The JHS 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 JHS Colour Box – were actually recorded on a Portastudio®. Since hearing those recordings, the JHS 424 Gain Stage has been brewing in the background, and now JHS are 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.

Features:

• Emulates the lo-fi tone of a TASCAM® Portastudio® 424 in pedal form
• Offers rubbery clean tones, high headroom, and saturated fuzz
• Perfect for Mk.Gee tones and beyond, ideal for bedroom pop and direct-in styles
• Inspired by artists like D4vd, Steve Lacy, Malcolm Todd, Omar Apollo, Mac Demarco, Spoon, and Radiohead
• Faithfully recreates the original 424 MKI® circuit with UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps
• Includes original-style gain controls: trim, channel volume, and master volume
• Low and High EQ controls for tone shaping
• ¼” output and balanced XLR DI out for flexible routing
• Great for DI use to capture authentic gooey lo-fi textures
• Can be combined with an A/B/Y switcher to route between amp and interface
• Integrates easily with amps and pedalboards
• Functions as a gain stage, overdrive, or broken fuzz effect depending on settings

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