From the JHS Legends of Fuzz series of vintage-inspired fuzz pedals, the Smiley is a spot-on re-creation of a classic silicon fuzz pedal that is inextricably linked to the incendiary guitar tones of Jimi Hendrix. Josh Scott and the team at JHS pored over Josh’s personal collection of wide-smiling fuzz boxes to create Smiley, calling up the blistering sustain and formidable crunch heard on Jimi’s records as well as on countless other tracks from the likes of David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnson, and Jack White.

Commanding lead tones and hearty rhythmic crunch

A minimalist fuzz box, the Smiley has only two knobs — Volume and Fuzz — but it’s packed with a face full of tone. Its distinctive midrange attack and weighty low end lend gravity to lead lines, and when you roll back your guitar’s volume knob, it has a clean crunch that's perfect for rhythm playing. The Smiley also has a new trick: the JHS Mode button blasts the Smiley into high gain and grinds out gnarly gated-fuzz effects. Like all the Legends of Fuzz pedals, the Smiley is housed in a stunning custom wedge-shaped bent-metal enclosure with throwback knobs and full-metal badge plates — an old-school look to match its old-school tone.

The JHS Legends of Fuzz Series

According to JHS founder Josh Scott, the invention of fuzz pedals was one of the most significant events in the history of the electric guitar and popular music. JHS has been creating innovative fuzz boxes for over a decade, but this time around they’ve chosen to pay tribute to the great fuzz boxes of the past. The JHS Legends of Fuzz series features period-accurate re-creations of some of the most famous fuzz circuit designs of all time, with a few JHS-exclusive twists. As these original fuzz pedals have become increasingly rare, prices of working units on the collectors’ market have skyrocketed, making them inaccessible to most players. Now, with JHS’s Legend of Fuzz pedals, players from all walks of life will be able to enjoy these storied tone machines and experience the magic of some of the finest fuzz boxes ever produced.