JHS Cheese Ball Distortion/Fuzz Pedal Reviews

I think of all the pedals I have owned and used, this is by far my favorite and it will most definitely have a forever place on my pedal board.
If you are a fan of fuzz, I would seriously recommend this pedal. First, you can select from 4 variations of fuzz sounds, with positions 2 and 3 being my absolute favorites. Second, with a tone control, you can really dial-in your fuzz sound, especially since most (vintage) fuzzes have two basic function: gain and volume (except for the "OFF" position on the Cheese Ball, as this position disengages the tone knob/control).
This is a clone of a highly coveted pedal, but the original is far too expensive, rare, and overpriced for me to own. However, the JHS Cheese Ball is a very affordable clone of the iconic pedal.
Whether you are into the hype or not, this pedal still provides 4 very distinct fuzz flavors in one pedal for an amazing price. Any fuzz enjoyer should at least sample the delicious Cheese Ball!

ordered this to replace my big muff and it did the trick but not only that has a gated fuzz which is to die for and the other two modes cover the bases. the tone knob is the most powerful tone knob i've used and the volume knob has plenty on tap. it also doesn't make you disappear in a mix especially with mode two.i recommend this to anyone who is getting their first fuzz , or has limited space and needs multiple fuzz sounds. shout out to marc my sales agent.

This is what I've been looking for. A Fuzz tone pedal that does just that. Many pedals I've tried have added too many other functions that I don't need: distortion, overdrive, etc. Plugged it in with the tone selector switch set to off and there it was - fuzz tone! While the tone and selector switch positions are great, so far I like it odd or setting '1'so you can dial in a little bottom end. Have only just started to learn it's capabilities at a couple rehearsals, but was able to use it straight out of the box no problem. Highly recommend.

Lots of options, the gated fuzz is fun to play with. Use the 1 position for a lighter fuzz into a tube screamer or in 3rd position on its own for a heavy fuzz/distortion.

If you're looking for one pedal to give you a good rhythm distortion, Muff-fuzz, splatty fuzz, and mid-boost fuzz all in one, this one does it well. I've found it to be very responsive to input volume. The "off" mode really shines as a distortion. For mode 3, start with the gain all the way down for the most traditional sound(as you turn the gain all the way up, it cuts out like a noise gate clamping down). This is one of those pedals that has such a diverse range of sounds available that you will absolutely love it or be totally confused by it, so I recommend cycling through the modes while the volume, gain, and tone are left straight up. Fantastic pedal in my opinion.

Started my 1st pedalboard this year. Fuzzes, OD's, modulation, and compression pedals. My 1st fuzz pedal was a lot harsher than I hoped for, but still worked. Further research in the never-ending tunnel of effects. I came across the Cheeseball. This offers a much fatter, softer sound that I am very fond of. I use this pedal more than my other pedal, but use them together at time for some really Psych distortion that takes me back to the late 60's.

I've never tried the much sought-after pedal that this is based on, so I can't comment on how accurate a replica it is, but either way, if you're a fuzz fanatic, this is likely to replace two or three pedals on your board. The gated, "spitty" high-gain setting on position 3 is a major draw here, and is sure to get a lot of mentions. It's a sound I associate with finicky pedals that have to be first in the signal chain to perform as intended (such as Fuzz Factory), but the Cheese Ball behaves no matter what's in front of it. Position 1 against my Big Muff w/Wicker is perhaps a little less compressed but otherwise tough to tell apart. Position 2 is a whole different beast; mid-rangy, searing, good for cutting through a mix. My one complaint is that the gain is quite high even at the lowest setting (the gain pot seems to change the quality of, rather than the amount of distortion), but it makes up for this by rolling off nicely with your guitar's volume pot, which is easier on the fly than tweaking a dial on a pedal anyway. The volume dial peaks around 2 o'clock and gets slightly boomier rather than louder from there. If you're looking for a 60's/70's sort of thing, there are other pedals I'd recommend, but for more modern fuzz it's hard to think of a more intuitive box with anywhere near this much character. Definitely worth your consideration.