“Our contribution to a 90-year-old tradition of breaking the sound of the guitar”: JHS unveils its first-ever original distortion pedal, the Hard Drive

JHS has lifted the lid on the Hard Drive – its first original, modern distortion pedal, described as “our contribution to a 90 year old tradition of breaking the sound of the guitar”.

The unit stands apart from the rest of JHS’ line-up for two reasons. Firstly, it’s the firm’s first distortion pedal that does not reproduce or tweak the circuit of a classic pedal design.

Secondly, it marks the final contribution of former JHS lead engineer Cliff Smith, who passed away in 2021 and was responsible for the likes of the Crayon Overdrive, the Colourbox and the Twin Twelve.

The JHS Hard Drive, Our Heaviest Pedal Yet! - YouTube

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While the Hard Drive does not emulate any one pedal, it does incorporate a range of ’90s and ’00s style tones – from RAT and DS-1 style distortion to dimed high-gain amp tones (think everything from a modded-Marshall Plexi to a 5150).

The typically brilliant demo/intro clip showcases everything from Metallica, Korn and Rage Against The Machine tones and even sees Scott grapple with a seven-string in the name of metal.

Key to accessing the wide variety of tones is a control set that features a three-band EQ with a mid frequency selection dial (to select the frequencies that are boosted or scooped) – enabling you to run the gamut of those super-scooped ’00s tones, to tube-y crunch and bright, high-mids Boss-style sounds.

Underneath the hood, the circuit features cascading gain stages, a hard limiting circuit and a class AB amplifier.

“I don't know that there's ever been a JHS circuit where we experimented more,” says Scott.

“Cliff would call the Hard Drive circuit a mutt, and I agree – meaning this circuit is not a clone of anything in particular but rather an original iteration of tons of different inspirations and ideas.”

The Hard Drive is available in two colors, Black and Tan, for a price of $199 / £160. Head to JHS Pedals for more information.