JHS Pedals State Line Dual Overdrive

This pedal has intrigued me (and many others, I’m sure) for quite some time, and when I had an opportunity to pick one up, I didn’t hesitate for one minute. Only about 130 or so of these little gems were made, and JHS seems pretty adamant that there will NEVER be another run of them, so it’s a rare find, to say the least. While they have their fair share of dual switch pedals, the State Line is unique in that one side is modded from the original schematics, and will not be released as an individual pedal, so you’re only shot to hear it is here. Let’s explore a bit…

The Left side is JHS’ Charlie Brown Channel Drive, which mimics a Marshall JTM 45, the first amplifier made by the company way back in 1962, and a highly sought-after sound. Volume, Tone and Drive controls let you set your sound, but what really brings the CB to life is the Presence control, which lets you tweak your sound to turn any amp into a raging, overdriven beast. The Drive has a great amount of versatility as well, as does the Tone section for dialing in your own unique tonal soundscapes.

The Right side of the State Line is a modded version of the Morning Glory, another stellar drive pedal in the JHS repertoire. While the controls are the same (Volume, Drive, Tone and a Bright Cut toggle), the circuit has been beefed up to make it a higher-gain version, while still keeping the tones and smoothness of the original. This fun new twist on a classic is just up my alley, bringing warm, chunky tones to the forefront, dripping with sustain and dynamic sensitivity, all the while cutting right through any mix you can throw at it, and brining a gauntlet of sounds for all to hear. The Bright Cut toggle is a bit different here as well, with the DOWN position actually the UP position from the original, and the UP position providing loads of rich, full, smooth tone all the way around.

Mix these 2 sides together, and you’ve got one powerful and incredible-sounding overdrive. You can even use the on-board toggle switch to decide which side will run first or second in your signal chain, making even more sonic possibilities a reality. They only made a couple of these, and those of us who have been able to find one are pretty lucky, I must say. To say I got what I was expecting from the State Line would be a false statement: I got something totally unique and rare, making the journey to find one of these beauties that much more rewarding in the end.