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.
And yes, it
does the Mk.Gee “thing!” It also ventures well beyond, covering all
types of bedroom pop and direct-in tones from emerging artists like
D4vd, Steve Lacey, Malcolm Todd, and Omar Apollo, as well as mainstays
like Mac Demarco, Spoon, and Radiohead.
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.
The 424 Gain Stage as a DI
Going
DI will give you the exact same unparalleled gooey texture and lo-fi
fuzz you get when plugging directly into a 424® without the hassle of
dragging around your beloved Portastudio®. Leave it on your recording
desk for easy access. If you want to get fancy, you can toss an Active
A/B/Y switcher at the end of your rig and send the A output to your amp
and the B output to the JHS 424 Gain Stage input, then XLR output of the
pedal directly into your mixer or interface. This way, you can flip
between your amp and the 424 Gain Stage easily or play through both at
the same time. Give it a try!
The 424 Gain Stage with an Amp
Plugging
a Portastudio® into your amp is quite a feat. In this pedal format, you
can easily integrate the tone of the 424 with the saturation of your
favorite amp. This adds a whole new quality to the tone and gives the
ability to stack it with your other pedals. Use it as a gain stage to
boost your signal, a unique and colorful new overdrive sound, or push
the gain knobs into full-on overloaded and broken fuzz.
VOLUME (Corresponds to Portastudio® Master) - Controls the output volume. Left is less, right is more. On the Portastudio 424, this is the MASTER fader.
GAIN 1 (TRIM) - Sets how much preamplification will be added to the input signal. On the Portastudio 424, this is the TRIM control.
GAIN 2 (CHANNEL) - Sets the volume level of the second gain stage. On the Portastudio 424, this is the CHANNEL fader.
BASS - Cuts or boosts bass frequencies. Left is less, right is more.
TREBLE - Cuts or boosts the treble frequencies. Left is less, right is more.
INPUT - Top ¼” right jack.
OUTPUT - Top ¼” left jack.
XLR OUTPUT
- XLR jack on the left side of the pedal. This is a balanced output
which can be used as a direct-out straight into a mixer or interface.
The 1/4” output and XLR output can be used simultaneously.
GROUND LIFT
- Dip switch on the left side of the pedal. If you experience a
hum/buzz while using the XLR output, use this switch to lift the ground.
POWER - Requires 9VDC center negative power and consumes 50mA.
The 424 Gain Stage is silent, soft touch switching with a buffered bypass.
THIS
PEDAL MEASURES 2.6” X 4.8” X 1.6” AND CONSUMES 50MA. DO NOT USE MORE
THAN 9VDC. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR AND YOUR WARRANTY WILL BE VOIDED.
THE JHS PEDALS 424 GAIN STAGE IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY TASCAM®
TASCAM AND PORTASTUDIO ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.
