Jupiter Fuzz Pedal by Walrus Audio

Jupiter Fuzz Pedal by Walrus Audio…  You could most certainly use the Jupiter fuzz pedal to add a tiny hint of fuzz to your signal; however, by doing so, you may be missing an amazing sound shaping opportunity.  Walrus Audio has succeeded at creating a solid, attractive pedal that truly shines as a dramatic, dynamic and exciting effect.

Appearance and Construction

The Jupiter gives a great first visual impression, with muted gold line art-inspired graphics topping a maroon case.  Equally as impressive is the solid, thoughtful construction of the unit.  From the recessed screws on the back of the pedal to the sturdiness of the control knobs, it is obvious that great care is given to manufacturing at Walrus Audio.  I was curious to see if the small 3-position Mode and 2-position Bass switches would feel flimsy, but the opposite was true:  the switches, although small toggles, are durable and solid – absolutely gig-ready.  The purple LED that indicates the pedal is active is bright enough to pop out on a loaded pedal board without creating an annoying stage glow.

The Sound

The audio shaping properties of the Jupiter are equally as attractive as the pedal’s visual appeal.  Before activating the effect, the pedal is quiet and doesn’t crimp or inappropriately color the signal.  Once engaged, the Level control allows for quick and easy adjustments. And then the fun begins.

In addition to the Level knob, the Jupiter has a Fuzz knob and a Tone knob.  The Fuzz control acts exactly as you would expect, dialing in the desired amount of fuzz to be added to the bass sound.  The control has a fantastic range, growing from a small coloring of the signal to nasty, gnarly distortion.  The Tone knob creates a nice opportunity to control the contour of the signal without being a “dumb” control that grossly brightens or mutes the sound.  Just playing with combinations of these 2 knob settings offers a range of sounds that rivals the abilities of many other fuzz pedals.

Where I believe the Jupiter excels is with the aforementioned Bass and Mode toggle switches.  The Bass toggle is an on/off switch, which does not do anything to the sound when in the “off” position, but adds a bass boost when activated.  While I didn’t feel that turning on the bass boost added much to the lower range of the bass, it had great benefit for work above the 12^th fret.  Instead of the sound becoming increasingly thin when playing in the upper range, the bass boost added warmth and rounded out the tone.  It was great to be able to use the full range of the bass, with fuzz, without sacrificing sound.

The most dynamic playground area opens when using the Mode toggle.  This 3-position switch changes the clipping diode pattern arrangement, unlocking 3 unique sounds for every Fuzz/Tone combination and a plethora of options when altering all three controls.  From tight fuzz to a wildly aggressive distortion, endless possibilities are available. It is hard to imagine a fuzz-driven tone that could not be produced with the Jupiter.

Conclusion

It is easy to lose hours playing with the Jupiter pedal, just having fun discovering new sounds.  More importantly, the pedal offers a wide variety of tones that are very usable by bassists of every genre.  Walrus Audio has a created a solid, attractive, and sonically beautiful pedal with the Jupiter fuzz.  Product and company information, along with demo videos of the Jupiter, can be found at walrusaudio.com.