The fuzz effect seems to be a favorite theme in the boutique scene. Almost every  manufacturer dedicates one or more pedals to that special  sound, that has fascinated guitarists since the 1960s. Jahn Custom Audio (JCA) introduces the FUZZ ACE, placing it in the temperate corner of the fuzz universe - where the ProCo Rat meets the Big Muff. You will not hear any crazy, broken or viciously  sounds. There are fat to middle-emphasized sounds, good for blues and rock. With the toggle switch on the head end, the fuzz can be turned into distortion. The FUZZ ACE delivers a powerful, assertive basic sound, which can be modified with the toggle switch, especially in the gain and bass range. At low gain settings, the differences are larger than with hi-gain sounds. The FUZZ ACE is finally one of the good guys. The look of the pedal is pretty chic and in fine nuances the aluminum die-cast shimmers through the printing. The inside consists of high-quality components only. The quality and haptic is high end. And the sound is right: The level control delivers very high volumes. The tone pot offers a lot of tonal shades in combination with the gain pot.  From very mild distorted to the mighty oppressive hi-gain, a lot is possible here. The first half of the tone control is perfect for low-gain sounds. From the middle then it also cleares up Hi-Gain sounds to sound almost biting in the last quarter. Outstanding is the dynamics of the pedal, which impresses even at sustaining high gain sounds. The fuzz control works not perfectly even and only starts to work properly from the middle of its control path. But that does not bother, because the FUZZ ACE works perfectly with the volume pot of the guitar. So let's go, turn up the fuzz knob and then everything from the almost clean to the hi-gain will be controlled with the guitar pot! That's the way it used to be and so it works today. A great pedal, Made in Germany and not that expensive...