The JHS 424 Gain Stage captures the elastic, lo-fi charm of plugging a guitar straight into a portable tape recorder, now in a compact pedal. If you’re looking that Mk.Gee vibe or tones heard on records by Mac DeMarco, Radiohead, Steve Lacy, Omar Apollo and newer artists like D4vd, this is your all-in-one shortcut. Expect rubbery cleans, high headroom and smashed-out fuzz that have reappeared in bedroom pop and indie records.
This pedal gives you that exact texture without hauling round a vintage recorder. It faithfully recreates the 424 MKI circuit using the original UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps and the same control layout, so the quirks that made the originals sing are all here: two gain stages, master volume and simple tone shaping that respond like the real thing.
Use the 424 as a Direct Input to capture gooey, saturated colour straight into your interface or mixer via the balanced XLR output. If you prefer playing through an amp, the pedal stacks superbly in front of tube and solid-state heads, acting as a unique gain stage, overdrive or full-on broken fuzz depending on how far you push the two gain controls. The buffered bypass and soft-touch switching keep the pedal stage-friendly and low-noise, while the Ground Lift switch helps eliminate hum when using the XLR output in studio or live environments.
Beyond faithful recreation, the pedal is purpose-built for modern rigs. The 1/4″ output and XLR DI can be used simultaneously, letting you split to amp and desk at once. Small enough to live on a pedalboard or on your desk, it runs from a 9V DC centre-negative supply and draws 50mA.
In short, the JHS 424 Gain Stage gives you the authentic tape recorder tone in a pedal: from tight, elastic cleans to crunchy channel saturation and gloriously broken fuzz, with DI and amp-ready outputs for both studio and stage use.
Key Features
- Authentic 424 MKI Circuit – Faithfully reproduced circuitry using UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps for the original tonal character and response; delivers the same elastic cleans and crunchy fuzz heard on classic tape-machine recordings, plus the sought-after sounds of artists like Mk.Gee, D4vd, and more.
- Balanced XLR DI Output – Send a direct, studio-ready signal straight to a mixer or interface while retaining the pedal’s lo-fi texture. Use alongside the 1/4″ output for amp + desk splitting.
- Two Gain Stages plus Master – TRIM and CHANNEL controls replicate the tape recorder workflow, letting you sculpt everything from subtle warmth to full-on tortured fuzz, with a MASTER control to set overall output.
- Practical Studio Features – Ground Lift switch for hum elimination, buffered bypass and soft-touch switching for quiet operation, and compact dimensions for easy pedalboard or desk placement.
Specifications
Controls
- Volume (Master) – Controls overall output level
- Gain 1 (Trim) – Input preamplification control
- Gain 2 (Channel) – Second gain stage level
- Bass – Cuts or boosts low frequencies
- Treble – Cuts or boosts high frequencies
Inputs / Outputs
- Input – Top 1/4″ jack (right)
- Output – Top 1/4″ jack (left)
- XLR Output – Balanced DI on left side; can be used simultaneously with 1/4″ output
- Ground Lift – Dip switch on left side to reduce hum when using XLR
Power & Electrical
- Power: 9V DC, centre negative
- Don’t exceed 9V – this may damage the pedal!
- Current Draw: 50 mA
- Bypass: Buffered bypass; soft-touch switching
Physical
- Dimensions: 66 mm x 122 mm x 41 mm (approximately 2.6″ x 4.8″ x 1.6″)
- Weight: Compact pedalboard-friendly design
