The JHS Legends of Fuzz Smiley is a fuzz pedal made by JHS Pedals that recreates the late-'60s iteration of the Arbiter Fuzz Face, the circuit whose silicon transistors gave it the tighter, crispier tone Jimi Hendrix was said to prefer1. It is part of JHS's Legends of Fuzz series, which also includes the JHS Legends of Fuzz Bender and the JHS Legends of Fuzz Supreme1.
Controls and the JHS mode
Like the original Fuzz Face, the Smiley keeps just two control knobs, for fuzz and volume1. guitar.com lists the layout as volume, fuzz, and a mode switch for gated fuzz2. The left-side push-button switch engages the JHS mode, which GuitarPlayer's reviewer says induces a severely gated high-gain fuzz tone1. That Pedal Show's Dan and Mick demonstrated the Smiley's JHS mode alongside the classic mode in their look at the Legends of Fuzz pedals4.
How it sounds
What a player hears depends on who is describing it. GuitarPlayer's Dave Hunter writes that the Smiley exudes a smooth, round, ball-of-hair fuzz tone that harkens to a slightly earlier era than that of the Bender1, and that it nails warm, woolly late-'60s Fuzz Face tone1. He also notes the character of the circuit itself:
"It's a pretty spitty, spluttery fuzz circuit to begin with, which is part of the fun"
On pairing with guitars, Hunter found the Smiley leans a little dark with the Les Paul, though it can still be richly expressive, but the '50s-style Strat's bright single-coils bring more cutting power, arguably making the Smiley more versatile1.
Size, power and bypass
The pedal measures 152 x 98 x 53mm2, a compact footprint compared with the original Fuzz Face's large round housing. It takes a center-negative 9V DC adaptor input1 and uses true-bypass switching1.
The published prices differ by date and currency: MusicRadar listed $152 USD3, while guitar.com listed £179 GBP in 20212. Both figures appear as stated, with no conversion between them.
The Smiley and the Bender
The Smiley and the Bender sit side by side in the Legends of Fuzz line, and GuitarPlayer reviewed them together1. Hunter's framing puts the Smiley's smooth, round tone at a slightly earlier era than the Bender's1. A player choosing between them is choosing between two different classic fuzz characters rather than two versions of the same one.
Videos
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Questions
Is the JHS Legends of Fuzz Smiley true bypass?
Yes. GuitarPlayer's review lists true-bypass switching among the pedal's extras, so the Smiley passes your guitar's signal straight through when the effect is off. That matters on a fuzz pedal, since Fuzz Face style circuits are famously sensitive to what sits before them on a board.
What does the JHS mode switch do on the Smiley?
The left-side push-button switch engages the JHS mode, which GuitarPlayer's reviewer describes as inducing a severely gated high-gain fuzz tone. guitar.com lists it simply as a mode switch for gated fuzz. Alongside the classic two-knob Fuzz Face layout, it gives the pedal a second, more modern character.
How big is the JHS Legends of Fuzz Smiley?
guitar.com's review gives the dimensions as 152 x 98 x 53mm, so it is a compact pedal that fits a standard board without taking the footprint of the original Fuzz Face.
What power does the Smiley need?
GuitarPlayer's review lists a center-negative 9V DC adaptor input among the pedal's inputs and outputs. Run it from a standard center-negative 9V supply like most modern pedals.
How does the Smiley differ from the Bender?
Both are in JHS's Legends of Fuzz series, but GuitarPlayer's Dave Hunter describes the Smiley as exuding a smooth, round, ball-of-hair fuzz tone that harkens to a slightly earlier era than that of the Bender. The Smiley recreates the late-'60s silicon Fuzz Face, while the Bender draws on a different classic circuit.
Sources (4)
- JHS Legends of Fuzz Bender and Smiley Fuzz Pedals Review, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2021-03-22
- Review: JHS Pedals Legends Of Fuzz Series, guitar.com, 2021-04-12
- “Even without its connection to the studio, it's simply a killer fuzz pedal”: EarthQuaker Devices Dirt Transmitter, MusicRadar, 2025-07-23
- The Four Pillars Of Fuzz Guitar Tones JHS Legends vs Our Current Faves, That Pedal Show, 2020-06-05
