Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Phil Weller

“Save yourself a few hundred thousand dollars and experience the magic for yourself”: JHS Pedals has unveiled its latest DIY pedal kit – a $119 Dumble-style overdrive partly inspired by a one-off John Mayer stompbox

JHS Notadümblë.

JHS Pedals has returned with another ‘build your own’ pedal kit, the Notadümblë – which promises to put two-channel Dumble amp goodness and half-a-million dollars worth of tone at players’ feet for just over $100.

The pedal follows the success of the Ikea-esque Notaklön, which arrived in November 2023. It presented a very affordable and fun way for budget-conscious players to get a taste of one of the most desired overdrive pedals in the world, the ever-copied Klon Centaur.

Despite its humble $99 price tag, the pedal left Guitar World seriously impressed – so the bar is set high for the all-new Notadümblë.

In JHS' own words, the Notadümblë is “our take on two sounds from the Dumble sonic universe” and makes a stompbox out of amps beloved by Joe Bonamassa, Mark Tremonti, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and a legion of other tireless tone chasers with rather big pockets.

The clean section of the pedal extracts the essence of Dumble's oddball A Box Later pedal. It is a rare non-amp build crafted by the late Alexander Dumble, and JHS chief Josh Scott borrowed one example from none other than John Mayer in order to reverse-engineer it.

The result, the Box It Later, has been on Mayer's pedalboards for years, partly because it is far more compact than the original. As a result, the Notadümblë can produce bright, chime-y cleans, or can “really slam on” to be used as an overdrive or boost pedal.

Over to the red channel, “the Dumble sustaining violin lead tone” is served up on a platter – see Santana, Joe Bonamassa, and Eric Johnson for sonic reference, JHS adds. In the promo clip, Scott is seen playing slide guitar on a Les Paul to show off just some of its more higher-gain tones.

Priced at $119, it's a little pricier than its well-loved predecessor, but for an extra 'amp' channel, it's not a crazy jump, and still represents an incredibly accessible – and not to mention endlessly fun – way to try out some Dumble sounds.

Controls are as simple as can be. The clean channel has knobs for Input and Output, while the overdrive gets Volume, EQ, and Drive. It takes 1/4" jacks and the standard 9V for power.

Instructions for building the pedal are designed to be as easy to understand as possible and no soldering is required. With the Notaklön assembly sitting under the 30 minute mark, it seems unlikely the build time here will be much longer.

(Image credit: JHS Pedals)

“This kit is for anyone who wants a particularly fabled amp-overdrive and the experience of easily building their own pedal,” JHS enthuses. “Go ahead – save yourself a few hundred thousand dollars and experience the magic for yourself!”

Head to JHS Pedals to learn more.

Excitingly – and intriguingly – Dumble looks set to make a return. Its founder passed in 2022 but, after the brand’s revival was teased in October last year, the firm made an appearance at NAMM 2025.

Guitar World caught up with the company at the event, where we were told that the brand and its owner’s legacy are now being overseen by the ‘Dumble Preservation Society’.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.