midrange frequencies in
order to make your amp
sound a little livelier and
more present. From here,
you can start to inch up
the Drive control and
run from just the edge of
break up on into searing
overdrive. The gain stops
just beyond hot-rodded
Marshall territory. The
JDS-50 remains open and
uncompressed until about
11:00 (with vintage output
humbuckers and P-90s).
From that point on, the
pedal starts to add amp-
like compression and a
softer attack.
I hate the term
“transparent overdrive,”
and in all honesty, the
JDS-50 isn’t transparent
(it emphasizes those
upper mids I mentioned
previously). What it does
is adapt and blend into
the character of the amp
and guitar with which it’s
paired. It becomes an
extension and part of the
overall sonic character
of any guitar and amp
combination—a Telecaster
into Vibro Champ still
sounds like a Telecaster
into Vibro Champ, just a
little bigger, better, and
grittier. And a Jazzmaster
into an AC15 still sounds
like Jazzmaster into an
AC15, just livelier, more
authoritative, and a little
more present.
The tone circuit on the
JDS-50 is also voiced to
perfection. I rarely found
myself needing to turn
it beyond about nine
or 10:00. If you like a
really bright sound you
might turn it past that.
When running a bright
guitar into a bright amp
(Telecaster into Vibro
Champ), I was able to
turn the Tone almost
completely down without
making things muddy.
The opposite is true
for a dark guitar and
dark amp combo. For
me, the Tone control is
voiced perfectly for fine-
tuning the relationship
between guitar and
amp without losing any
important frequencies in
the process; a little nip
or tuck here and things
sound perfect.
and low noise floor of the
JDS-50. Even with heavy
drive settings you still get
lots of note separation
and clarity even on
complex chords. And
there’s never any hissing,
hum, or unwanted noise.
WHAT WE LIKE:
The JDS-50 offers a wide
range of gain and pairs
well with just about any
guitar and amp combo. It
never steals the spotlight,
it just improves what’s
already there.
CONCERNS
None.
The final points I’ll add
are that I love the clarity
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