JHS Pedals 424 Gain Stage

The 424 Gain Stage gives all the elastic, lo-fi tone you get from plugging a guitar rig straight into a TASCAM Portastudio 424. Now in pedal form, you can easily integrate the rubbery clean tones, high head room, and smashed out fuzz that’s being repopularized by today’s emerging guitarists.   

The original Portastudios were made famous in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and gave us the ability to bring our songs to life from the comfort of our cluttered bedrooms. These multi-track recorders meant for home studios found their way onto hit records like Springsteen’s Nebraska, the Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang, and Spoon’s Gimme Fiction. Many of the vocal parts and fuzzy guitar tracks on Gimme Fiction – a huge inspiration for the creation of the Colour Box – were actually recorded on a Portastudio. Since hearing those recordings, the 424 Gain Stage has been brewing in the background, and now we’re proud to bring it to you.

In this historically accurate recreation, we perfectly replicated the original 424 MKI circuit using the original UPC4570 and NJM4565 op-amps and all the original controls, which is crucial for recreating the unique character that makes the old units sound so good.  The Portastudio’s gain controls–trim, channel volume, & master volume–all work in tandem for dialing up your desired tone and can be further refined with the Low and High EQ settings. In addition, our unit offers a ¼” output alongside a balanced XLR output (DI out) for ultimate flexibility in any situation, live or studio.