Dallas Arbiter Jumbo Fuzz

[Fret Wire]

I've never really heard much about this pedal. How's it's gain stage and tone control work? Is it just a slight variation of the 3 knob tonebender?  Does anyone have a schematic or layout?

[MartyB]

If you can get better pics of both sides of the board it should be easy to make a schem  and layout.  Looks cool, howzit sound?

[phillip]

Is it possible that theJumbo Fuzz is the same as the Jumbo ToneBender?  There was a lot of crossover of circuits like that during that time period.

Those slide pots are an interesting feature.

Just a thought

Phillip

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
   That is a Jen product [Italy....Vox etc.]  Does it say anything about Dallas Arbiter anywhere on it???  I bet that it is similar to the other 3-tranny Vox-Jen Tonebender-type stuff.
Brian.

[Fret Wire]

Hello Hello--
   That is a Jen product [Italy....Vox etc.]  Does it say anything about Dallas Arbiter anywhere on it???  I bet that it is similar to the other 3-tranny Vox-Jen Tonebender-type stuff.
Brian.

On the bottom plate, right under where the Jumbo Fuzz logo is, it says "Dallas Arbiter, England".

I can't get any more pics, I copied these off an Ebay auction. I figured Jen might have had something to do with it's manufacture. Looks like they accepted contracts from several companies.

HC doesn't even have a review of it. I googled it before and struck out.

The sliders are cool, but must constantly crap out, due to dust.

[Fret Wire]

This is all I find. One review from the Effects Database, and one translated page where half-way down the page he calls it a Jen Fuzz, and describes it in glowing terms.

http://www.effectsdatabase.com/reviews/1119/

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://digilander.libero.it/vacca_stracca/immagini/pedals.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3DDallas%2BArbiter%2BJumbo%2BFuzz%26start%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
   O.K., I just got the facts on this thing....
 It's a Jen Fuzz [probably with BC238 or BC239 trannys]  made in Italy and sold at Arbiter in London.
Fret wire-- Too bad you don't own it!   Can you make out if it has 3 trannys or 4???
Brian.

[Fret Wire]

I tried enhancing it, still not too clear.

[Fret Wire]

I found this schematic, but it's only two knob.

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
  Hhhmmmmmmmm.....looks like it may be 3 tranny...
Check over at Fuzz Central.....I  think there are a couple of Jen Fuzz schematics.  There is also the JHS  [John Hornby Skewes] schematic [another Jen fuzz].
Thanks Fret Wire!
Brian.

[RDV]

It seems like their version of Colorsound Jumbo Tone Bender which is sort of like a BMP.

I could be wrong

RDV

[Stuart]

I had one a while back & reverse engineered it - it's a straight clone of the BMP.  There's also a 5 transistor variant (same PCB) but I don't have a schematic for that one.

[Fret Wire]

Thanks Stuart  No kidding!.....just a dressed up BMP clone? I figured it was similar to the 3 knob TB, with maybe some unique differences. Oh well, I didn't know Dallas Arbiter was originally around long enough to clone a BMP.

Thanks again, Stuart, Brian, and everyone else.

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
   If it has one set of diodes it would be closer to the Colorsound Jumbo [4 tranny] Tonebender, but if it's got two sets  then it's closer to the Vox Suppa Tone Bender [also 4-tranny].   The Big Muff circuit was derived from the [if I remember correctly..] 4-tranny-2 sets of diodes Vox circuit.
All of the Big Muff stuff came after the Colorsound and Vox circuits.
Brian.

[brian wenz]

Hang on Hang on---
    I need to clarify something....   The Big Muff  did exist at the same time as   some of the later Colorsound and Vox [Jen] pedals.
Oooops...
Brian.

[Nasse]

Not much help but remembered these links (Jaques´s stompbox page, Custom-Sounds Oy), some info and some pics in/outside too

But I believe Jen Fuzz might be different, only two knobs. I played trough one in 1974 or was it 76, those similar looking cased Jen slider-pots-on top sustainers were in music stores around then

http://www.jacquesstompboxes.com/alphabet.htm
http://www.geocities.com/stompbox2001/jenfuz1in.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/stompbox2001/jenfuz.htm

http://www.custom-sounds.com/isroot/Customsounds/Images/jen_fuzz1.jpg

Better bigger pics inside and outside at custom-sounds.com - products - vintage - pedals -scroll about four pages forward

(EDITED) If you follow jacquesstopbox jen link to "italian" page you see ugly black Vox Tone Bender under smaller blue Jen fuzz, identical of Custom Sounds black Jen pic, only the nameplate looks different

[Ammscray]

Hang on Hang on---
    I need to clarify something....   The Big Muff  did exist at the same time as   some of the later Colorsound and Vox [Jen] pedals.
Oooops...
Brian.

Yeah but the Colorsound and Jen stuff was first and M Mathews has admitted to "clipping" the circuit from those designs for the BMP...although that may have been one of the only designs he really did "clip"...

[brian wenz]

Yeah....too many diodes.......the tone got "clipped" right out of the circuit!
Brian.