JHS 424 Gainstage Channel Preamp

The JHS 424 Gainstage Channel captures the unmistakable character of plugging a guitar straight into a vintage cassette multi-track—delivering elastic cleans, generous headroom, and gloriously broken-up fuzz in one compact pedal. Rooted in the bedroom-recording spirit that shaped countless ‘80s and ‘90s records, this design faithfully recreates the feel and response of an original 424-style input stage while adding the flexibility modern players need for stage and studio. Use it as a colorful boost, a lo-fi drive texture, or a full-range DI tone dripping with nostalgic saturation and personality.

Key Specs

• Faithful recreation of a vintage 424-style gain stage using period-correct circuitry

• Three interactive gain controls (Trim, Channel, Master) for precise breakup and saturation

• Active Bass and Treble EQ for detailed tone shaping

• Elastic clean tones through overloaded, lo-fi fuzz textures

• ¼" output plus balanced XLR DI output for amp or direct recording use

• Simultaneous ¼" and XLR operation with ground-lift switch for noise reduction

• Soft-touch, silent switching with buffered bypass

• Runs on standard 9V DC center-negative power (approx. 50mA draw)