PREAMP / DISTORTION / OVERDRIVE
The 424 Gain Stage gives all the elastic, lo-fi tone you get from plugging a guitar rig straight into a TASCAM® Portastudio® 424. Now in pedal form, you can easily integrate the rubbery clean tones, high head room, and smashed out fuzz that’s being repopularized by today’s emerging guitarists.
The original Portastudios® were made famous in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and gave us the ability to bring our songs to life from the comfort of our cluttered bedrooms. These multi-track recorders meant for home studios found their way onto hit records like Springsteen’s Nebraska, the Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang, and Spoon’s Gimme Fiction. Many of the vocal parts and fuzzy guitar tracks on Gimme Fiction – a huge inspiration for the creation of the Colour Box – were actually recorded on a Portastudio®. Since hearing those recordings, the 424 Gain Stage has been brewing in the background, and now we’re proud to bring it to you.
In this historically accurate recreation, we perfectly replicated the original 424 MKI® circuit using the original UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps and all the original controls, which is crucial for recreating the unique character that makes the old units sound so good. The Portastudio’s® gain controls–trim, channel volume, & master volume–all work in tandem for dialing up your desired tone and can be further refined with the Low and High EQ settings. In addition, our unit offers a ¼” output alongside a balanced XLR output (DI out) for ultimate flexibility in any situation, live or studio.
The 424 Gain Stage as a DI
Going DI will give you the exact same unparalleled gooey texture and lo-fi fuzz you get when plugging directly into a 424® without the hassle of dragging around your beloved Portastudio®. Leave it on your recording desk for easy access. If you want to get fancy, you can toss an Active A/B/Y switcher at the end of your rig and send the A output to your amp and the B output to the JHS 424 Gain Stage input, then XLR output of the pedal directly into your mixer or interface. This way, you can flip between your amp and the 424 Gain Stage easily or play through both at the same time. Give it a try!
The 424 Gain Stage with an Amp
Plugging a Portastudio® into your amp is quite a feat. In this pedal format, you can easily integrate the tone of the 424 with the saturation of your favorite amp. This adds a whole new quality to the tone and gives the ability to stack it with your other pedals. Use it as a gain stage to boost your signal, a unique and colorful new overdrive sound, or push the gain knobs into full-on overloaded and broken fuzz.
CONTROLS
VOLUME (Corresponds to Portastudio® Master) - Controls the output volume. Left is less, right is more. On the Portastudio 424, this is the MASTER fader.
GAIN 1 (TRIM) - Sets how much preamplification will be added to the input signal. On the Portastudio 424, this is the TRIM control.
GAIN 2 (CHANNEL) - Sets the volume level of the second gain stage. On the Portastudio 424, this is the CHANNEL fader.
BASS - Cuts or boosts bass frequencies. Left is less, right is more.
TREBLE - Cuts or boosts the treble frequencies. Left is less, right is more.
INPUT - Top ¼” right jack.
OUTPUT - Top ¼” left jack.
XLR OUTPUT - XLR jack on the left side of the pedal. This is a balanced output which can be used as a direct-out straight into a mixer or interface. The 1/4” output and XLR output can be used simultaneously.
GROUND LIFT - Dip switch on the left side of the pedal. If you experience a hum/buzz while using the XLR output, use this switch to lift the ground.
POWER - Requires 9VDC center negative power and consumes 50mA.
The 424 Gain Stage is silent, soft touch switching with a buffered bypass.
THIS PEDAL MEASURES 2.6” X 4.8” X 1.6” AND CONSUMES 50MA. DO NOT USE MORE THAN 9VDC. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR AND YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED.
THE JHS PEDALS 424 GAIN STAGE IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY TASCAM®
TASCAM AND PORTASTUDIO ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.
NEWEST RELEASES
OVERDRIVE
A SOLDERLESS DIY KIT!
We’re proud to present the NOTAKLÖN DIY Overdrive kit, which utilizes the unique “Shamrock” modification that JHS performed on the *Klon KTR for several years. With easy-to-understand instructions (no soldering required), this kit is for anyone who wants a particularly mythical overdrive and the experience of easily building their own pedal. We’ve even included "goop" so that you can conceal the "magical" diodes.
It’s NOTAKLÖN 'til you build it.
**ALL SALES FINAL** This product is a DIY kit. No returns will be accepted under any conditions. This product is covered by a limited liability warranty.
**NOTAKLÖN is excluded from any discounts.
CONTROLS
Output – Controls the overall volume of the pedal. Left is less, right is more.
Treble – Controls the amount of treble boost or cut. Noon is neutral.
Gain – Controls the amount of overdrive. Fully left is clean, which gives the ability to add up to +16dB of clean boost in conjunction with the output. Fully right is max overdrive. As the control is turned clockwise, there is an increase in the mid-frequency range.
Shamrock Mod Switch – Increases the overall gain +4dB for unmatched boost abilities with an increase in mid frequencies and an additional stage of hard-edge clipping.
JACKS
Input - 1/4” jack on the top right side of the pedal.
Output - 1/4” jack on the top left side of the pedal.
POWER – Requires 9V DC negative center power and consumes 30mA. Do not use more than 9V DC as the pedal internally converts 9V to 18V. If you do, you will void your warranty.
This pedal measures 4.7" X 3.7" X 1.66”
*THE KLON KTR IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK. THE JHS PEDALS NOTAKLÖN IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY KLON.
3 SERIES
FUZZ / DISTORTION
MODULATION
PREAMPS
UTILITIES
FOR KEMPER / HELIX
YEA, YEA, WE ALL KNOW BY NOW JHS PEDALS SUCK
