The Way Huge Swollen Pickle MkIIS is a fuzz pedal, and the current compact-footprint version of the Swollen Pickle line. MusicRadar's review, in Total Guitar, describes it as offering "a similar fuzz in a more 'board-friendly footprint" than the original Swollen Pickle1. Way Huge's maker, Jim Dunlop, gives it the model number WHE401S and describes a wide range on tap: with a twist of the Sustain control you go "from mild crunch to Armageddon," the Filter control delivers heavily bandpass-filtered tones with girth and sizzle, and the Loudness control puts out enough volume to clobber any amp2. Total Guitar puts the same idea another way: the pedal allows "a vast array of fuzz tones - from subtle warmth to face-melting filth"1.
Controls
The MkIIS carries hidden DIP switches under the lid, much like the standard model4.
| Control | Position | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Sustain | External | Takes the pedal from mild crunch to full, sustained fuzz2 |
| Filter | External | Bandpass-filtered tone shaping with girth and sizzle2 |
| Loudness | External | Output volume, with enough level to drive any amp hard2 |
| Scoop | External | Mid-scoop control, set by the internal Voice trimmer1 |
| Clip | Internal pot | Smooth, warm fuzz all the way up to a massive sustained fuzz1 |
| Voice | Internal pot | Sets the intensity of the external Scoop control1 |
On the MkII generation of the Jumbo Fuzz, RockBoard describes the Voice control as one that "varies the strength of the mid-scoop effect (from light to heavy)"5, and gearnews notes the MkIIS keeps hidden DIP switches much like the standard model4. Total Guitar also highlights "the practical addition of a convenient nine-volt battery door for easy access"1.
Where it sits in the Swollen Pickle family
The original Swollen Pickle debuted in 1996, according to GuitarPlayer's survey of the top 50 stompboxes of all time, which lists its debut year as 19963. Guitar FX Layouts, in a technical analysis of the circuit, calls it "a 70's style fuzz that goes from mild crunch to Armageddon!"6. The line has since branched into several enclosures and editions:
| Version | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|
| Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MkII | The full-size enclosure, with internal Crunch miniknob for a more compressed or open sound7 |
| Swollen Pickle Smalls MKIII | A smaller version of the series, about 1/3rd smaller than the Jumbo, with a Crunch toggle for compressed or open sounds8 |
| Swollen Pickle MkIIS | Similar fuzz to the original in a more board-friendly footprint, with battery door1 |
| Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle XXX | Limited-edition 30th anniversary release with an expanded feature set and refreshed tone stack9 |
The MkIIS is one of several Swollen Pickle formats. If board space is the priority, the Smalls Swollen Pickle and Smalls Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz occupy the same family at a smaller size, while the Jumbo versions carry the extra internal controls.
Premier Guitar, in a 2025 feature on modern fuzz pedals, notes that "the newest version of the Swollen Pickle features additional clipping options under the hood that allow you to tweak further"10, which lines up with the MkIIS's internal Clip control.
The 30th anniversary XXX edition
At the 2026 NAMM show, Way Huge announced the Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle XXX, a limited-edition 30th anniversary version of the Swollen Pickle with a tweaked circuit and new look49. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley reported that it "expands its feature set, refreshing its tone stack"9. Dunlop's product page describes it as a pedal that "seethes and simmers with high-gain saturation and fat, hairy lows"11, and Premier Guitar reports that Way Huge "overhauled the tone stack from top to bottom," adding new Hi and Lo knobs and internal sweep switches12.
Premier Guitar's demo video of the XXX, with Bryan Kehoe and John Bohlinger, also touches on the clipping options the family is known for. On the silicon transistor setting, Kehoe said, "the silicon is going to be a little more compressed"13.
What reviewers said
Total Guitar's verdict on the MkIIS is short and positive: "A welcome update to an-already fine pedal."1 The review frames it as the practical choice within the line for players who want the Swollen Pickle's range of fuzz tones without the Jumbo's larger enclosure1.
Videos
Way Huge Electronics
The Vlad69
Pedals At Home
Sources (13)
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle MkIIS review, MusicRadar, 2017-02-23
- WAY HUGE® SWOLLEN PICKLE® JUMBO FUZZ MKIIS, Dunlop (www.jimdunlop.com)
- The Best Guitar Effects Pedals of All Time, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2021-06-25
- Way Huge Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle XXX: 30 Years of Pickle!, gearnews.com, 2026-01-26
- Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MkII by Way Huge, RockBoard (rockboard.de), 2026
- Guitar FX Layouts: Way Huge Swollen Pickle, Guitar FX Layouts (tagboardeffects.blogspot.com), 2014-06-11
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle Jumbo Fuzz MK II, Delicious Audio, 2017-05-11
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle Smalls MKIII Fuzz, Delicious Audio, 2024-06-19
- MXR's high-gain Eddie Van Halen collab headlines Jim Dunlop's fresh pedal drop, MusicRadar, 2026-01-22
- Modern Fuzz Pedals That Make Old-School Sounds, Premier Guitar, 2025-05-01
- WAY HUGE® JUMBO FUZZ SWOLLEN PICKLE® XXX, Jim Dunlop (jimdunlop.com)
- Way Huge Releases Jumbo Fuzz Swollen Pickle XXX, Premier Guitar, 2026-04-21
- Dunlop - MXR EVH Modern High Gain Pedal, and More! I NAMM 2026, Premier Guitar, 2026-01-25
