• From: North Hollywood, CA.
  • Registered: 2012-06-06
  • Posts: 16

Topic: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

This may have been covered before, but..................
I have both the JB Fuzz and JB Wah. It's supposed to have a buffered circuit in it so that you can use it with a Germanium Fuzz Face . I can't seem to get them to work together. I've used it before the fuzz and after the fuzz. In true bypass mode and non true bypass mode. The only way to stop the squealling and feed back is to put a buffered pedal between them. Even then it sounds bad. any solutions. I sent an email to Dunlop but they couldn't help. BTW, the wah sounds awesome with my Neo Fuzz and my Keeley FuzzHead, so it's not defective, maybe just a bad design.

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  • From: Southampton, UK
  • Registered: 2011-09-06
  • Posts: 231

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

This has been covered before (try a site search), but perhaps more so regarding the JB Fuzz with generic wahs.  It seems to me based on all the feedback that the issue is with the JB Fuzz as opposed to the JB Wah - it's design appears to be such that it's a bit of a beast to control and get the best from, with or without a wah in the chain.  I've found a way to get it into my board with some success, but it's uses are limited due to it's interaction with other pedals. 

Not sure whether I can provide a solution as such, however my set-up is... Guitar > Vox wah > JB FF > TS > Fulldrive2 > unswitched buffer > ABY box.  The JB FF is powered by my 9v supply through a Virtual Battery which seems to work quite well.  You can see them here .... http://www.thegigrig.com/usa/acatalog/P … eries.html

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  • DougH
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  • From: Toronto, Canada
  • Registered: 2011-04-01
  • Posts: 1,687

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

I don't think I've read anything about the JB Fuzz having issue but have read that the JB wah has noise issues.

https://forum.jbonamassa.com/viewtopic.php?id=21391

https://forum.jbonamassa.com/viewtopic.php?id=20931

I have a Keeley Fuzz Head after the wah and it seems ok.
Anyone else have a JB wah and JB fuzz?

---------------

(If only I had 1% of Joe's guitar talent)
  • From: North Hollywood, CA.
  • Registered: 2012-06-06
  • Posts: 16

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

The problem seems very specific to the JB Wah and the JBFF together. I have a Teese Picture Wah and the Fuzz works with it, somewhat. The normal problems with wah and fuzz happens with the Teese wah in front, so I use it after the JBFF. If I use the Teese wah before, it doesn't sound great, but it's at least managable(unlike the JB Wah). Now I must admit, when I use the JB Wah before either my Keeley FuzzHead or MIA Neo Fuzz it sounds "out of this world" good. But for god's sake I expected the JOE BONAMASSA FUZZ FACE to work well with a JOE BONAMASSA WAH!! That's all I'm saying.

p.s. Love ya JB

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  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

Kept my jb wah, ditched my jb fuzz pedal. I just don't use the fuzz enough. hmm

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
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  • Registered: 2012-05-16
  • Posts: 18

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

Bummer, I've got the fuzz waiting for the wha. In my current setup I'm running the fuzz first in line, hitting a regular crybaby. This works ok.

  • Registered: 2012-05-18
  • Posts: 69

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

i found they work together only with the fuzz before the wah. I also don't have the wah in true by-pass. I think it sounds killer.

  • sted
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  • Registered: 2011-03-20
  • Posts: 333

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

My understanding is your fuzz should see a high impedance load such as guitar pickups, they don't like low impedance loads that typically buffered pedals might have in them, they also don't like the variances that most wah's give.

Dave Fox (Foxroxx pedals) explained it this way on TGP:

"A fuzz-friendly wah (like a newer Teese RMC pedal, which contains the Foxrox Wah Retrofit circuit) only has the buffer on when the wah pedal is on. Turn the wah off and the buffer is gone from the signal path. That's the whole idea behind it - the fuzz sees your guitar when the wah is off and you get the right fuzz sound and the vol knob cleanup effect. If you want a buffer in your chain, you would keep the fuzz-friendly wah before the fuzz and put a buffer right after your Fuzz Face."

  • From: North Hollywood, CA.
  • Registered: 2012-06-06
  • Posts: 16

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

sted wrote:

My understanding is your fuzz should see a high impedance load such as guitar pickups, they don't like low impedance loads that typically buffered pedals might have in them, they also don't like the variances that most wah's give.

Dave Fox (Foxroxx pedals) explained it this way on TGP:

"A fuzz-friendly wah (like a newer Teese RMC pedal, which contains the Foxrox Wah Retrofit circuit) only has the buffer on when the wah pedal is on. Turn the wah off and the buffer is gone from the signal path. That's the whole idea behind it - the fuzz sees your guitar when the wah is off and you get the right fuzz sound and the vol knob cleanup effect. If you want a buffer in your chain, you would keep the fuzz-friendly wah before the fuzz and put a buffer right after your Fuzz Face."

Isn't the JB Wah supposed to be ("Fuzz Friendly?), that's why I bought it, I have a standard vintage style wah in the Teese picture wah (Pre-2006, not fuzz friendly). Shouldn't I be able to use the JB Wah in front of the JB FuzzFace? It's supposed to have a built-in buffer. I thought?

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  • sted
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  • Registered: 2011-03-20
  • Posts: 333

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

JoeMaMa wrote:
sted wrote:

My understanding is your fuzz should see a high impedance load such as guitar pickups, they don't like low impedance loads that typically buffered pedals might have in them, they also don't like the variances that most wah's give.

Dave Fox (Foxroxx pedals) explained it this way on TGP:

"A fuzz-friendly wah (like a newer Teese RMC pedal, which contains the Foxrox Wah Retrofit circuit) only has the buffer on when the wah pedal is on. Turn the wah off and the buffer is gone from the signal path. That's the whole idea behind it - the fuzz sees your guitar when the wah is off and you get the right fuzz sound and the vol knob cleanup effect. If you want a buffer in your chain, you would keep the fuzz-friendly wah before the fuzz and put a buffer right after your Fuzz Face."

Isn't the JB Wah supposed to be ("Fuzz Friendly?), that's why I bought it, I have a standard vintage style wah in the Teese picture wah (Pre-2006, not fuzz friendly). Shouldn't I be able to use the JB Wah in front of the JB FuzzFace? It's supposed to have a built-in buffer. I thought?

From Dave's advice you may need a buffer after it too maybe? Does it go into another buffered pedal of low impedance? That might be the issue, I don't know if the JB ones are Fuzz friendly or not, I'm guessing not if they are vintage inspired though.

  • From: North Hollywood, CA.
  • Registered: 2012-06-06
  • Posts: 16

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

sted wrote:
JoeMaMa wrote:
sted wrote:

My understanding is your fuzz should see a high impedance load such as guitar pickups, they don't like low impedance loads that typically buffered pedals might have in them, they also don't like the variances that most wah's give.

Dave Fox (Foxroxx pedals) explained it this way on TGP:

"A fuzz-friendly wah (like a newer Teese RMC pedal, which contains the Foxrox Wah Retrofit circuit) only has the buffer on when the wah pedal is on. Turn the wah off and the buffer is gone from the signal path. That's the whole idea behind it - the fuzz sees your guitar when the wah is off and you get the right fuzz sound and the vol knob cleanup effect. If you want a buffer in your chain, you would keep the fuzz-friendly wah before the fuzz and put a buffer right after your Fuzz Face."

Isn't the JB Wah supposed to be ("Fuzz Friendly?), that's why I bought it, I have a standard vintage style wah in the Teese picture wah (Pre-2006, not fuzz friendly). Shouldn't I be able to use the JB Wah in front of the JB FuzzFace? It's supposed to have a built-in buffer. I thought?

From Dave's advice you may need a buffer after it too maybe? Does it go into another buffered pedal of low impedance? That might be the issue, I don't know if the JB ones are Fuzz friendly or not, I'm guessing not if they are vintage inspired though.

Here is the AD directly from Dunlop website...............

"On the inside, it features large, vintage-style thru-hole components, a Halo inductor (for added harmonic content), an output buffer (to prevent impedance imbalance with vintage fuzz pedals)"

I've tried everything imaginable, fuzz first, Fuzz last, Buffered pedal before, after, and in-between, no buffered pedal, Fuzz and wah only, true by-pass, non true bypass, with other brand wah, with other brand fuzz(which worked out well), five different amps, ten different guitars, one buffered pedal, two buffered pedals(at beginning and end of chain) every conceivable combination.

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  • sted
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  • Registered: 2011-03-20
  • Posts: 333

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

That is a head scratcher, the last thing I could think of is the power supply you are running it off should be fully isolated or just batteries but I'm guessing you already done that as part of the process, is there any way you can get another one to try alongside it? Short of putting it on a separate loop switch and trying that I'm pretty much out of ideas mate.
I would suggest posting over on TGP, there is a lot of top pedal builders and designers that get on there who might be able to help more.

  • From: Southampton, UK
  • Registered: 2011-09-06
  • Posts: 231

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

Perhaps it's just a duff pedal that needs replacing???  Hope you get it sorted.

Gibson LP '89 Custom * Gibson LP '04 Classic * Gibson JB LP Studio * Fender 50th Ann. Deluxe Strat * Gibson Explorer Pro * Epiphone Korina SG * Michael Kelly Patriot Premium * Ibanez 105NT Artcore Custom * Takamine acoustics * Fender Blues Deville 4x10" * Marshall DSL100 and DSL50 * Marshall 1960A * Laney LH55 * Bugera V55HD * Bugera 212VT * Marshall 1912 * Roland Cube 60

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  • Registered: 2012-04-02
  • Posts: 38

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

The foxrox is designed to be buffered when it's ON and true bypass when it's OFF to avoid the annoying oscillation but retain the original fuzz tone that likes to see the impedance of your guitar pickups, because fuzz faces hate buffers in front of them when your not using the wah but they squeal when your using the wah if the output buffer isn't on. Unfortunately its just the nature of the beast. If you've seen Jimi Hendrix live at the Isle of Wight his wah was squealing like crazy because of the order (wah>fuzz) but if you put it other way (fuzz>wah) the wah is very unpronounced and doesn't great IMO.

Cheers, Alex.

15 Reply by helrazr84 (edited by helrazr84 2012-06-08 06:26:57)

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

Sucks you're having troubles. Are you intending to use the fuzz for an overall tone throughout a song or just for solos? And let me ask you a dumb question: Have you tried adjusting the fuzz level so its low if not all the way down? I only say this because I have a London Fuzz and keep the fuzz knob all the way back with the level up and still get a fuzz tone without the obnoxious noise when I use it with humbuckers.

I have a love hate with fuzz pedals, and have found they only sound good for me when I use a strat. I can keep it on all the time without the squeals and hiss whereas with humbuckers, its strictly for solos. But the fuzz has to be in the top of the order though it works fine after my wah. (using a regular vox v87)

  • From: Ridgeland, MS
  • Registered: 2009-08-12
  • Posts: 1,248

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

THe problem can't be solved by rolling your guitar volume down a few notches?

  • From: North Hollywood, CA.
  • Registered: 2012-06-06
  • Posts: 16

Re: JB Wah with JB Fuzz Face, not working together...

wharris wrote:

THe problem can't be solved by rolling your guitar volume down a few notches?

No. it squeals with the volume completely off.
I compromised , if I use the JB wah and JB fuzz together I use it with wah after fuzz and use a Keeley Katana Boost at the end and it sound OK.

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