"I'm on the four-track – Baby, I was born this way" - Lady Gaga
Let's back it up for a second. If you could believe it, the world wasn't always the home recording wonderland we know it to be today. We could point to all the advancements made over the years, but for sake of brevity, let's just leave it at the fact that it hasn't been forever that we've had LogicPro and FL Studio, essentially. We used to actually have this thing that's really only spoken about in hushed tones, these days – physical media. You used to have to go down to your local RadioShack and buy yourself consumer-grade recording hardware, and what's more, you were a nerd for doing so. What chance did we have back then?
It's from a dedicated base of home recording enthusiasts that we got things like the TASCAM Portastudio series of tape recorders. It's from those recorders that we have something like the pedal on the docket today. It takes a really specific type of guitar nerd to immediately know where we're going with this – and we know you're out there – so for all the lo-fi audiophiles, this one's for you.
This is the JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage.
All the World's a Stage
Introducing the JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage
With RadioShack, Portastudios, the concept of "lo-fi," and the hipster-isms of the Internet Age in our summoning circle, we get a particular artifact of the new millennium. Plugging your guitar directly into a TASCAM Portastudio intentionally isn't a strictly "new" concept, but doing so specifically for its "lo-fi" tone somewhat is. All the technological settlers of the early home recording age dreaming of the beautifully high-fidelity digital tools we're so spoiled with today must roll their eyes every time they even think about a second-hand Portastudio selling for hundreds of dollars online, but it's a tale as old as time: One man's trash is another man's "charming low fidelity."
Such a tale inevitably garners a few prophets. We can look to the various Spoons, Steve Lacys, and Mk.Gees of the modern age to thank for this kind of relationship the internet holds with definitively outdated recording technology. Seriously – check online for something like a TASCAM Portastudio and see the secondhand prices*. You're sure to be a little astonished, or maybe not astonished at all, if you're familiar with the curious fascinations of internet gear heads.
Also consider any reference to the "Mk.Gee thing"
Who knows. Maybe those prices are the highest they'll be for a while now that we have the 424 Gain Stage. Maybe they'll be the lowest. What a thought. It's enough to send shivers down your spine.
In any case, with this latest JHS creation, we're treated to, specifically, a recreation of the preamp and gain character produced by plugging your guitar directly into a recording channel of a Portastudio 424. The character in question is unambiguously lo-fi from the simplified circuitry JHS is recreating. If you're a fan of the Portastudio and its lo-fi, rubbery drive tones, you're in for a treat from JHS. If you're a fan of lo-fi peculiarities or interesting drive pedals in general, you're also in for a treat. Stick around.
No Pain, No Gain
JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage Controls
At the center of the 424 Gain Stage is a busy conversation between the pedal's five controls. Our main setup for building lo-fi gain character is propelled by our two Gain controls, Gain 1 and Gain 2.
Gain Stages
Fall in Love (A Gain and a Gain)With the 424 Gain Stage, we're treated to two distinct gain stages recreating the gain control experience of the Portastudio 424. Our first Gain control (Gain 1) replicates the circuitry of the Portastudio's preamp input. On the Portastudio, this is your "Trim" control. Our second Gain control (Gain 2) sets the volume of the second gain stage from the Portastudio. On the Portastudio, this is the channel volume control fader. These two gain stages are the central driver behind the entire effect experience.
The 424 Gain Stage is not your typical dirt pedal. No surprise as it's carrying a design over from a tape recorder, but hear us out for a second. JHS worked to not only bring a similar effect experience to the 424 Gain Stage, but the same one entirely. Original UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps appear in the 424 Gain Stage to capture the exact sound of original 424 channels. Since this circuit is so faithful, we have to make some allowances for authenticity in lieu of intuition.
Probably the easiest way to build a drive with the 424 Gain Stage is from Gain 1 into Gain 2. With Gain 1, we're working with the preamp input gain, meaning we have quite a bit of gain potentially on tap. Gain 1 will be your primary amount of gain in the circuit and this gain is no joke. Since we're dealing with the input gain control, we're potentially letting in a lot of signal, meaning this is your dial to push the gain character of the pedal. Gain 1 will bring you to the kind of blown-out, clipping distortion you're likely familiar with overwhelming a recording circuit like the 424's, but of course with some more control and finesse from JHS.
From here, we move into the second gain stage on the pedal. Gain 2 acts as our recording channel's volume channel fader. Where this leads us is to a place where we can shape the preamp input gain to cool it down or blow it out totally. Both Gains together have the capacity to get big and crunchy when pushed. Keep this in mind when negotiating with the pedal's Volume control – this sucker gets loud.
Volume and EQ
The 424 Gain Stage features a number of authentic functions in the forms of dedicated Volume, Treble, and Bass controls. As we said, the JHS 424 Stage centrally is a five-way conversation between the gain stages, the volume control, and the EQ section. Because of this, the turn of any knob can drastically reshape the drive tone at hand. Where this lands us is with a pedal that is highly versatile and exploratory in its chunky, rubbery, lo-fi tendencies. Treble and Bass controls work faithfully to produce the kinds of EQ responses you'd hear from a recording console. In essence, want to bottom out the signal for something truly bassy? The Bass control gets you there. Want to spike the highs to get clippy? The Treble control hears you out.
Changing the Channel
JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage Tones and Further Functions
For any lo-fi guitar junkie, this pedal is a no-brainer, but let's talk a little bit more about its tones. The 424 Gain Stage is obviously not a traditional "amp-like" overdrive pedal. We are recreating the tones of a home recording console, after all. Due to this reality, you're probably not going to get your usual kind of amp-like breakup tones – but is that what we're truly looking for out of a pedal like this? Of course not. Let's get weird.
The uninitiated to the Cult of Lo-Fi may not see the inherent attraction in forgoing an amp-style overdrive for a tape cassette-style one, but that's why we're here talking about it. The 424 Gain Stage is indeed, a drive all its own. Your closest comparison would likely be the kinds of tones produced by low-wattage amplifiers that are designed with somewhat simplified, low-power circuits. These amplifiers break up quickly, get overwhelmed easily, and as a result, get saturated. The 424 Gain Stage spiritually follows in the path of those kinds of amplifiers and similar JHS effect pedals of the past that captured such amplifiers' low-wattage breakup tones.
Click on the 424 Gain Stage and slip into the unique tonalities of tape recording. For the smoothed-over, rubbery tones you've come to know from your favorite lo-fi guitarists, you've come to the right place. The 424 Gain Stage is a distinctly rubbery and artificial-sounding preamp effect. Capable of getting truly broken-up with its dual gain stages, the 424 can be used as a squeaky, shimmery preamp, a chunky drive, or a peaking, clipping distortion. At every juncture, the 424 Gain Stage succeeds in translating its original design and tone into the pedalboard realm.
Further Functions
This lo-fi party doesn't stop with the gain structure, however. With the 424 Gain Stage, JHS went ahead to not only consolidate the Portastudio experience into pedal form, but translate its essence even further. An onboard XLR out connection with a ground lift switch enables the 424 Gain Stage to be run directly out to a mixing board or interface, should recreating the Portastudio experience in its purest form be your prerogative. The XLR out connection not only expands the Portastudio playing experience by allowing an output signal to be run simultaneously to an amp and a line out, but effectively creates a way for the tone of original Portastudios to be preserved for years to come. As much as we might not want to face it, tape recorders were finicky and aren't getting any younger. This XLR out connection helps in preserving the sound and experience of Portastudio recording in a more reliable form.
JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage Preamp Final Thoughts
Alright, let's start wrapping this up.
The JHS 424 Gain Stage is something truly unique. Of course, following in the example of this very niche tone-chasing pursuit is sure to excite those dedicated players out there holding out for a Portastudio of their own. The experience of the 424 Gain Stage is something at very least worth trying out if you've ever been curious about the particular sounds produced by a tape recorder like the Portastudio 424. Any fan of off-the-beaten-path overdrives will certainly have a field day with this pedal. Those invested in weirdo, not-traditionally-distorted dirt pedals are sure to get in on the hubbub, too. In essence, the 424 Gain Stage is a dream for those looking for the tape recorder sound, but likely not exclusively. There is plenty to get into with the 424 Gain Stage, however long ago you last thought about buying a tape cassette recorder.
In retrospect, maybe the retirement of tape recording consoles came too early. One thing's for sure, though. With the JHS 424 Gain Stage, the revival is right on time.
