JHS Supreme

The JHS Supreme is an octave fuzz pedal that recreates the vintage Univox Super-Fuzz, a Japanese circuit from the late 1960s. JHS describes the effect as "an octave fuzz that turns any note or chord into a thick and searing texture," playing a high octave up alongside the distorted note¹. In the launch announcement, Josh Scott of JHS summed up the character:

The Supreme is part of JHS's Legends of Fuzz series, "a collection of the world's most historic, rare, and sought after circuits"¹. It was released in 2020 alongside three other pedals in the series, priced at $179 each³.

A Univox Super-Fuzz octave fuzz

The original Univox Super-Fuzz (sold by Unicord) is what Coda Effects calls a classic Japanese 60's Harmonic Upper Octave Fuzz, a description Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson echoes, calling it "a great full-flavour take on that classic Japanese 60's Harmonic Upper Octave Fuzz"⁶⁷. Where a Roger Mayer Octavia-style circuit puts the octave up front, the Super-Fuzz works differently: Coda Effects explains that "there is a lower octave that is added to your tone and make it heavier, and an upper octave, quieter than on the Octavia, that is hear-able around the 12th fret"⁷. DIY builders who have traced the circuit describe it as "very high gain distortion/fuzz hybrid with sick up octave overtones"⁸.

JHS says the Supreme lets players "replicate the classic octave fuzz sounds of Pete Townshend, Black Keys, White Stripes, Beastie Boys, and Mudhoney," all names associated with the original Univox pedal¹. Guitar.com's reviewer placed the pedal squarely in that lineage, calling it "much more in the tradition of vintage octave-fuzz"⁹.

Is it an exact copy?

JHS says the Legends of Fuzz Supreme is based on "the original black and gray Super-Fuzz"², and Delicious Audio describes it as "an exact replica of my favorite Super-Fuzz in my collection, my extremely rare black and grey model," a 1972 unit⁵. But the JHS version is not a pure clone: guitar.com's review notes that "the JHS version adds mid-cut and mid-boost options to the Univox circuit via those side-mounted push-buttons"¹⁰. So the core fuzz and octave circuit follows the Univox original, while the two switches are JHS additions.

The controls: Volume, Expand, Tone and Mode

The Supreme has two knobs and two push-buttons. JHS describes the knobs plainly: "Volume makes the effect louder as you turn it" and "Expand increases the amount of fuzz"¹. The two side-mounted buttons reshape the midrange:

Guitar.com's spec list matches: Volume, Expand (fuzz), a tone switch for mid scoop, and a mode switch for mid boost¹⁰. Guitar.com's later buyer's guide adds that "the tone switch adjusts the midrange character"⁹.

What JHS Mode does

JHS Mode is the pedal's own voicing on top of the Univox circuit. Delicious Audio's buying guide puts it in practical terms: the switch "brings the upper octave to the forefront and pushes more mids and more volume into your amp"¹¹. Pedal of the Day's review describes the same result, "a much more pronounced octave up effect, thicker mid-range, and more available volume/boost"¹². On That Pedal Show, Dan and Mick demoed the Supreme shortly after release, covering the JHS mode alongside the classic mode¹³.

Part of the Legends of Fuzz series

The Supreme is one of four pedals JHS released in 2020 in the Legends of Fuzz series, each based on a classic fuzz circuit, at $179 each³. Premier Guitar reviewed the Supreme as part of that series, noting that "JHS has made a Super-Fuzz of their own called the Supreme"⁴. The series sits alongside other JHS fuzzes such as the JHS Legends of Fuzz Bender and JHS Legends of Fuzz Smiley.

Power and practical details

The Supreme runs on a 9V DC negative center supply and draws only 4mA, so it is easy on a pedalboard power brick¹. It also takes a single 9V battery in a clip under the swing-open backplate¹.

What reviewers said

Guitar.com's Richard Purvis gave the Legends of Fuzz Supreme an 8/10 rating¹⁰. Premier Guitar's reviewer found the pedal "manages to sound authentic and add a midrange boost switch that extends the device's versatility in more straightforward" contexts, and called the price fair overall⁴. Gearnews, covering the 2020 launch, wrote that "for $179 each these pedals are a bit of a steal"³.

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