For fifteen years, JHS Pedals has been exploring various circuits to create innovative pedals. The release of the Hard Drive marks a new milestone for the brand: their first entirely original modern high-gain distortion pedal, not based on an existing circuit. Inspired by the sounds of the 90s and 2000s, this pedal aims to deliver high-gain distortion without relying on traditional inspirations.
JHS Pedals Hard Drive – Distortion Black229 €Buy
JHS Pedals Hard Drive – Distortion Black
Unlike many pedals that draw inspiration from pre-existing circuits, the Hard Drive offers a novel approach, the result of eight years of development. Inspired by the world of post-grunge alternative rock, the process included exploring various pedals and amplifiers before finally starting from scratch.
The Hard Drive incorporates cascaded gain stages and hard limiting circuitry, followed by a Class AB amplifier section. These elements enable the pedal to offer versatile distortion. EQ control is provided by a parametric midrange EQ, allowing an adjustable midrange frequency to be boosted or cut, in addition to the classic Baxandall-style bass and treble controls. This configuration offers sonic flexibility, from the saturation typical of tube amps to a wall of distortion capable of piercing stage or studio mixes.
- JHS Pedals Hard Drive – Distortion Black229 €Buy
The Hard Drive is also a landmark for JHS Pedals, being the last project on which Cliff Smith, the brand’s former chief engineer, worked before his death in 2021. Josh Scott, founder of JHS, remembers the weekends and nights Cliff spent perfecting this track. According to Josh, the Hard Drive is a “bastardized” pedal, meaning it’s an original creation born of multiple inspirations and ideas.
Retail price: €186.95
More information on the JHS website.
