The JHS Hard Drive is the first attempt in the company’s fifteen-year history at a full-blown and respectable modern distortion pedal that is not based on a previous circuit or classic topology. In 2016, Josh had the idea to develop a circuit that covered the best high-gain distortion tones of the ’90s and 2000s, a sound that embodied the post-grunge alternative rock movement. We started by looking at pedals, then amps, and after exploring the typical paths of circuitry, we took a sharp turn and started from scratch. Eight years later, the pedal is finished and ready to take you to the next level.

The Hard Drive goes harder and further than any gain or distortion we’ve released so far. A fresh approach to achieving high gain distortion in a pedal format, the Hard Drive includes cascaded gain stages and a hard limiting circuit, followed by a class AB amplifier section that drives a “sweepable midrange” EQ and Baxandall bass and treble controls. With its generous external controls, the Hard Drive lets you dial in everything from grinding tube amp crunch to a bona fide wall of distortion that can easily cut through any stage or studio mix. The Hard Drive holds a special place in JHS history as the final design work of the former head engineer, Cliff Smith. The prototype and design had been finalized just weeks before he passed away in 2021.

• Distortion effect pedal
• Cascaded gain stages and a hard limiting circuit
• Class AB amplifier section that drives a “sweepable midrange” EQ and Baxandall bass and treble controls
• Buffered bypass
• Silent Soft Touch Bypass footswitch
• Status LED
• Metal housing
• Power supply via optional 9V DC power supply, 2.1 x 5.5 mm barrel plug, polarity (-) inside
• Battery operation not supported
• Current draw 78 mA