JHS Hard Drive Distortion Pedal - Black

The JHS Hard Drive is a modern high-gain distortion designed from the ground up rather than around an existing pedal circuit or classic distortion topology. Development began in 2016 with the goal of capturing the heavier guitar sounds associated with the late-'90s and 2000s post-grunge and alternative rock era, eventually becoming one of the most aggressive gain pedals JHS has produced.

Instead of recreating an existing distortion, the Hard Drive uses cascaded gain stages and a hard-limiting circuit followed by a Class AB amplifier section. That signal then feeds a sweepable midrange EQ along with Baxandall-style Bass and Treble controls, giving the pedal enough range to move from grinding amp-like crunch to dense, saturated high-gain distortion.

The six-control layout gives you detailed control over both gain and EQ. Volume sets the overall output level, while Drive controls the amount of distortion. Bass and Treble provide independent low- and high-frequency boost or cut, and the Middle control works together with Mid Freq to let you choose which part of the midrange is boosted or scooped. That sweepable mid section makes it possible to dial in everything from wider, scooped rhythm sounds to more focused upper-midrange tones that cut through a mix.

The Hard Drive also represents the final design work of former JHS head engineer Cliff Smith. The circuit was refined over several years, with the finished prototype completed shortly before Smith passed away in 2021. JHS describes the design as an original combination of numerous ideas rather than a clone of any one existing circuit.

Key Features

• Original JHS modern high-gain distortion circuit
• Designed around late-'90s and 2000s alternative rock and post-grunge distortion tones
• Cascaded gain stages
• Hard-limiting circuit
• Class AB amplifier section
• Sweepable midrange EQ
• Baxandall-style Bass and Treble EQ
• Volume, Mid Freq, Drive, Bass, Middle, and Treble controls
• Mid Freq control selects the frequency affected by the Middle control
• Bass, Middle, and Treble controls provide boost and cut around their noon positions
• Wide gain range from crunchy distortion to heavily saturated high-gain sounds
• Silent soft-touch switching
• Buffered bypass
• Black finish

Specifications

• Effect Type: High-Gain Distortion
• Controls: Volume, Mid Freq, Drive, Bass, Middle, Treble
• Bypass: Buffered
• Switching: Silent soft-touch
• Power: 9V DC, center-negative
• Current Draw: 78mA
• Dimensions: 2.6" x 4.8" x 1.6"
• Finish: Black