The Way Huge Electronics Swollen Pickle MKII Jumbo Fuzz is a fuzz pedal from Way Huge, housed in a big green enclosure that resembles its namesake pickle. RockBoard describes it as delivering "earth-shaking, high-gain fuzz with a huge personality," and its five main controls, Loudness, Sustain, Filter, Scoop and Crunch, take it from tight, saturated crunch to an all-out fuzz1.
The circuit is a take on a classic design. Premier Guitar's reviewer calls it "obviously inspired by the Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi," noting that the Swollen Pickle "has been a trade secret among gearhounds"2. Where a stock Big Muff gives you volume, sustain and tone, the Swollen Pickle adds tone-shaping options of its own, which is what sets it apart from the many other Muff-derived pedals on the market.
A Big Muff-style fuzz with a heavy low end
Delicious Audio describes the Swollen Pickle as designer Jeorge Tripps' flagship fuzz, one that "uses a Muff as its blueprint but adds more tone-shaping possibilities"4. The typical Loudness and Sustain controls are joined by a high-end roll-off Filter in place of the standard Muff tone control4.
What the pedal is known for among reviewers is its low end. Pedal of the Day's Mike B highlighted "the awesome Low-End presence. It's so smooth that it's hard to detect at first, but once you really dig into this thing" it makes itself known3. An earlier write-up on Guitar FX Layouts put it in characteristically blunt terms:
"For truly vulgar, lard-assed fuzz, it's tough to top the Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz. Buzz boxes just don't get much more corpulent than this. It's tone control elicits an insane range of heavily band-pass-filtered tones, all distinguished by remarkable girth and sizzle"5
Guitar FX Layouts review, quoted 20145
The controls: Loudness, Filter, Scoop, Crunch and two internal trimmers
The MKII puts five controls on the front panel and two more inside the enclosure. Here is what each one does, as described by the maker and by reviewers21:
| Control | Location | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Loudness | Front panel | Sets the output level of the pedal13 |
| Sustain | Front panel | Sets the fuzz sustain1 |
| Filter | Front panel | A high-end roll-off filter that adjusts a wide range of band-pass sounds34 |
| Scoop | Front panel | Goes from a nice mid-scoop to a flat-frequency response3 |
| Crunch | Front panel | Adds or takes away the amount of compression in the fuzz sound3 |
| Voice | Internal | Varies the strength of the mid-scoop effect, from light to heavy1 |
| Clip | Internal | Selects between diode clipping options for smoother or more aggressive fuzz sustain1 |
Premier Guitar's reviewer framed the additions over a standard Muff this way: "Way Huge has included four more controls in the circuit: Scoop, Crunch, two internal controls for adjusting the intensity of the Scoop control, and one to change the style of clipping"2. Scoop scoops or boosts the midrange, while Crunch controls how compressed the fuzz is2.
Pedal of the Day's Scott W. found the two internal trim pots especially useful, describing them as "two external trim pots for a mid-scoop and crunch, which is essentially compression, allowing you to tame the fuzz to your" liking6. His verdict on the range: "This may be the only Muff based pedal you ever need. There's a vast amount of fuzz tones you can achieve with the Swollen" Pickle6.
The Swollen Pickle family: Smalls, MkIIS, XXX and Dirty Donny
The Swollen Pickle has appeared in several forms beyond the full-sized MKII.
- Smalls Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz: a smaller version of the pedal in the Swollen Pickle family.
- Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MkIIS: a compact take on the full-sized MkII, which Way Huge houses in a big, fat, green enclosure resembling a pickle738.
- Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz Dirty Donny Edition: an artist edition in the Swollen Pickle family.
- Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle XXX: a limited-edition 30th anniversary version announced in 2026. Dunlop lists it as a legacy product no longer in production91011.
On Premier Guitar's demo video from NAMM 2026, the XXX was described as "a square wave muff type fuzz" in the Swollen Pickle line12.
Videos
Way Huge Electronics
jimdunlopusa
intheblues
Questions
Is the Swollen Pickle based on a Big Muff?
Yes. Premier Guitar's reviewer describes the Swollen Pickle as obviously inspired by the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, and Delicious Audio notes it uses a Muff as its blueprint but adds more tone-shaping possibilities. Pedal of the Day's reviewer called it possibly the only Muff-based pedal you would ever need.
What do the internal Voice and Clip controls do on the Swollen Pickle?
Voice varies the strength of the mid-scoop effect, from light to heavy, so it sets how intense the external Scoop control is. Clip selects between diode clipping options for smoother or more aggressive fuzz sustain, switching between smooth or open clipping diodes.
What is the difference between the Swollen Pickle MKII and the Smalls version?
The Smalls Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz condenses earlier Swollen Pickle versions into a smaller, pedalboard-friendly housing with a simpler interface: Loudness, Sustain and Filter knobs plus Scoop and Crunch switches. Flipping both switches down delivers the classic three-knob Swollen Pickle setup.
What is the Swollen Pickle XXX?
The Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle XXX is a limited-edition 30th anniversary version of the Swollen Pickle, announced in 2026 with a redesigned tone stack, dedicated Hi and Lo controls, a Crunch switch and internal switches for adjusting the filter sweep. Dunlop lists it as a legacy product no longer in production.
Sources (12)
- Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MkII by Way Huge, RockBoard (rockboard.de), 2026
- Way Huge Pedals Review: Pork Loin, Fat Sandwich & More, Premier Guitar, 2008-12-16
- Way Huge Electronics Swollen Pickle™ MKII Jumbo Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2015-03-24
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MK II, Delicious Audio, 2017-05-11
- Guitar FX Layouts: Way Huge Swollen Pickle, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2014-06-11
- Guest Reviewer Fridays: Way Huge Electronics Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz, Pedal of the Day, 2016-10-07
- WAY HUGE® SWOLLEN PICKLE® JUMBO FUZZ MKIIS, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle MkIIS review, MusicRadar, 2017-02-23
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2026-01-26
- WAY HUGE® JUMBO FUZZ SWOLLEN PICKLE® XXX, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- Way Huge® Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle® XXX, Bass Gear Magazine, 2026-04-21
- Dunlop - MXR EVH Modern High Gain Pedal, and More! I NAMM 2026, Premier Guitar, 2026-01-25
