Delay pedals are the greatest, and when there are basically three of the finest echo sounds ever created crammed into one single enclosure, you can’t help but get excited. That is exactly the case with today’s pedal, the newly released Flight Delay from our friends at JHS Pedals. Combining three wonderful delay circuit choices with a robust but uncomplicated control section, this is an easy effect to use, and to create...
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It’s NEW JHS PEDALS DAY here at Pedal of the Day once again, and we’re checking out their latest original circuit offering. 8 years in development, the Hard Drive Modern Distortion instantly transforms your sound into the heavy, amp-crushing tone you’ve probably been searching for years for. A simple but effective control section lets you dial in the perfect sound for any rig…let’s jump right in and see...
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It’s time for another EHX pedal, kiddos, and this one just happens to be a collaboration with another of our favorite pedal companies. The Electro-Harmonix / JHS Pedals Lizard Queen Octave Fuzz Distortion brings together an original circuit with some vintage tones, for an affordable, amp-crushing effects unit. We love it when pedal companies join together for new creations – let’s dive in and see what they’ve...
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Not being an engineer, or particularly skilled in the ways of electronics creation, I have never built an effects pedal. I love how they sound and what they can do, but their innerworkings completely baffle me, and I’m not alone. For all of us who want to tinker and experiment a little, without having to do too much actual work, Josh and the JHS Pedals crew have created the NOTAKLÖN, an effects unit based on that certain...
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When musical gear companies collaborate on a project, it usually ends up being something pretty special. When THREE companies team up with one of the most iconic bands in history, something REALLY special is gonna happen. Today, we’re looking at an effects pedal from the Sweetwater Exclusive Beach Boys Limited Edition collection, which teams up JHS, Keeley Electronics and Benson Amps to celebrate the release of “The Beach...
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As many of you may know, the 3 Series of affordable effects from JHS Pedals has been out for a while now…what you might NOT realize is that today we’re taking a look at our FIRST ONE!! The Octave Reverb from this series is based on a well-known and well-loved effect, created by a well-known and well-loved musician and producer (any guesses?), and it sounds amazing. With a minimal design aesthetic and minimal controls,...
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There’s a good chance that when a pedal company teams up with a musical artist to create an effect, it’s gonna be a good one. Never has that been truer than today, as we take a look at the Artificial Blonde Vibrato, a collaboration between JHS Pedals and singer, songwriter and guitarist Madison Cunningham. Producing always-on tone-enhancement, or off-the-wall modulated, seasick warbles, this baby blue beauty has something...
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We’ve got one more effect left in the newest releases from JHS Pedals’ Legends of Fuzz collection, and we’re going out with a bang!. Today, we’re taking a look at the Mary-K 1969 Japan, which again features just two simple controls and a Mode switch…PLUS an variable, hands-free control of one of the parameters. Let’s jump into this sonic pool and get the fuzz out, shall we?? Grab a Mary-K 1969 Japan...
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After checking out the Berkeley 1973 a few weeks ago, we were excited to dig further into more new Legends of Fuzz pedals from JHS. Today, we’re taking a look at the Plugin 1973 California, which again features just two simple controls and a Mode switch. Don’t be fooled, however: there are a TON of sounds just waiting to be unleashed here… Grab a Plugin 1967 California at Sweetwater: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/3ej7ey...
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We really loved the first four effects in JHS Pedals’ “Legends of Fuzz” series: the Bender, the Crimson, the Smiley and the Supreme. They’ve added a few more since, and we’re going to take a look at the Berkeley 1973 California today. With just two simple controls and a Mode switch, you can easily dial in vintage fuzz sounds with this black beauty… Grab a Berkeley 1973 California at Sweetwater:...
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We love today’s fuzz pedal, plain and simple. The Bun Runner from JHS Pedals is a sonic marvel, and one of the most versatile and useful fuzzes we have ever had the privilege of playing. With two quite different sides to this 2-in-1 pedal, many fuzzy tones are easily accessible, ranging from slightly overdriven to all-out crazy, gooey, fuzzy goodness. Let’s check out this rare, discontinued beauty, shall we? The left side...
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Believe it or not, I have never owned, borrowed or even seen an actual DOD 250 Preamp pedal. I’ve used effects that were based on this legendary unit, but haven’t had to privilege to hold one in my hands and hear it in all its vintage glory. Needless to say, then, I was pretty excited about the release of the JHS Pedals Overdrive Preamp – although slightly different from the Gray Box version that everyone is used to,...
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THE RAT. Few distortion pedals have as much instant recognizability, despite (usually) just bearing the colors Black & White. There are many iterations of this classic effect, but how could you possibly collect them all without breaking the bank? Well, as usual, JHS Pedals comes to the rescue, in the form of the PackRat Distortion. Taking different RAT circuits from the last 4 decades, from different manufacturers, this pedal...
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Since the inception of Pedal of the Day, Josh Scott and JHS Pedals have been on board, sending us pedals to review and demo over the last 7+ years. Somehow, their most famous pedal, the Morning Glory Overdrive, has never passed through our shop, for whatever reason….until today. Unleashed in collaboration with The Pedal Movie (which is fantastic, if you haven’t seen it), this Morning Glory 2009 Limited Edition Throwback is...
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You probably know Paul Gilbert from the bands Racer X and Mr. Big. Or, maybe from the G3 Tour and G4 Experience. Or the countless guitar magazine covers. Or the Beatles cover band Yellow Matter Custard. Or the extremely unique Ibanez Fireman guitars he plays and is frequently pictured with. Whatever the case may be, there’s no doubt he’s well-known at the top of the current guitar chain of players, and we’ve got...
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The Legends of Fuzz series from JHS Pedals is a tribute to the world’s most historic, rare, and sought after fuzz circuits. Since the originals are extremely hard-to-find, extremely expensive when you do and prone to the problems electronics might have after 50 years, this series brings these sounds and tones to the masses, for all to enjoy. There are four pedals in all, and we’re going to run through each one, what they...
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With access to a seemingly endless supply of incredible vintage pedals, our friends at JHS have revamped yet another long-lost, obscure and intriguing effect, all while putting their own unique spin on it, as usual. Based on the strange and rarely talked-about Boss FA-1 FET Preamp, the Clover is a Preamp EQ Boost, a true tone-shaper / always on / can’t-live-without-it pedal that will really sculpt and mold your sound. Top...
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The Tube Screamer. Since the inception of this green monster in the late 1970’s, it has become a staple on many pedalboards throughout the globe, as well as having been heard on countless classic albums and songs. While it has a bit of a Love/Hate relationship with most guitar players, its presence and impact on the music world simply cannot be overlooked. Since many versions are rare, hard-to-find and extremely expensive if...
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There are certain pedals that carry with them an elusive aura, a majestic, impossible-to-achieve-anywhere-else type of hype and fuss. The Big Cheese from Lovetone, produced for a short period in the mid-to-late 1990’s, is one of these pedals: hard to find, crazy expensive when you do and is used by some of the most recognizable names in the biz, thus enshrining it in the Effects Pedal Hall of Fame. But wait! If you’ve been...
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We did a review of the Double Barrel Overdrive from JHS Pedals back in 2014, when we were first getting started, and have come full circle to be able to check out the newest model of this fine dual overdrive. This famous box now incorporates the newest versions of the separate pedals it houses, giving it an overall upgrade to the individual sides, as well as the whole pedal. You know what this is, you’ve probably played or owned...
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We really dug the first iteration of the Panther Cub Analog Delay from JHS Pedals, as it took everything we knew and loved about the original Panther Delay and condensed it, along with adding in a couple more features. As is the hip thing these days, halving the size of the first model wasn’t taking it far enough, so JHS produced the Panther Cub V2, which is half the size of the half-sized Panther Cub 1/1.5… Got that?...
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Everyone ready? HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! And what better way to celebrate than with a hauntingly excellent boost preamp pedal from our friends over at JHS Pedals, right? The Haunting Mids, in addition to featuring some ghoulish graphics, adjusts the Midrange of your sound to your specs, providing a perfect opportunity to tame or heighten anything you’re not 100% happy with about your tone. With a simple control section and a wide range...
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It’s been a minute since we had a new pedal from JHS Pedals come through the shop, but they’ve reappeared with a brand new effect that sure to get the tremolo/vibe folks salivating. The Kodiak is a Tap Tempo Tremolo pedal, complete with a ton of bells and whistles that will suit anyone looking to add a fat, bold, pulsing effect to their lineup or board. Boasting subdivision note control, 4 differing waveform choices,...
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There are a ton of great reverb pedals on the market right now, so you’ve got to do something to stand out from the pack to succeed. The crew at JHS Pedals is pretty good at that in general, and today’s pedal is no exception. The Spring Tank Reverb not only provides lush, amp-type spring reverb tones, but gives you a second channel from which to select for a different reverb depth at any given moment. The two independent...
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Having been fans of Ryan Adams’ music for years, we were pretty stoked about his collaboration with JHS Pedals and PaxAm Records in the form of today’s featured effect, the VCR (Volume-Chorus-Reverb). Inspired by 80’s guitar heroes and Ryan’s signature sound, this pedal takes three effects, crams them into one box and gives you a ton of combination options for adding slight nuances of sound or bold, fat tonal...
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Happy Halloween, everybody! Today we’re going to take a look at a revolutionary delay pedal, one that’s no longer in production, but set the tone for echo effects worldwide. The Panther from JHS Pedals is a BIG, bold, fat-sounding, lush delay pedal, complete with a ton of tones and options, making it perfectly customizable for what you need it to do. Lots to go over here, so let’s jump right in! Feedback, Mix and...
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Criss-crossing effects types in the pedal world to produce one marvelous sound machine is always a welcome sight to us, and today’s featured pedal embodies the genre-jumping we’re talking about with gusto and pizazz. Combining a quick slap/echo type of delay with an easy-to-use boost, The Milkman gives you a couple of great sonic options without being overpowering, and makes for an excellent always-on pedal. The Echo/Delay...
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It’s delay week in Pedal of the Day Land, folks! New delay pedal releases are always a good time, and many great ones we’ve tried have come from JHS Pedals. One of their creations that has baffled us (and most of you guys, too) is the elusive Pink Panther, which was released in 2007-2008 or so. Not many of these exist, and therefore they carry a hefty price tag, when you can actually find one for sale. JHS finally decided...
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Joshua Scott Kansas City JHS Pedals www.jhspedals.com Instagram @jhspedals Twitter @jhspedals Facebook @jhspedals How long have you been a musician? How did you get into it in the first place? I got into guitar when I was about 14, I think. I can’t remember the year, but I was young enough to be in junior High. My brother, who is ten years older, had the biggest cassette tape collection on God’s green earth. I was at his apartment,...
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Although we have already once reviewed this pedal in its ORIGINAL form, the RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay we’re looking at today has had a key modification added to it, making it even more impressive and useful than before. Josh and the kids at JHS Pedals came up with the Dual Mode Mod for the RV-3, RV-5 or RV-6 pedals, essentially turning it into a 2-in-1 pedal, allowing you to switch between two chosen modes on-the-fly....
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Although we reviewed this guy a while back, it was V1, and we weren’t doing demo videos at the time, so we decided to revisit one of our favorite fuzz pedals, and update it a bit as well. We’ve included excerpts from our original review, as well as the sweet, sweet demo… We love this fuzz. The Bun Runner from JHS Pedals is a sonic marvel, and one of the most versatile and useful fuzzes we have ever had the privilege...
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Today’s guest review comes to us from Max F. – find him on SoundCloud (@MaxFaith)! The Boss DS-1 is a classic circuit that most of us are familiar with. Players have been modifying the little orange boxes for years and the amount of modifications and spinoffs are too numerous to mention. Despite the variety of DS-1 circuit configurations, most specimens seem to impart the same familiar gain-structure that originally made the pedal a...
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Cross-pollination pedals between different builders is unfortunately an all-too-rare thing in this magical world of effects, but when it does happen to happen, it’s usually pretty creative and special. Such is the case with today’s pedal, a 2-in-1 from two of the most popular pedal companies out there right now, JHS Pedals and Keeley Electronics. The Steak and Eggs combines two popular pedals from each of these respective...
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It just so happens that I love fuzz pedals, but I ALSO love sandwiches, so today’s pedal celebrates 2 of my favorite things at once! The Big Muff Fuzz has a ridiculous cult following, especially a few choice models from the 1970s, but if you can even find them, they’re pricey and usually need repair and maintenance to keep them alive and going strong. Well, thanks to JHS Pedals and circuitry wizard Jon Cusack, there now...
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Most pedal builders boast about a versatile drive, but JHS’ Kilt is truly worthy of the versatile praise. The Kilt’s toggle and knob controls allow for the player to dial in clean to full out gated fuzz and anything in between. And while most pedals that claim to be versatile have maybe one or two “sweet spots,” the Kilt is special all the way through. Based off of the old Expandora fuzz, the Kilt takes a...
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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,...
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Last fall, we reviewed a reverb pedal from an up-and-coming company that was really taking off – that pedal was the Cloud 9 from Sky Pedals. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sky Pedals is no longer creating gear for us to enjoy, but passed along the basic concept and design of the Cloud 9 to our friends at JHS Pedals, and a new reverb was born from the ashes. That pedal is the subject of today’s review, and it’s...
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Keeping with tradition, JHS Pedals continues to pump out great-sounding overdrives left and right, and today’s pedal is no exception to that seemingly unbreakable rule. Roughly based on the classic Supro amplifiers of the 1960’s, the SuperBolt has grit, grime and dirt, as well as a boatload of sensitivity, dynamics and patience as well. If you want to sound like Jimmy Page, but can’t afford that vintage amp, this is...
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Rainbows and Unicorns are known to be magical, especially in the realm of musical instruments (no duh). But let’s not get caught into rainbows at the moment… Unicorns, yes unicorns can often be found in the wild land of “Hendrix,” but the Unicorn can be tamed and domesticated for much subtler uses too. JHS has produced a modern *Uni-vibe* device which is reviving the nearly “extinct” species. With...
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Thick, rich chorus and vibrato have been a staple of music since the 1960’s, when those sounds first appeared and sent music as we know it into an entirely new dimension. Based on the big amps and new effects of that era, the Warble Tron from JHS Pedals is a classic take on an age gone by. The controls are laid out neatly here, with the smaller Depth (effect intensity) and Volume knobs tucked away on the left, near a toggle...
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I’ve never been a huge fan of the classic Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal. There, I said it. It might be because I’ve never had the opportunity to play one of the “great ones” from the early 80’s, or maybe it’s just how they’ve always reacted with the amps I’ve played, but it just never grabbed me like it has other folks. So, I was a little skeptical to try the TS9 Strong Mod from JHS Pedals,...
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The JHS Twin Twelve is based off of the legendary Silvertone 1484 amps in the 60’s. This is the first ever all analog pedal to replicate the pre-amp and overdriven tones of the Silvertone 1484. To help achieve the weight and power of the original design, the circuit internally converts your standard 9V DC Negative power up to 18 volts. This conversion gives you more punch, a better dynamic range, and overall a true amp like...
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The JHS Morning Glory is a discreet/transparent overdrive based off of the legendary Marshall Bluesbreaker circuit but with 2x more headroom and gain. This pedal, which some consider to be the one that brought JHS into the mainstream gear spotlight, is a transparent light to medium overdrive that brings life to any rig. With only three knobs for volume, gain, and tone and a bright cut switch, this simple pedal packs a lot of options...
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Here’s another installment of the Digital Delay stompbox series from Boss: the DD-5. This is a great delay in it’s stock version, but I got my hands on one that has been modded by our friends over at JHS Pedals to add in a bit of analog flavoring. Let’s check it out! Let’s go through the basic functions of the DD-5, then we’ll get to the mod. Lots of modes here, starting with 4 delay modes. These range in...
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It seems that certain low-priced pedals from Boss have a reputation as being terrible and unplayable by an overwhelming number of folks in the guitar community. For how long this has been going on is unknown, but these pedals are an excellent introduction to beginning players who are still searching for their sound, and the tools with which to do so. Plus, if you can pony up a few extra bucks and get them modded by companies like JHS...
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The JHS Pedals Panther is a kick ass delay and one of the more beautiful pedals on my board. It is an all-analog delay (if I’m not mistaken) but with a tap tempo switch. This pedal is amazing. The repeats are warm and the modulation on the repeats just makes it even sweeter. This delay has a ton of features but I won’t be going into too much detail about it. At the top panel (where the inputs and outputs are) there is a...
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Tremolos are one of my favorite pedals, and they can have the most subtle or powerful effect on your signal, depending what it is you’re after. The Honey Comb Deluxe from JHS Pedals is a really simple as tremolos go, since some can get overly complex and gadgety, but it is a great effect in it’s own right, too, and the tonal quality oozing out of this yellow box is second to none. The Honey Comb Deluxe is actually TWO...
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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...
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The Firefly from JHS Pedals caught my eye well before it’s release, and I was just itching to give it a spin in the old home studio. Low and behold, it finally appeared on my doorstep, and I was anxious and excited as I tore the package open. Looking sleek and sophisticated from the get-go, I knew the Firefly was gonna win me over about 3 seconds after I plugged it in. This is JHS’ take on the Tonebender MKIII, a classic...
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Alright, so maybe I wanted to test this pedal out because I thought the penguin looked cool, so what? The point is, not only is the Emperor from JHS Pedals aesthetically pleasing, it is sonically as well. A 2-In-1 Analog Chorus and Vibrato, the Emperor really boasts some gorgeous modulated sounds throughout all of its settings, and promises to make you want to keep coming back for more and more. Volume, Speed, Tone and Depth controls...
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