The JHS Mini Foot Fuzz V2 is one of my all-time favorite fuzzes. It has this velcro-like, splatty fuzz sound, and the low gain mode (-) has this lovely sound of a broken speaker that I really enjoy.
The basis for the Mini Foot Fuzz is the Bazz Fuss, a very simple circuit with very few parts, originally marketed for bass players. That became apparent to me when I started playing through the pedal. There’s quite some low end, but somehow without the muddiness. JHS describe the range as going from a gated, low-gain splat to almost infinite sustaining buzz, and that about covers it.
Controls
The panel is as minimal as it gets. Volume is on the left, Fuzz on the right. At the top, a small horizontal toggle selects between two modes: (+) for high gain and (-) for low gain. That’s everything, plus a standard bypass footswitch at the bottom.
One thing to know about the Fuzz knob: turning it all the way down cuts the signal entirely. There’s no clean blend, and no signal at the floor. Treat zero as off, not as a clean setting, and the rest of the range opens up beautifully.
In the demo above I’ve set up a High Gain Fuzz Sweep and a Low Gain Fuzz Sweep, running the Fuzz knob from 0 to 10 in each mode so you can hear the character difference back to back.
How It Sounds
The two modes are genuinely distinct personalities. In (+) mode with the Fuzz knob swept, you get the classic thick, buzzing silicon fuzz: grinding at the low end of the knob, building into a sustained, harmonically dense wall as it opens up. The Broken Speaker Fuzz preset captures what the (-) mode does best: Fuzz at 6, and the circuit collapses into a ragged, spitty texture that really does sound like a speaker gasping. It’s a strange and addictive character that (-) mode alone unlocks. The low end is present throughout both modes without turning muddy, which tracks with the Bazz Fuss heritage.
There is just one tiny caveat: when you turn the Fuzz knob to the minimum, there’s no sound. It could have been fixed with a single resistor in the circuit, but maybe that would take away the magic from it.
Mini Foot Fuzz vs Classic 108
The MXR Classic 108 Fuzz is the obvious comparison: both are mini-format silicon fuzzes in compact enclosures. The Classic 108 is a BC108-transistor Fuzz Face topology, brighter and more aggressive, with a buffer switch for chain-order flexibility. It’s two knobs and one character: the vintage Fuzz Face sound, faithful and consistent. The Mini Foot Fuzz is built on a different circuit entirely. The Bazz Fuss topology behaves differently, particularly in how the low end comes through, and the mode toggle gives you two genuinely different operating points rather than a single voice at varying gain. If you want the recognizable Fuzz Face character in a small package, the Classic 108 delivers it cleanly. If you want something that goes to weirder, more broken places, the Mini Foot Fuzz is the one.
Who It’s For
This pedal suits players who want a fuzz that covers a lot of textural ground without a complicated interface. The (+) mode handles classic thick silicon fuzz duties; the (-) mode is for when you want something gated, splatty and a little wrong-sounding in the best possible way. It works well as a low-end-friendly option for players on bass too, given its Bazz Fuss roots. The honest caveat: with only two knobs and no tone control, you’re taking the circuit’s voice largely as-is. If you need a sweepable EQ or a fuzz that cleans up into overdrive territory, look elsewhere. For everyone else, this is a small, simple pedal that earns its place.
Specs
Circuit: Bazz Fuss based, silicon
Controls: Volume, Fuzz, mode toggle (+/-)
Bypass: True bypass
Power: 9V DC, center negative, 3mA (no battery operation)
