The Jext Telez White Pedal is a fuzz overdrive stompbox from Jext Telez that sets out to recreate the built-in fuzz and drive sounds of a line of solid-state Vox amplifiers: the Supreme, Defiant, Conqueror and Virtuoso. Pedal of the Day's review found that it "does a damn fine job" of recreating those vintage Vox amp sounds1. Guitar World's Damian Fanelli described it as a square, white stompbox clearly inspired by the Beatles' White Album, reproducing the sonic character of "an often forgotten line of solid-state Vox amplifiers"2.
What it does to your sound
Because it is modeled on the drive stage of those Vox amps rather than on a single fuzz pedal, the White Pedal covers ground on both sides of the fuzz and overdrive divide. Pedal of the Day described the range as wide, "from classic rock and British Invasion-type stuff to more modern alternative tunes"1. Players after that family of sounds can compare it with other fuzzes in Fuzz Pedals or the drive side of Overdrive Pedals.
Where a reviewer has compared it directly with the real thing, the verdict was close. A contributor to the Guitar FX Layouts technical thread, who owned an original, wrote3:
"I had the original and this circuit is spot on. Pretty much the same; maybe slightly muddier at lower gain settings when"3
That comparison, from Jorge in the Guitar FX Layouts thread, continued with praise for its "great drive tones and a terrific fuzz"3.
Controls
The pedal keeps its face deliberately bare, but the layout is simple once you know it1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Volume | Output level |
| Gain | Amount of fuzz/drive |
| Treble | High-frequency cut or boost |
| Bass | Low-frequency cut or boost |
| YOKO (side knob) | MidRangeBoost selector switch with a couple of different mid frequency modes1 |
The YOKO switch is the only control off the main row. Pedal of the Day noted that "the lone knob on the side is a MidRangeBoost control, which bears the moniker YOKO"1.
The White Album look
The enclosure is part of the concept. Pedal of the Day observed that "the White Pedal is aptly named, with a brilliant, stark white finish and no labels for any of the controls"1. Guitar World's reviewer read the design as a White Album tribute: "it even has four knobs for four Beatles and the word 'Yoko' written on one side"2. In practice that means the first thing to learn is which knob is which; after that, the four-on-a-row layout is conventional.
Beyond guitar
Pedal of the Day reported that the White Pedal is not only a guitar effect: "Not just for guitar, either, the White Pedal sounds great with bass, synths, electric pianos and more"1. That makes it worth a look for players running Bass Pedals or keyboard rigs who want a vintage-flavored drive.
Under the hood
The Guitar FX Layouts thread documents a verified tagboard layout for the circuit, worked out by the site's contributors, and notes that an inductorless version also exists on the forum; in that version, transistors Q2, Q3 and Q4 from the schematic are part of the switching system and not actually needed for the audio path3. A later teardown of an original unit posted to the same thread "reveals a few differences with the layout at the head of this post (e.g. the BC548s should be 547s)"3, which matters to anyone building a copy rather than buying one.
Jext Telez's other pedals
The White Pedal sits in a small family of Jext Telez designs, several of them also rooted in vintage circuits. The maker's Jext Telez Canyon Climber, a fuzz based on the Shin-ei Companion fuzz and associated with Jonathan Wilson, received Premier Guitar's "Premier Gear" award in July 2018, and the Jext Telez Black Drone Wasp was reviewed by Pedal of the Day in May 2019.
Production status
Guitar World included the White Pedal in a February 2018 survey of "current, still-in-production pedals," so it was in production as of that date2.
Videos
Reverb
High Pedality
Pedal of the Day
Questions
What is the Jext Telez White Pedal based on?
It is based on the fuzz and drive circuit built into a line of solid-state Vox amplifiers from the past: the Supreme, Defiant, Conqueror and Virtuoso. Guitar World's Damian Fanelli described the pedal as reproducing the sonic character of that often forgotten amplifier line, and Pedal of the Day found it did a very good job of recreating the vintage Vox amp fuzz and drive sounds.
What does the YOKO switch do on the White Pedal?
YOKO is the name Jext Telez gave the lone knob on the side of the pedal. It is a MidRangeBoost selector switch with a couple of different mid frequency modes, letting you shape the midrange character of the fuzz or drive tone alongside the main Volume, Gain, Treble and Bass controls.
Does the Jext Telez White Pedal work with bass and keyboards?
Yes. Pedal of the Day reported that the White Pedal is not just for guitar, and that it sounds great with bass, synths, electric pianos and more, which makes it usable across a whole rig rather than only in front of a guitar amp.
Why are the controls on the White Pedal unlabeled?
The stark white finish carries no labels for any of the controls. Guitar World's reviewer described the design as clearly inspired by the Beatles' White Album, with four knobs for four Beatles and the word Yoko written on one side, so the unlabeled look is part of the concept.
Is the Jext Telez White Pedal still made?
When Guitar World surveyed current, still-in-production pedals in February 2018, the White Pedal was among them, so it was in production as of that date.
Sources (3)
- Jext Telez White Pedal Fuzz Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-10-09
- Six Modern Effect Pedals Inspired by Classic Albums, Guitar World, 2018-02-08
- Guitar FX Layouts: Jext Telez White Pedal, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2021-02-23
