JHS Distortion Pedals
JHS Distortion Pedals
Guitar is arguably one of the most versatile instruments on the planet. There are so many effects designed to create incredible sounds for it. It has about a 4-octave range of notes giving you a wide range of sounds available. One of the reasons the guitar is so versatile is the prolific use of distortion. And one of the best distortion makers in the world is JHS Pedals.
Roxy Music has been carrying JHS pedals for about 3 years now. We have sold over $10,000 in JHS pedals. The products are awesome. Plus, Josh Scott has some really in-depth lessons on the history of pedals. This article is going to cover 4 different distortion pedals created by JHS.
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The Violet
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The Angry Charlie
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The Hard Drive
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The 3-Series Distortion Pedal
The Violet:
The Violet is the signature pedal for Lari Basilio, an incredible Brazilian guitarist. The Violet distortion pedal comes in purple and black. The sound options are almost limitless. JHS describes the pedal as “... adding a new and ultra-flexible distortion channel to your favorite clean amplifier.”
The Violet uses a unique three-band EQ. The high and the low frequencies are what you would expect. But the mid-frequency is unique. There is a frequency adjuster. The frequency adjuster doesn't arbitrarily choose which mid frequencies to boost. It gives that option to you. You can choose which frequency to adjust by turning the Mid Freq knob on the pedal. The Middle Knob then lets you choose how much you want to add or remove.
The Mid Frequency changes before the distortion circuit. This is different from standard distortion pedals. Most of the time the mid frequency comes after the distortion circuit. This option just creates unique tones not found on most pedals. This means that the sound changes before distortion happens creating more unique tones.
If you're not sure how the distortion circuit typically works, check out this article.
[products=violet]
The Angry Charlie
This is one of my favorite guitar pedals around. It’s been on my pedalboard for 5 or 6 years at this point. JHS has been making them for over 15 years and they are still very popular.
The Angry Charlie models a JCM800 amp. It has high-gain British tones that can work on any amp. This is the Angry Charlie version 3. The original versions were popular but needed some improvements. This version comes with a complete 3-band EQ. This means you can boost the mids, scoop the mids, add a ton of bass and more to get any high-gain tone you need. It also can create an awesome bluesy tone by lowering the drive.
[products=angrycharlie]
The Hard Drive
The Hard Drive is a pedal that has never been created before. It doesn’t seem that way on the surface. In fact, the controls mirror the controls of the Violet. It has Volume, Gain, Low, Mid Frequency, Mid, and High knobs. But the circuit is like no other circuit on the market.
Most pedals and amp circuits are based on other amps or pedals. For example, the Angry Charlie is based on a Marshall JCM800 amp. The Hard Drive didn’t do that. JHS designed their own circuit that did not model a different product. In fact, Josh Scott looked into other amp circuits to avoid using those circuits in this pedal. The Hard Drive is an instrument of innovation.
The pedal can still emulate other distortions like the DS-1, the RAT, and the Marshall Shred Master. But it is not a copy of those circuits. It’s unique.
[products=harddrive]
The 3-Series Distortion
The 3-Series Distortion is JHS's entry level pedal for $99. Even though the cost is low, the sound is awesome. It works great for new and experienced players alike. It has 3 knobs: Volume, Filter (or Tone), and Distort. They all do exactly what they sound like.
The 3-Series Distortion Pedal also has a gain switch. It lets you choose between high-saturation, heavily compressed sounds or crunchy sounds. The heavily compressed sounds allow you to play more complicated licks. The trade-off is the loss of dynamic range. The crunchy sounds are great for riffs that showcase dynamics.
[products=3seriesdistort]
The JHS distortion pedals are some of the best distortion pedals on the market. The JHS team constantly puts out pedals that push the envelope on innovation. The Hard Drive is a modern distortion not based on anything made before. The Violet took a unique approach to Mid Frequency shaping. These pedals are awesome, and JHS will keep innovating. If you want to check out other JHS pedals, click here.
