Dunlop JH-F2 Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face

Two knobs volume and fuzz how hard is that? well it sounds like my Boss ds-1 with the tone turned down a bit from half way. I like a high ammount of distortin with my sound so it was a good match but why spend another $90 for the sound i all ready have? so but the one i played sounded great!

well i did not buy the pedel and the amp and guitar were just simmlur to it. I run a Washburn wi 64 with a dimrizeo air zone in the bridge and an air clissic in the neck. in to a boss ds-1 to a dunlop rotovide to a dunlop cry baby wah wah to a zoom gfx707 to a crate tv-120. so the guitar and amp i used at the store were not the same but close. the fuzz face is one of the best that i have played i liked it a lot more then the boss fuzz i played the fuzz face sounded a lot more like a classic fuzz then the boss i played (gee i wounder why?)

good from what i saw. full metal and all so it would hold up well to a giging musican. rating i give is becasue i only played it in the store and can't relly tell what it would be like if i played it on a gig.

how the hell should i tell?! i only played it in the store.

damn good! i gave it the rating i did cusase i olny played it in the store and did not buy it. but it sounded damn good to me! but my oppion is mine try it for your self it fit my style great but it may not fit yours.

Extremely easy to use. Don't have to be a rocket scientist to be able to use this. There's only input and output jacks and volume and fuzz knobs.

When I got the idea of getting a fuzz, I heard that this is the pedal NOT to get. Well, I haven't tried many fuzzes, but with this one I can get the sound I'm looking for. The sound is very warm and combining this to my Fender Am.Strd strat and Custom ordered strat, reissue ts-9 and Classic 30 amp (+ few compressors and delays etc.) I can get the sound I'm looking for. This pedal gives very rauncy and DIRTY sound. This one gives the sound I want and with a minor budget. For not being a vintage freak and not only looking for the brand, this I recommend to thou.

I've had it only for couple of days, so I don't about this one...

To getting that dirty Hendrix sound, this is good and cheap choice. If your other equipments are good, this sounds also good. This fuzz pedal is difficult to review because fuzzes actually sound HORRIBLE, but I think that's the whole point! Sounding horrible is what fuzzes should be!

it's really easy to use with only fuzz and volume,i don't get as good a sound out of it with humbuckers so i use my strat

I have used mine with just about every guitar and amp combo.i use a bass EQ to help with the tone but by it self it just to much noise and feedback.with the EQ i can get the hendrix& clapton tones but it's just to much work. I've played four orginals and the blow these away

2 knobs, fuzz generally sounds best full up - fine tweakage needed on the volume pot cause it acts very much as a tone control

Okay, this is an update on my last review that I gave some months ago. setup = different so maybe that's what makes this thing sound so damn cool. I got a new strat with nice singles & without the previous dimarzio humbucker in the neck -sorta noisey but put up with it


Got this pedal back a week ago from a friend who'd had it for MONTHS and hadn't contacted me to give it back - no real loss I thought - it was merely a matter of principal that I got it back

This pedal (and god alone knows what happened to it while tammy had it) has changed - I've tried new batteries etc - it sounds way smoother, more responsive, & funkier than I ever remember it sounding. WARM - SO WARM - and a s**t load of bottom end - those of you with valvestates will understand this:I have to disengage the power dimension switch to get a tone that wont make my 12 " fart on a flat eq - this is fine cause my strat likes it that way - bottom end a go-go baby!
My main prob with it earlier was that it had little sustain for leads - yeah, well i guess it just aint built to play bon jovi wailings - a very subtle fuzz that likes an 'up' power amp knob - but back of the o board) volume to get rid of the splattery buzz

Analogman.com has good info on those with fuzz faces on how to beef up a crappy one - dunno why mine sounds good but hey - it does - every one of the notes on his page rings true for my unit - especially where it says that putting other units in the chain with the fuzz face makes the sound radically diffent - even in bypass - why this happens i dunno - any unit put in front of the 'face will give grater sustain on leads but changes the tonal characteristic to a real fuzzy buzz without the same bottom end (not sure how tru bypass effects this tho). turning down the guitar volume also gives very pleasing results - funky clean yet grunty notes (very hendrix) that you can bring up to a fat sustaining growl with a SHORT twist of the vol.

the knobs are mounted in a raher suspect fashion & the rubber feet suck - fundamentally Id have to say that this unit is a tank

this may not be the ticket for those after a pumpkins style fuzz, but for THE warm 60/70s fuzz tone you cant go past this - foxey lady intro? - no problem. you just have to get your fingers round the shorter sustain factor when noodling- a player's effect.

Two knobs and a switch...could it be easier?

I heard about a lot of bad ones out there and I must say...i must have got one of the best ones cause I can match Hendrix and Cream on the dot. It sounds really great on Sunshine of Your Love!

I could depend on this thing more than myself!!!

I play anything from Hendrix to Heavy Metal...and it matches a lot of what I play! I just wish the damn thing had a tone control for more versatility.

Two knobs---volume and fuzz...That's as simple as it gets.

I play a 1997 American Standard Strat through a Fender Deville Tube Amp...Basically you need a good overdrive pedal combined with the fuzz if you own my setup. The amp has very little kick and the fuzz combined with a clean sounds is easily disposable.
I bought a Boss SD-1 Overdrive pedal and put the the drive to half way and threw the fuzz to 3 o'clock. That produced probably the best sound I could make with my setup. I also have a DD-1 Danelectro fab tone---you can combine the fuzz with this pedal only if you drop the fab on the DD-1 to low levels. Otherwise you'll have too much noise to handle.
It did work very well with my compression pedal, a boss CS-3...really tightened up the tone without losing the attack of the fuzz.

I've had it for about nine months now...its been excellent. Its gone through only one battery since. However having to unscrew the back to replace the battery can be a pain...given how easy Boss and Danelectro pedals are to replace batteries.

I don't care much for Dunlop's customer support....I haven't had trouble with this pedal, but I have talked with them before.

I like this pedal in the right setting. If I had a marshall amp with stronger drive than what my fender has, I'm sure this pedal would have gotten a higher rating, but I just feel like my setup holds the pedal's potential back a little. Its very tough to get those clean, fuzzy sounds heard in Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" and that's the tone I was kind of looking for....but this pedal will get the job done when combined with a little kick.

These babies seem to be a topic of hot debate. Okay then, heres my two cents. To get a good sound out of this unit is pretty easy depending of course on what your prefeance in tone is. The manual however is pants. Easy as piss to use

I'm running this with a Epiphone strat copy loaded with Dimarzio airzone & air norton humbuckers + a marshall VS100R combo. In terms of getting singing feedback from this ala hendrix on Foxy lady, forget it, she's quiet baby! (which pisses me off a bit). Both controls maxed gives a spitting buzz (very middy)thats pretty damn compressed & dialling down the knobs gives a good 'red house @ Woodstock' tone. Combine moderate pedal settings with some preamp dirt (from marshall) & she goes into Fu Manchu/ Mr Corgan territory (respect). However, you need to tweak pedal/amp settings carefully for this. Good singing feedback & lethal bottom end ripping in this mode (even through a 1X12 open back!) Not at all hendrixy thru my rig but I think a Valve power amp would be a large cause. Hardly any sustain when run into a clean amp. Wicked with a bass! Havent tried running it thru my other effects. Dont try running it in an FX loop.the pedal by itself sounds nasty - "my god, someone put a beehive in my cab!"when used clean. NOT hendrixy at all, but interesting nonetheless - BUT THIS IS A GOOD THING - Yes it sounds terrible.Great definition of notes but very inarticulate'

YES - always switchin on time. I'd definately gig without a backup. (however, the rubber feet are didgy as f**k - as with all dunlop stuff - sort it out lads)

Customer support = not at all friendly or good - but hey, were dealing with some broken rubber feet here.

I play anything from Blues to riff rock & folk (also into groove sampling & doing tracks for dance cuts).been playing for 4 years or so & I also own an old Ibanez compressor (ochre colour), an Ibanez chorus (which is totally unreliable - dont buy soundtanks!), a DOD Grunge pedal (Hmmmmm), A Boss "green" phaser (excellent) & a DOD Buzz Box (messy sub octave fuzz - exquisite). If I had it stolen I'd consider buying a new one but would look at some more high gain fuzzes first to try & get a monster sound with only 1 stomp (prescription experience or Big Muff?). Ilove the uncontrived nature of the distortion - you stomp, it spits. I hate the price tag for such a simple unit + the battery acess. I love the configuration of the in/out sockets (perfect for us left handed cats!) + the fact that everybodys fuzz face from day one sounded different. I would like some more susain though - Its loose like siamese dream through my rig but the sustain aint there. I A/B'd it with a black Big Muff reissue but that sounded like s**t through my amp - I was really let down. The 'face thru my VS100 just sounded looser & less 'solid state'. In terms of writing, this forces me in new directions cause it sounds so different to my other distortions & it has to be played enirely differently - 'zero' is out of the question - this puppy has less harmonics that a frozen sausage

Volume, Fuzz and a footswitch, it doesn't get much easier

I also own an old Fuzz Face with silicon transistors and I prefer it's sound. This puts me in the minority, most people seem to prefer the germanium transistor sound ( which the Dunlop has ). The Dunlop I have sounds about the same as an original germanium Fuzz Face I borrowed, and about the same as the Prescription Electronics Facelift and Fulltone 69 Pedal. There are some bad ones out there though; see overall rating.

Never had anything break on it.

As I said some of these sound bad, if you look at the Fuzz Face info at analogman.com he explains all the different versions and tells why some Dunlops sound good, some terrible. He offers various mods to correct some deficincies, but one you can do yourself involves no more than adding one resistor (on some of the bad versions ) and it really works well. So see his site before you throw the thing away.

Very easy to use. One knob for volume and one for fuzz.

THIS one I have now sounds excellent! I have searched far and wide and I finally found one that sounds great. I have tried many before: most sounded like garbage that was farting. They sounded very, very bad. However, if you shop around and try a few out, you will eventually find one that sounds killer. The one I have was purchased at MARS Music in Atlanta, GA. It does not discriminate between single coils or humbuckers. They both are full, rich, fuzzy, edgey, yet creamy. By lowering the fuzz some and boosting the volume you can get good, meaty drive while still retaining the distinct "fuzzy", scratchy tone. It honestly works good for most types of rock music: Hendrix (of course), Cream, Zeppelin, Beck/Yardbirds, etc. For all of you Nirvana fans out there: it will cop a good fuzz tone for that style as well. Just keep in mind: if you don't shop around and find one that sounds good, you'll either think I'm crazy or lying. The bad ones are really that bad.
I'd give mine a 10, but if I averaged the ratings throughout all of the others I tried I'd rate THEM at 1. I realize that is both ends of the spectrum but if you search hard enough, you'll understand what I mean.

Never had a problem. But I can say that it is built very ruggedly and is made to be stomped on. The switch can take the beating and the housing too.

Never had to contact them.

Like I said, it sounds great. For distortion/fuzz, it's got the tone. For "straight" overdrive, get a Visual Sound JH-1 (see review there also if you like). It was well worth the wait.

Volume Knob, Fuzz Knob, Switch Easy to get a good sound. Little bit more practice to get a great sound. The manual was not much help, unless you usually have problems installing the battery.

I play a Gibson Les Paul through a little Peavey Classic 20. I have a crybaby wah, but rarely use it with the FF. I can get a good distortion for power chords, but it is best for leads. Gives a great lead sound especially if followed by reverb/deley/echo. Obviously, if you are looking for a heavy metal type distortion, this is not it. But for a good classic rock sound or some early punk (think Ramones) or some Smashing Pumkins this thing kicks!

I have had it for about a month and it seems to be built well. It survived a fall from about 6 feet onto concrete, so it must be built well. I would use it without backup, but that is probably because I don't have enough money for a backup.

never dealt with them....heard they're decent

I play a little of everything: Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Punk, Smashing Pumpkins, and a little blues mixed in. This pedal sounds great for everything. I was not after an EXACT replica of Hendrix's sound, and that might be a good thing. I can not seem to get a perfect Hendrix tone....with the volume at a little less than half and the fuzz a hair less than cranked, I can get a great Pink Floyd lead sound, especially if I follow it with an echo. It gets a nine because it just can't quite get the exact Hendrix sound. It is really cute, though.