-up puts it, "there is no control over the amount of output of the fuzz, ie it's set"3.
Manuals and schematics
Documentation for both versions is hosted by TONEHOME:
- JEN Double Sound schematic, a GIF file of 54.4 KB1
- Ibanez Double Sound owner's manual, 1978, as a PDF2
Videos
Josh Hanford
Dannie Nordlund Guitar Man
krv535
Questions
Where was the JEN Double Sound made?
The JEN Double Sound was made in Pescara, Italy, and dates from 1973, according to the vintage effects reference TONEHOME. JEN was an Italian maker of effects pedals, and the Double Sound was also rebranded and sold as the Ibanez No.84 Double Sound.
Does the JEN Double Sound use the fuzz before the wah?
Yes. A former owner who read the schematic said the circuit is series, with the fuzz part first and then into the wah. Another former owner described the sound as basically a Fuzz Face going through a Vox wah, with no phasing or cancellation.
Can you use the wah or the fuzz on its own?
Yes. According to a former owner commenting on the Guitar FX Layouts page, the pedal switches from straight to amp with no wah and no fuzz, or fuzz only, or wah only, or both together.
Is there a fuzz level control on the JEN Double Sound?
No. The Guitar FX Layouts write-up notes that there is no control over the amount of output of the fuzz, in other words the fuzz output level is set. The pedal does offer the choice of running fuzz only, wah only, both, or neither.
Where can I find a manual for the JEN Double Sound?
TONEHOME hosts an owner's manual for the Ibanez No.84 Double Sound, dated 1978, as a PDF download, along with a schematic of the JEN Double Sound as a GIF file. Both are available from the TONEHOME product pages for the two versions.
Sources (3)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME - the World of Vintage Guitar Effects Pedals
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME
- Guitar FX Layouts: Jen Double Sound Fuzz Wah, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2025-04-16
