Way Huge Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz Dirty Donny Edition

The Way Huge Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz Dirty Donny Edition is a limited-edition fuzz pedal from Way Huge, announced at NAMM in January 2014 and shipping that March¹. It is essentially a shrunken-down version of the Swollen Pickle, carrying the same circuit in a smaller housing, with limited-edition artwork by rock artist Dirty Donny and six controls on the front panel¹.

Described as a "Jumbo Fuzz," the Swollen Pickle provides high-gain fuzz with a tremendous amount of bottom end and, in MusicRadar reviewer Trevor Curwen's words, "all the grunge sounds you could wish for"². Where a stock Big Muff-style fuzz gives you three knobs and a fixed voice, the Dirty Donny Edition puts the deep trimmer adjustments of the Mark II on the outside of the box, so you can reshape the fuzz without a screwdriver.

What it does: high-gain fuzz with deep low end

The Swollen Pickle family is built for saturated, high-gain fuzz with a heavy low end. MusicRadar's review of the Dirty Donny Edition describes it as providing "high-gain fuzz with a tremendous amount of bottom end and all the grunge sounds you could wish for"². RockBoard's page for the full-sized MkII sums up the same voice: "earth-shaking, high-gain fuzz with a huge personality," ranging from tight, saturated crunch to an all-out fuzz³.

The circuit's roots are no secret. Premier Guitar's reviewer, reviewing the Swollen Pickle MKII, wrote that the pedal is "obviously inspired by the Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi" and has been "a trade secret among gearhounds"⁴. Pedal of the Day's Scott Willems made the same connection, noting that there are "copious amounts of pedals based on the revered Big Muff Pi, but the Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz by Way Huge Electronics proves itself as a very versatile fuzz"⁵. The DIY community agrees: Guitar FX Layouts, which traced the circuit, calls the Swollen Pickle "a 70's style fuzz that goes from mild crunch to Armageddon!"⁶

What separates the Swollen Pickle from a stock Big Muff is control. Where the classic three-knob Muff leaves its mid-scoop and compression fixed, the Pickle exposes them, which is why reviewers keep landing on the word "versatile"⁵.

The controls

The Dirty Donny Edition carries six controls on its front panel¹. Four of them are mini knobs, crunch, scoop, filter and clip, with normal-sized level and sustain knobs². MusicRadar's reviewer found "a massive range of possible tones courtesy of those four fiddly mini knobs, which can dial in some radical stuff"².

The Scoop control is the one that defines the pedal's character. MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen wrote that "the scoop knob does a number on the midrange," and the control "can elicit the classic Swollen Pickle mid scoop or a flat mid-frequency sweep"²¹. Delicious Audio's guide to Big Muff-style pedals puts it in practical terms: the Scoop mini knob can add extra midrange punch, while the Crunch knob allows dialing in a more compressed or open sound⁸. Dunlop's own copy for the smaller MkIIS describes the same feature from the player's angle: "flip the Scoop switch to carve out the mids for power chords that sound huge"⁹.

The clip control is new territory for the front panel. On the Swollen Pickle Mark II it lived inside the case as a trimmer; on the Dirty Donny Edition, as Curwen noted, it "now manifests itself as a mini knob on the front panel"². Pedal of the Day's review of the earlier full-sized Pickle describes those internal trimmers as adjusting "the intensity of the mid-scoop and the clipping of the sustain" stage⁵, so having clip outside means one of the pedal's most fundamental voicing choices, how hard the fuzz clips, is now a live performance control.

A smaller Swollen Pickle with Dirty Donny artwork

The Dirty Donny Edition sits in a smaller housing than the full-sized Swollen Pickle¹. MusicRadar reported it at NAMM 2014 as "essentially a shrunken down version of the Swollen Pickle, with limited edition artwork and six front-panel controls," carrying the Swollen Pickle circuit in a smaller housing¹. The artwork is by rock artist Dirty Donny, which is what gives this version its name and its look².

The trade-off is price. MusicRadar's review lists "costs £40 more than the standard version" among its reasons to avoid, against the plus column of "huge range of quality fuzz tones" and "well made"².

The compact treatment has since become a pattern in the line. The Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MkIIS serves up "the same burly high gain fuzz as the full-sized MkII but in a more petite" package, per Dunlop's product page¹⁰, and MusicRadar's Total Guitar review of the MkIIS likewise describes "a similar fuzz in a more 'board-friendly footprint"¹¹. The Dirty Donny Edition was the first of these smaller Pickles, arriving years before the MkIIS.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen reviewed the Dirty Donny Edition and found a lot to like in its range²:

His verdict's plus points were a "huge range of quality fuzz tones" and solid construction, with the £40 premium over the standard version as the main mark against it².

The wider Swollen Pickle family has drawn strong reviews for years. Premier Guitar's reviewer called the MKII "an extraordinary fuzz pedal, and certainly lives up to its name"⁴. Pedal of the Day's Scott Willems, reviewing the full-sized original, wrote: "It is one of the most musical and one of the dirtiest fuzz pedals I've owned, and considering the price, is a must-have"⁵. A later Pedal of the Day review of the MKII by Mike B noted that the pedal "always seemed to have a pretty good reputation" on guitar forums before he tried it¹².

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