NPD: JHS Colour Box v2

[NoOnesFang13]

Been wanting one since the first version was released, the v2 adds parametric EQ. My original plan was to keep it off the board and use it as a studio tool.

First I tried it on my bass amp in the loop for a direct out and it sounded great. Then I threw it in front of my board and it ruined my plans of keeping it off the board... I have no room and I need to do some serious consideration of what I'm going to do. Its so versatile. Its great as a clean boost, overdrive, distortion, fuzz, super gated fuzz, eq, the high pass is great to cut lows, and it even just sounds better flat as an always on thing.

I knew it was good, but I didn't realise I would end up redoing my whole board because of it.

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[GuitarStv]

Cool. I've ben interested in this pedal for a while, but JHS stuff is a little pricey. May have to set some funds aside.

[NoOnesFang13]

Cool. I've ben interested in this pedal for a while, but JHS stuff is a little pricey. May have to set some funds aside.

I hear you on that. The colour box is normally $400 but I got it on sale for $60 off. I had money saved for a new video card for my computer, but those are basically non-existant until some time next year I decided to pick this pedal up. JHS has a new series that are all $100 that seem pretty good.

[jeremy]

my buddy has the v1 and its great, im sure this one is even better

[Aceman]

Try the Shamrock, or clover or whatever it is called. It's a green one that is less expensive and guitar focussed.

[NoOnesFang13]

Try the Shamrock, or clover or whatever it is called. It's a green one that is less expensive and guitar focussed.

The crayon is the stripped down version of the colour box

[Aceman]

I'm talking about the Clover...yet another JHS preamp.

[beaubrummels]

I've wanted the color box since it came out. There's also another company making an 1176 pedal. I was going to put them together at the end of the chain to simulate studio recorded tone live.

[Demanic]

What do "Pre-volume" and "Step" do?

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[GuitarStv]

Step changes the amount of gain by jumps. You can then fine tune the gain with the other volume controls.

[NoOnesFang13]

What do "Pre-volume" and "Step" do?

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Per volume is a standard gain knob. The step is a 4 pos switch that increases the gain of 2 preamps running in series. So if you have it on the highest setting with the prevolume maxxed its really spitty and gated. But surprisingly if you roll off the volume on the guitar its really responds to pick attack and its not very compressed. So you can get some cool fuzzy tones picking lighter then dig in to get the gated tone.

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[Demanic]

Ah. Like a parametric gain?

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[Demanic]

I actually think that I would be interested in one. Probably for bass.

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[NoOnesFang13]

Ah. Like a parametric gain?

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It kind of makes me think of preamp and power amp distortion. The pre volume hits the front end harder where as the step would be like a power amp breaking up. So it goes from clean clean to caving in on itself. Makes for some nice harmonic overtones on higher step settings.

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[beaubrummels]

Stepped gain is very common in mixing desk preamps, which this is a recreation of. The fine tuning of a linear gain with it to get all the values in between is just a useful aftermarket innovation.