JHS Pedals is back with another versatile-and-slightly-wacky stompbox, the Coyote – a three-in-one fuzz based on one of the rarest pedals of all time.
At its heart, the Coyote is a vintage-style fuzz pedal designed to be “a complete one-for-one replica” of the late Glenn S. Wyllie's boutique Moonrock Fuzz. That pedal has garnered something of a cult status over the years, and JHS Pedals leader Josh Scott is among its fans.
Wyllie was an elusive and mysterious figure, with little information about him online, save for a snippet of handycam footage in which he makes a cameo at a music store. JHS Pedals says he was something of a reclusive builder with unconventional techniques. But he sure knew how to make 'em.
As Scott states, a replica of this ilk has never crash-landed in the marketplace, though it’s been the subject of a few DIY recreations over the years. He wants to use this release to celebrate Wyllie's legacy and tell his story.
As such, the Coyote cycles through three fuzz effects via one mode knob, with another for Volume.
Those three effects are Swell, Fuzz, and Octave. The further you dial, the more effect you get, before it switches to the next effect.
The Swell does what it says on the tin, blooming “with a gated, reversed-tape quality,” while Fuzz fuzz oozes vintage 1960s rock charm, and Octave adds a biting high-end to what’s played – it’s an octave up, rather than down.
There’s also the promise that the Fuzz mode can handle chords, while the Octave mode is pure Jimi Hendrix – whom Wylie met several times – with intentionally uneven clipping for a real untamed vibe.
But while Scott says that most fuzzy devices can trace their lineage back to one of the Octavia, the Super Fuzz, and the Tone Machine, the Moonrock drifts in its own peculiar orbit.
“It's one of the rarest fuzzes I've ever tried to find,” he says. “It's way more rare than a Klon. I looked for one for about six years. People don't get rid of them.”
The JHS Coyote has been in development for over four years, with Scott and co. taking their time to master this tribute to one of the pedal world’s most intriguing enigmas.
Pedals cost $149 apiece, offer true bypass, and take standard 9V power.
See JHS Pedals for more.
The pedal drop follows the Double Dragon, the firm's first-ever octaver that was designed to be imperfect and unpredictable, and its Morning Glory Clean, a first-stage overdrive inspired by a jazz legend. JHS reckons it is the best pedal it's ever made.
