JHS - The Fumble

There's a certain irony in one of the most interesting clean boosts JHS has ever made coming directly from a mistake. But here we are. The story goes like this: when JHS released the NOTADÜMBLË — their solderless DIY kit built around the legendary Dumble sound — the clean side was supposed to be a faithful reverse-engineered copy of the "A Box Later," an obscure buffered effects loop device that Howard Dumble built in the 1980s. John Mayer, who owns one of the handful of these units that exist in the world, actually lent it to JHS founder Josh Scott for the project. He replicated it. And then, somehow, it ended up in the wrong pedal. The Fumble is that circuit — pulled out, given its own enclosure, and released on its own terms. What you're actually getting is a true bypass JFET clean boost built around one of the most sought-after signal-shaping devices in the Dumble universe. The two controls are deceptively simple: Input handles bass and gain attenuation, letting you shape how much of your signal — and how much low-end weight — hits the circuit. Output is your master volume. That's it. But simple controls on a well-designed circuit don't mean limited results. This is the kind of boost that doesn't just get louder — it gets *better*. Cleaner. More present. The kind of thing you put at the front of your chain and suddenly realize your amp has been waiting for it. The JFET topology gives it a slightly organic, almost tube-like character in the way it handles transients. It's not coloring your tone so much as it's clarifying it — tightening up the low end, adding a little air and definition to the top, and pushing your amp into that sweet spot where everything feels more alive. Players chasing the kind of glassy, touch-sensitive clean tones that Carlton and Robben Ford have built careers on will find a lot to love here. It's also a genuinely useful utility piece — a transparent buffer and boost in a tiny enclosure that disappears on your board and just makes everything feel right. At 1.96" x 3.93" x 1.21", it's small enough to tuck anywhere. Assembled in Kansas City. Runs on standard 9V DC center negative at a miserly 5mA. It's the kind of pedal you plug in expecting to test and end up leaving on permanently. Sometimes the best things really do come from the worst moments. --- **Specifications:** - **Type:** True Bypass JFET Clean Boost - **Controls:** Input (bass and gain attenuator), Output (master volume) - **Power:** 9V DC, center negative, 5mA - **Dimensions:** 1.96" x 3.93" x 1.21" - **Assembly:** Kansas City, MO, USA - **SKU/UPC:** FB