JHS Pedals The Fumble: How to Market a $200k Mistake
The Boost/Buffer with a Dumble heritage itself a clone of a classic
5,0 / 5,0 | 
The Fumble is the latest release from JHS Pedals and is born from copying the wrong circuit and then re-releasing that “$200k mistake” as a standalone effect. Josh Scott could be the king of marketing!
Contents – The Fumble
The Mixup
According to JHS Pedals founder Josh Scott, this pedal only exists because of “the biggest mistake in JHS history”—a mishap involving John Mayer’s gear archive, a discontinued DIY kit, and a 1970s acoustic preamp hiding inside a $400,000 Dumble amplifier.
In May 2025, JHS launched the NOTADÜMBLË V1, a highly anticipated DIY kit. One side was advertised as a reverse-engineered replica of “A Box Later”, an obscure Howard Dumble effects loop buffer that John Mayer had personally loaned to JHS.
NOTADÜMBLË Oops…
The batch of 15,000 units sold out instantly. A week later, while filming a YouTube video, Scott made a horrifying discovery: he had put the wrong circuit in the pedal.
Instead of the intended buffer, Scott had accidentally loaded a completely different Dumble preamp circuit he had reverse-engineered for Mayer in 2019 and forgotten about.
JHS immediately owned the mistake, offered full refunds, and discontinued the kit. However, a funny thing happened next: customers absolutely loved the “wrong” circuit and started raving about it.
What’s inside The Fumble?
Often, it’s the little things in life that bring us the most joy. The Fumble is inspired by A Box Later, which itself is based on the legendary BBC-1 (Barcus Berry acoustic preamp).
Inside is a JFET preamp that imparts just the right amount of warmth, dynamics, and transparency to the signal. This harmonises beautifully with electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and electric bass alike.
The controls are remarkably simple, yet offer a surprisingly wide range of tonal possibilities. The output knob controls the overall volume, while the input knob simultaneously adjusts bass and gain – a clever circuit design that fundamentally alters the sound character.
At lower settings, the Fumble sounds clear, dynamic, and tight; at higher settings, the sound becomes fuller and warmer. This allows for precise adjustment of the pedal to suit the specific amp and playing style.
A true bypass switch ensures that the original signal remains completely unaffected when the unit is switched off. Unfortunately, it cannot be powered by a 9-volt battery.
Where does the pedal fit best in the signal chain?
The pedal can be used to great advantage in a wide variety of setups.
Whether as a front-end buffer that keeps the signal clean over long cable runs, as a clean boost for more presence, as an overdrive driver that makes the input channel of an amp or other drive pedals distort, or as a solo boost for the crucial volume push at the right moment.
The Fumble adapts flexibly to different amplifier and pedalboard combinations and always enhances your signal.
Price and Availability
The Fumble is capable of far more than meets the eye. This small pedal enhances your sound and has the potential to become a loyal new companion on your pedalboard. The current price of €93.00 is reasonable. Available soon at Thomann.
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