JHS Hard Drive -> Sweet Tea

KingsXJJ

KingsXJJ

Shredder
Messages
1,651
Ordered this but cancelled after some German guy posted a video. I was not impressed. Had the itch and had to scratch so I got a Sweet Tea instead. The Hard Drive sounded brash and fizzy to me taste.

Offending video below. Y’all thoughts?

jhs hard drive - Google Search

www.google.com
 
It always surprises me that many folks don't seem to understand parametric mids.

Sad world, that one. 😂

I mean, wtf? This goes back to at least the 1970's, it's not exactly future/alien technology!

Also, it doesn't help when manufacturers call them "character knob" or something funky like that. Mids is what they are.
 
I love sweepable parametric EQ’s. My favorite in fact. Got a black empress on the way. That unit looks sweet in form and function.

empresseffects.com

ParaEq MKII Deluxe Black

The Empress ParaEq MKII Black has all the features of the ParaEq MKII Deluxe, the most sought after studio-grade parametric EQ pedal, but in a limited-edition black finish. Ultra-low noise, Super transparent. Now it a smaller form factor. With Baxandall shelving filters and high-pass and...
empresseffects.com empresseffects.com
 
KingsXJJ said:
The Hard Drive sounded brash and fizzy to me taste.
Click to expand...
Everything I’ve heard so far sounds like a non-boosted amp. Farty, flabby, and loose. Even the comparisons to other pedals in JHS’s official video didn’t have the tightness that the other pedals had.

For the price, you can get a TONEX One (God forbid) and nail the amp tones that the Hard Drive is attempting to emulate.
 
JHS dirt = :barf

Sorry. Not sorry. :sofa

Most of them are clones of something someone else innovated. I did like the Moonshine,
but that was a mostly vintage take on a Supro, I believe.

Couldn't get rid of the others fast enough. AT+, Charlie Brown, Morning Glory, Color Box.

Sorry for being that guy. :idk
 
la szum said:
JHS dirt = :barf

Sorry. Not sorry. :sofa

Most of them are clones of something someone else innovated. I did like the Moonshine,
but that was a mostly vintage take on a Supro, I believe.

Couldn't get rid of the others fast enough. AT+, Charlie Brown, Morning Glory, Color Box.

Sorry for being that guy. :idk
Click to expand...
I just like the Angry Charlie V3 going in to my Fenders for a Marshall Hot-Rod JM800 sound. No idea about other JHS Pedals on other platforms. The idea of a tweak-able version of the boost typically used to push that type of sound being built in…appeals to me. Plus the enclosure color is sweet.
 
KingsXJJ said:
I just like the Angry Charlie V3 going in to my Fenders for a Marshall Hot-Rod JM800 sound. No idea about other JHS Pedals on other platforms. The idea of a tweak-able version of the boost typically used to push that type of sound being built in…appeals to me. Plus the enclosure color is sweet.
Click to expand...
Did not sound like I had hoped… returned the Sweet Tea.
 
la szum said:
JHS dirt = :barf

Sorry. Not sorry. :sofa

Most of them are clones of something someone else innovated. I did like the Moonshine,
but that was a mostly vintage take on a Supro, I believe.

Couldn't get rid of the others fast enough. AT+, Charlie Brown, Morning Glory, Color Box.

Sorry for being that guy. :idk
Click to expand...
You were right. Someone mentioned it sounding congested. They were right too.

Pretty pedal though. What a shame.
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
But its called a Hard Drive....
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
I think the pedal sounds cool, and could work very well in a lot of band settings, but also exactly the wrong sound if you want tight, amp-style distortion (especially for rhythm). If not necessarily the sound, the vibe and use case makes me think of a Distortion+.

If you want convenient amp style distortion in analog form--something to turn an amp you like into something more driven or more Marshall-y (etc)--I think you're better off going the RevivalDRIVE direction, or maybe an SL Drive running at the higher voltage if you're not as picky about how it cleans up. Or a BD-2 + mid-pushed pedal like a Rat or Tubescreamer if you are cool with a more compressed sound (Plumes + BD-2 is great for this though because, when both are set right, it can actually be pretty open).

In my opinion, any of these options sound and feel way more like a pushed amp than most of the trendy AIAB pedals, even if those sound good as their own things (and I do think they do; imo "AIAB" is its own sound now that is desirable isolated from how much it does or doesn't sound and react like an amp).

But yeah, digital is really the way now if you want accuracy / realism.
 
KingsXJJ said:
Ordered this but cancelled after some German guy posted a video. I was not impressed. Had the itch and had to scratch so I got a Sweet Tea instead. The Hard Drive sounded brash and fizzy to me taste.

Offending video below. Y’all thoughts?

jhs hard drive - Google Search

www.google.com
Click to expand...

So one video you don't love is enough to scare you off? High gain is quite difficult to get right and most if not the vast majority of guitar players on the internet have no idea what they're doing when it comes to modern high gain tones. I wouldn't be discouraged by just one guy who can't make it sound like you want it.

Here's Kyle Bull making it sound great. This video make the pedal sound absolutely nothing like that German guy's video.



Oh and that German guy is running the pedal through a Deluxe Reverb. Any modern high gain device put through that 1x12 Deluxe Reverb is going to sound wrong. It's just not the right tool for the job.
 
Last edited:
GreatGreen said:
So one video you don't love is enough to scare you off? You do realize that high gain is quite difficult to get right and that most if not the vast majority of guitar players on the internet have no idea what they're doing when it comes to modern high gain tones?

Here's Kyle Bull making it sound great. This video make the pedal sound absolutely nothing like that German guy's video.



Oh and that German guy is running the pedal through a Deluxe Reverb. Any modern high gain device put through that 1x12 Deluxe Reverb is going to sound wrong. It's just not the right tool for the job.
Click to expand...

Yes, one video. It was an impulse buy/look.

I really don’t need another high gain dirt pedal. Marketing led me to think it might be unique and revolutionary. It may be but I am content relying on my go to’s.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top