JHS

The Fumble

BOOSTER

BUFFER

Description

JHS The Fumble - the pedal born from a mistake. Sometimes the best ideas arise from the biggest mishaps. Such is the case with the JHS The Fumble. In May 2025, JHS launched the NOTADÜMBLË pedal kit, which was intended to combine two legendary Dumble sounds in a compact unit. The overdrive side worked as planned - a boutique drive that embodied the lead tones of Larry Carlton, Eric Johnson, and Robben Ford. The clean side, however, was a misstep: instead of the intended "A Box Later" circuit, a completely different circuit, originally designed for John Mayer and then forgotten, accidentally ended up on the circuit board. This mishap led to one of the most curious stories in pedal history: the accidentally installed circuit was beloved by musicians, and after the NOTADÜMBLË V1 sold out and was discontinued, many guitarists longed for this exact sound as a standalone pedal. Thus, The Fumble was created - a pedal that packs the original "flaw" into its own compact housing, at an affordable price. But the story gets even more bizarre: The underlying circuit, known as the Dumble BBC-1, isn't actually a Dumble design, but a JFET preamp developed in the 1970s for Barcus Berry acoustic preamps. Howard Dumble adapted this small utility box, supplied it to some local guitarists in Los Angeles, and later used the same circuit in his legendary amplifiers - known as "FET Mode." This means that the iconic Dumble FET sound found in six-figure price range amps is based on a small acoustic preamp from the '70s. The Fumble is therefore a copy of a copy of a copy - three generations later, in one of the most unusual pedal-chain adventures in history. Functionally, The Fumble impresses with its simplicity and versatility: Two controls manage the sound - the Output as the master volume and the Input as a unique gain/bass attenuator. At full power, the input delivers a full, rich sound; at full power, the tone becomes thinner, tighter, and more percussive. The pedal can be used in a variety of ways: as a buffer and clean boost at the beginning of the signal chain, to drive overdrives, to control the front end of a distorted amp, or as a solo boost at the end of the chain. The name "Fumble" is a perfect fit: The concept had been languishing internally at JHS since 2012, never to be realized. And precisely at the moment when the biggest blunder in the company's history occurred, the name was ready - a kind of universal punchline that had been waiting for years for its moment. The Fumble is therefore not just a pedal, but a piece of guitar history: born from a mistake, loved by musicians, and with a sound that comes directly from the depths of the Dumble mythology - or rather, from a curious, historic JFET preamp.

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Media

Videos

JHS Pedals Fumble | A Dumble turned Fumble! Review - by Uhlik Music (EN)

JHS Fumble: The Sweetener You Never Turn Off Review - by B's Music Shop (EN)

What is the JHS Fumble? In Under 5min Review - by JHS Pedals (EN)

Howard Dumble Was Cloning This Circuit the Whole Time! The JHS Pedals Fumble - Review - by JHS Pedals (EN)

Manuals

Manual (CZ)