JHS Pedals Moonshine Overdrive

These days, it seems like a lot of players (and pedal builders, too) have shifted focus to creating the most transparent sounds they can find. While those pedals definitely have use in many signal chains, sometimes you want you audience to actually hear the effects when you turn it on, and not just a little bit, but blow them away with it a little, you know? Today’s pedal, the Moonshine Overdrive from JHS Pedals, does just that, giving your amp a swift kick in the pants that it’s been dying for as of late, and showing the crowd you still know how to rock.

Based in part on a certain little green overdrive from the early 80’s, the Moonshine features a simple control setup and one toggle switch for added tone enhancement. Volume, Tone and Drive are the knobs you get to fiddle with, and they each have their own range and tonal qualities. The Volume is boosted internally from 9V to 18V, giving you tons of output volume and headroom; the Tone has a nice range of EQ to dial in whatever sound you’re looking for; and Drive will do a low-gain boost up to a thick wall of distortion, plus just about anything you could think of in between.

The toggle switch on the Moonshine gives you the opportunity to add more grit or add more volume, depending on where you place it. Down, your pedal instantly gains a bigger pair, boasting the heavier sounds that can scream out of this pedal. Up, there’s a volume boost and a cleaner, tighter drive tone, great for adding in that touch of crunch you need to keep things moving along through your set. The Tone knob interacts beautifully with both sides of the toggle, allowing for more precise and spot-on overall sonic glory.

As this pedal was originally designed for bass, it can get a little darker at times, which is a great option for any overdrive, in my opinion. Not too harsh on the high end, tons of headroom and volume and great crunch sounds, the Moonshine really is a versatile and super-useful overdrive, in a multitude of settings. Another gem in a great lineup of drives, make sure to check out JHS Pedals for more tonal options and killer overdrives….among many other things as well!