JHS Pedals The Fumble

What it is and what it does

The Fumble is a boost pedal with two knobs and true bypass switching, in an enclosure that does not take up much pedalboard space¹. Gearnews describes it as a boost and buffer pedal carrying the BBC-1 circuit, with a JFET preamp inside that, in the site's words, "imparts just the right amount of warmth, dynamics, and transparency to the signal"⁶¹.

Pedal of the Day suggests four ways to use it¹:

• As a permanent buffer and clean boost at the front of a board
• To slam the front of overdrive pedals
• To slam the front of a dirty amp
• As a solo boost at the end of the chain

Gearnews frames the same roles as a front-end buffer that keeps the signal clean over long cable runs, a clean boost for more presence, a driver for overdrives, and a solo boost⁶.

The controls

The Fumble keeps things simple with two knobs¹.

Because the input knob moves bass and gain together, you can dial in how hard you push the preamp and how much low end comes with it, then set the final level with the output knob. With true bypass switching, the original signal remains completely unaffected when the pedal is switched off⁶.

Where the circuit came from

The Fumble's story starts with the Notadümblë, a self-assembly Dumble-style pedal kit from JHS⁷⁸⁹. The V1 kit was released with the wrong Dumble circuit: instead of the intended design, it carried the BBC-1 boost, a JFET preamp⁴¹⁰. JHS pulled the V1 and began recreating the correct pedal¹⁰.

When V1 owners turned out to love the wrongly installed circuit, JHS released the BBC-1 as its own pedal, the Fumble, so the circuit would not disappear¹¹. Guitar Pedal X called it a case of the boost being extracted "by popular demand"¹². Pedal of the Day adds that the Fumble is a faithful production version of a circuit Josh Scott had cloned for John Mayer, and places it in the family of Dumble circuits¹.

How it differs from the Notadümblë

The two pedals are related but not the same. The Notadümblë is a DIY pedal kit you assemble yourself, while the Fumble is a fully assembled standalone boost in a compact enclosure¹³¹. The Notadümblë V2 corrected the V1's mistake with its boost circuit, and added a second footswitch, a Presence control, an order switch and a TRS effects loop¹³. The Fumble carries the BBC-1 circuit the V1 shipped by mistake, the one the V2 replaced⁴¹⁰.

A third-party option also exists: PedalPCB sells a Fumble Boost PCB described as comparing to the Dumble BBC-1 and the JHS Fumble, while noting it is not manufactured or distributed by, or affiliated with, either Dumble or JHS Pedals¹⁴.

Who it works for

Gearnews reports that the Fumble "harmonises beautifully with electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and electric bass alike"⁶, so it is not limited to electric players. See the bass pedals and acoustic pedals pages for other options on those rigs.

Price and availability

The Fumble lists at $89.00 USD on JHS Pedals' product page³. MusicRadar reported it available now at $89 at launch², and Delicious Audio confirmed the $89 launch price in June 2026¹³. Gearnews listed it at $87.00 USD, £79.00 GBP and 93.00€ EUR in July 2026, so the US street price and the maker's list price differ slightly¹⁵. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer felt the $89 price was "primed for success" and within the impulse-buy psychology threshold, while admitting the pedal may not be entirely necessary¹².

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