Review: JHS 3 Series Distortion

The JHS 3 Series Distortion is the manufacturer’s most affordable line of effects pedals. They are no-frills in design – hence the all-white, graphic-free affair for all pedals across this series – and feature a trio of knobs – hence the name.

 

Build / features

As with most of the JHS pedals in this format, it is constructed from tough grade aluminium with a removeable baseplate via a 4-screw access. The white coating was done well with no traces of blemishes, ditto the labels. The plastic knobs are also a non-flimsy affair & what I like about them is the that they promote easy handling owing to the flat surfaces that are easy on the fingers. The only feeble feature here is that mini gain mode toggle switch. This is a little tricky to handle especially during live situations & the fact that it’s located below a control knob doesn’t help much. Baseplate removal reveals a non-battery clip feature; meaning, you need to power this using a PSU exclusively. Also, on days when your talent & ideas get you nowhere, reading this message on the board is rather encouraging (please click for a larger rendition):

 

Rating: 9/10

 

Tone

Alright, this is where you regret /  delight spending good money trusting the JHS brand name despite its budget offering. Despite the self-explanatory labels, I find them a little misleading after hearing the pedal in action. The VOLUME control gives you command over how loud / quiet this pedal should be but it also influences distortion intensity generously. It is definitely a good thing for those in need of raging distortion with different musical applications but it’s also a nuisance because in your effort to be louder, you are dialling in more distortion which you don’t want to happen because you believe the DISTORT feature would do just that. On the note of distortion, the aforementioned DISTORT control, to me, is really a clipping control (Disclaimer: No idea if this is possible via a variable resistor). At lower levels, you would hear an overdriven response which intensifies as you turn the knob clockwise. It then moves into distortion territory & finally a fuzzy affair at about 1 o’clock onwards. This is a bonus – having three clipping types in a single offering – but it’s biased towards the fuzz. About 25% leeway is accorded to drive & distortion each but a 50% consideration for the fuzz. The FILTER function is a typical tone control with more pronounced brightness as one passes the midway point turning it clockwise. Last but not least, the GAIN toggle. Down flick, it adds a good serving of fatness, the rest of us refers to this as compression. Up flick, a brighter top end which we typically understand as presence. 

 

Despite being a simple affair, the pedal caters to many performance applications. It’s a superb clean boost, a crunchy blues injector, a rock distortion reference & some crazy fuzz-out psychedelia could be had from this one pedal. It all depends on how you set it up to be. Also, I’ve managed to stack this up with other drive pedals & it thrives on a clean boost plugged in after itself. It’s rather impractical with an intense drive counterpart or if you dial your amp’s dirt up too much; it will go into undefined fuzz territory. 

 

Rating: 9/10

 

Conclusion

This is a good pedal to own & labelling it as a DISTORTION unit exclusively is rather inaccurate. I enjoyed the features on board despite the scant offerings & it’s definitely worth the $149 (local currency) asking price. That tiny GAIN toggle switch remains to be bothersome; switching it during a performance might get you into some difficulties but I guess many of us would have set our preferences prior to kicking it into action. Lastly, the white finish gets dirty easily but we are in this for the tones, yes?

 

Overall rating: 9/10 

JHS 3 Series Distortion: $149 (list)

Availability: Swee Lee Co.

Likes:

• many tone variations despite limited controls
• easy to use
• works well when stacked with a weaker drive / boost unit
• affordable

Dislikes:

• white gets dirty easily
• tiny GAIN toggle switch
• no battery option

Red special

One of those rare days when I want to play a Strat. This is my red American Special bought from SV Guitars when it was located at Woodlands, just next to the immigration checkpoint. It was called Standard Value then. No major mods here less the tone knobs which died once before; the usual corrosion & rust. Gave it a quick re-string - GHS 009s.

Also did away with rusty pickguard screws. I used to save these screws by sanding off the rust & polishing them back to life because these are the original screws that came with the guitar. There's this sentimentality attached to default features when it comes to Fender but really, such small stuff are replaceable & not worth the trouble.

Replaced these as well - rusty & pitted bolt plate screws & the plate itself. The hard case is supposed to protect the instrument from such deterioration but ironically, the interior lining's adhesive reacted with metal parts. Replacement parts were bought from Davis GMC, the other irony - a non-Fender dealer selling Fender parts.

Have a good week ahead, everyone. Please stay safe 👍

ES P-90

This is literally a 'new' one despite not being too different. A black ES-335 & equipped with P-90 pickups. 

Are the P90s a big thing in an ES-335? If you are an Epiphone Casino fan, most likely it doesn't matter. But the Gibson purist would want this one just to prove a point; maybe the Gibson version sounds, as subjective as it is, a little better. FYI, this model is an exclusive release only offered in their website so please stop hoping your dealer will bring them in any time soon. There's no extras for it, it's priced the same as the red version but the shipping charges might make it unreasonable.

Black guard

It's a re-string Friday. Guitar in question - Schecter VE-TE. I've been quietly disliking this pickguard.

Black 'guard (single ply) & a fresh set of Dunlop 009s. I'm a big fan of D'Addario but time & again, I would digress to check out if other brands are worth the bother.

Aria C-16

I recently returned this Aria C-16 classical guitar to its owner. Coincidentally, he was my wife's ex-primary school teacher who is my current colleague. It's a small world after all.

The entire fretboard was thoroughly cleaned. I have a feeling it wasn't attended to since day one. Ditto the frets, some of which turned green at the edges. As you can see here, clean frets will give a new lease of life to seasoned instruments.

Strings were dead (left), the wound ones were corroded so off they go. D'Addario Classic Nylon set (normal tension) to the rescue, available at Swee Lee ($8).

I was also given the permission to replace the tuners which had turned stiff due to corroded metal parts. No amount of polishing could save them so replacement was the answer. I believe in lubricating the open gears occasionally to keep them smooth & functional. These are not costly at all, the ones you see here (right) are the Maxtone brand ($15), available at Davis GMC.

I enjoy doing light guitar maintenance time & again. This keeps my interest relevant & I gain important experience & knowledge along the way. All this know how was self-taught, most of it involves common sense & the right tools to see things through. I am the firm believer of knowing what to do with my possessions which include simple plumbing & electrical tinkering at home. 

Re-string + goodbye

A very difficult decision but it had to happen - said goodbye to my Edwards E-LPC to raise funds for my chemo bills (due next week). In terms of tone impression within the singlecut domain, this guitar is a beast, especially after the pickup swap (gold covered Duncan JB / Jazz). The E-LPC came with in house EH pickups which, in my opinion, are above average but lacks the punch when it comes to distortion. As for me, it's all about distortion. It was handed over to a friend who is a Les Paul enthusiast; a deserving transfer of ownership, I must say. Gave it a quick re-string - D'Arco 10s - before the farewell.

V-day 21

It's really depressing when you look forward to a very spiritual occasion but emergency restrictions require you to stay away from it all. I feel for all my buddhist friends who are, for the second time running, observing a muted Vesak Day. More importantly, keep the faith. Happy midweek rest day to the rest.

Dave vs Dave

This was today's breaking news. When it was documented at source, it's still Monday (their time). So get your chops going & audition to be the band's next bottom ender. 

Pic: Megadeth IG

Blackniversary

Anniversary pedals by BOSS, both in black - SD-1-4A (40th anniversary) / MT-2-3A (30th anniversary). No additional features or magical circuit components, just the commemorative colours. If you already owned one, chances are, you'd want another - it's the looks. Summer release, folks, don't go asking your dealers now.

Pic: delicious audio

Indoor, re-string

Had been an uneventful Sunday. Was mostly indoors save for a quick trip to the provision store for a pack of milk. Had a strong urge to play my SZR today. Gave it a re-string before playing; D'Addario 9.5s. This SZR520 is one of the few Ibanez I own that is totally unmodified. There was a strong urge to replace those default NDR pickups but after dialling up the right amount of distortion / EQ & some adventures with pickup height, I have to say those became likeable.

If the PRS Silver Sky (R) had a more refined finish in terms of the headstock outline, it might end up looking like the SZR (L) after all. Uncanny resemblance as it is.

Pics: Worth Point / Slap Store

Bent

I lent this Ibanez Edge whammy bar to someone. That someone returned it to me recently. Your eyes are not deceiving you - the tip got bent (left). I'm still wondering how this happened considering the bar was made from one of the toughest metal around. I tried to straighten it but to no avail.  Implication - the force that bent it was significant, most likely, it's not human. What I think happened - guitar fell on its front face while the whammy was in tact. FYI replacement whammy bars for the Ibanez Edge bridge are available at Davis GMC. Bought one (right).

Snapping Friday

Good Friday morning, folks! As more Edwards guitars make their way to Davis GMC, I'd do my part by highlighting stuff along the way. For this instalment, if you are in the market for an S-type guitar but wouldn't mind a non-Fender alternative, do consider the E-Snapper. Seen above is the alder body / rosewood 'board version (E-Snapper AL/R)

Also available, the ash body / maple 'board alternative. (E-Snapper AS/M). Both models list for $1,500 ea.

My take on this - the Edwards brand is largely a sleeper in the market for lots of quality going for a very reasonable asking price. I'd say these would be in the mid-range price bracket. Overseen by the ESP camp, the Edwards brand name is not short of quality. When it comes to tone, it holds its own.

Pics: ESP Japan

JaGHS

Spent some time with the Modern Player Jaguar, before & after treatment time. It was a smooth affair at the Cancer Center today so my chemo session ended before 4pm; that's a very rare feat for the nursing team as they usually get overwhelmed by 1pm. That's when everyone's back from lunch & resumes treatment. Anyway, had a GHS set of 10.5s in there. The standard practice for a 24" scale guitar is a set of 11s but this doesn't suit everyone, depending on their handling nature of course. I'm in the light touch camp & the Jaguar here is in standard tuning so the tension is about right for me. I don't like strings that fight back, it induces lethargy & mistakes.

Also, swapped out the default string retainers for the ones you see here. The round surface means strings will not get snagged by sharp edges & snap after repeated travel (during tuning that is). FYI, Fender's Modern Player Series (discontinued) are the only Fender-labelled headstock that are made in China. You might think that it's all about cutting as much corners when it comes to Chinese made instruments & selling them for as much as possible but the MP range of instruments proved otherwise. I've had positive experiences with them - at least the ones I tried in person - & ended up buying them. 😅

The Tesla pickups here are such a blast. They can give full humbucking pickups a run for the money in terms of heavy chugging. I'm just glad I snapped them up while they were still available. These are the VR-P90  to be precise, nothing high output but they have their sweet moments under high gain settings. With that said, I had to lower the bridge P90 quite a bit to prevent wolf tones from chiming in during overdriven moments.

Heavy mods

Spent some time with these two this morning. These are currently my Ibanez RGs that underwent severe makeovers & turned out likeable:

GRGR010

• Re-finished body, colour taken from a car paint catalog - copper + removed pickguard
• Replacement pickup - Seymour Duncan Custom Custom (SH-11) with plastic cover
• Low-friction volume knob
• Grpahtech String-Saver saddles (black)

RG550 Genesis

• After-market pickguard - single humbucker / volume knob only
• Replacement pickup - DiMArzio D'Activator X

The GRGR was bought for its single humbucker feature. I was still hesitant to own a single pickup guitar at that point in time so when this affordable Gio model was available at Swee Lee, it was a done deal. The intention was to make it a reference guitar for pickup testing since it's a single humbucking model. However, I chanced upon a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom & decided to try it in this guitar & it stayed put ever since. Simple reason - it's a deserving pickup in this guitar. The body was re-painted at a car workshop hence the 'car-coloured' finish you see there. The default string saddles were corroded / oxidized & the Graph Tech are simply wonderful replacements here. 

The RG550 Genesis started out as someone else's mod project. It was acquired by the former owner with a horrible body routing to accommodate a kill switch. I undertook the make-over on the owner's behalf who became uninterested in owning the guitar citing the dual action Edge bridge not being his cup of tea. Guitar was sold for cheap to me. I really like its simple looks & the D'Activator X there sounds awesome in this one. 

These are examples of second rated guitars, in my personal assessments of course, turning out to be unexpected gems. I think for those of us who have been playing for a while, there is this subliminal calling for us to simply acquire a budget guitar & mod the heck out of it to see if some things work for us. It need not turn out well, more importantly, the learning process would have taught us something when it comes to gear perception & appreciation.

Wishing you a good midweek (whats left of it). 😎

Short sting

I was at Swee Lee last weekend & came across this little wonder. Gave it a go & it did not disappoint. If you are into shorter scaled basses, this one might just be the sweet deal you've been hoping for. The instrument itself plays well, nothing negative to say in terms of feel & overall QC. Tone is wonderful but don't expect a standard Sting Ray serving in an economy package; suffice to say that it delivers similar sonic manifestations with a hint of brightness but in a useful way, definitely. Recommended. List: $799

Pic: sterlingbymusicman

Mega

Spent time with the LP CM yesterday. Gave it a re-string, Ernie Ball's Mega Slinky (10.5 - 48). This is my only Gibson equipped with a thicker than standard string gauge set & tuned down half step (hence the thicker gauge). Despite alluding to some heavy music applications, this one handles Abba & Erasure songs well. 

I'm not an Ernie Ball fan when it comes to strings, in fact, I rank this brand name the lowest in terms or reliability out of the package. EB strings are meant to be used immediately upon purchase, delay this & rust spots will start to appear. I was at Swee Lee last Saturday & purchased this set to try. I may not be a fan but it's not excluded entirely from my considerations. I think I'm being fair here. Thanks to Swee Lee for bringing in oddball / niche gauge sets. You won't find 10.5s easily in other stores. 

May the left be with you

The month of May sees some lefty Ibanez models released into guitardom. I personally feel that for every series of Ibanez instruments, there should be at least one lefty offering. Releasing lefty models is one thing, making sure dealers inventorize them, is another. Some dealers, especially those in limited market opportunities, are relunctant to have lefties in store because the demand for them are next to negligible. I certainly hope that there would be more dealers (in general, not Ibanez exclusively) who can offer an order-basis deal for lefty instruments; you want one, tell us, we bring them in for you. 

Pics: Ibanez

GTRS

Folks, this here is the MOOER GTRS 800. According to the manufacturer, it's a super guitar equipped with onboard emulators & effects. This means, you can now travel with just your guitar & phone to performance venues without the reliance on anything else.  

Yes, you are not the only one who noticed the Suhr-esque vibes in the outline of this instrument. Voicing emulators in a guitar is not a new idea, LINE 6 did that with arguably minimal impact to the guitar world. People still prefer playing real guitars instead of in-built emulators. The intelligent thing to do is conceiving a product in the shadows of a familiar design so it helps propel numbers in terms of sales. The following is a clip showcasing the features of the GTRS800, no official demo yet.

Pic: GTRStech

Michiya (2)

OK... so this is now available at Swee Lee, Fender's Michiya signature Strat. Unexpected but it shows that the good stuff from Japan will make it here, it just takes time. This guitar was featured back in 2020 (CLICK) & I have no expectations for it to be available in time to come; it's just one of those niche appeal models with massive appeal in Japan but not elsewhere. List: $2,199

EDIT: This post was initially flagged for offensive content & removed from publication. I have left the content as it was originally. Do me a favour - if you think there are objectionable details in any posts, please e-mail me to share the concern. I've contacted the Blogger Team pertaining to the matter & awaiting reply. 

Pic: Kurosawa

Eid 21

Blessed greetings of Eid to all. This is my most toned down Eid accounting for my medical condition & the fact that celebrations are restricted by COVID-19 protocols. More importantly, I am grateful for the opportunity to see through another Ramadan despite the ailment - eternally grateful. For the rest of us - enjoy the break.

I am also taking this opportunity to remember the current exacerbated oppression in Palestine & offer prayers for strength & resilience to the resisting forces. Palestinians have cowardly neighbours despite harbouring in common faith. Shame bordering on blasphemy. 

Glossless

Managed to spend time with these two before heading for treatment. They are similar in so many ways. It wouldn't be too far fetched to say the Tribute (white) is a refinement of the BFG (red), a slight one at that. More importantly, these are some of the Gibson models that come without a gloss finish which I am a fan of. The Tribute has a slight edge over the BFG as it has a satin overcoat so it does not feel like touching the bark of a tree while playing. Tone-wise, due to the lighter nature of both guitars, they manifest this clarity which is not heard in other LPs which are much heavier. With that said, LP devotees don't quite fancy the ones without that deep, low frequency growl. It's simply the signature tone of an LP. I'm not too particular when it comes to such expectations. In fact, my expectations are simple - a Les Paul serving my needs should sound the way I like it to be & inspire me to play despite how restrictive it might feel. 😎

Sparkling

These are new at Davis GMC - the Grassroots G-Snapper Sparkle series ($690). Seen above, just one of the few that made it here; sparkle silver. Look forward to more Grassroots stuff in time to come. 

Pic: ESP.cn

Seen that somewhere

 After spending time with the Fender Highway 1 Showmaster...

.... and re-looking at the Charvel Pro-Mod DK, suddenly things begin to make sense. No surprises here as we know who owns the Charvel brand name. However, the current DK design has a more refined bass side cutaway / sharper horn. 

Pics: Charvel / Audiofanzine

Re-string Sunday

Re-string Sunday - Fender Highway 1 Showmaster HH. Not mine, belongs to a friend. I remember accompanying him to the Swee Lee showroom for a look-see which ended up in this purchase. He requested for a set of Elixir 10s.

I'm the type who does not just re-string, I will look into the guitar's well-being to make sure it's in optimum condition, if not fantastic, for the owner / player. This guitar, due to its age, is fighting a fresh set of strings which was traced to a tension issue. If you look at the springs here, notice that some of them (3 to be precise) are sagging; these are the older ones. I had to initially tighten the trem claw screws to balance the tension but the older springs simply couldn't keep up. The screws were driven excessively into the cavity & it ran out of room. So I added two fresh springs in there to keep things in check, these are the straight ones you see above, slightly shinier as well. There are other parts of this guitar that needed upgrading / replacement. Will deal with this during its next re-string episode.

Re-string Saturday

Definitely an overlooked model from Gibson - the BFG. I appreciate this guitar for its no-frills offerings but some people are actually offended by its semi-deficient manifestation. It was meant to be that way so if you can't get along with one, chances are, you are not into the vibe. My BFG is the most modified Gibson in my possession - no regrets.

A set of Darco 10s for this one. FYI, the BFG is still available at Swee Lee ($1,349) in only one finish - black.

Magus Pro

This is a new one by the TCE camp; the Magus Pro distortion unit. It is virtually a refinement of the current Grand Magus distortion with a 3-tier gain voicing. In the following clip by the manufacturer, you'll hear them in action. Personally, I hear crunchy distortion in three modes, all in British-type interpretations. The less intense setting reminds me of a VOX with a more pronounced midrange in the mix. There's some fuzziness going on in FAT mode, very RAT-esque. The manufacturer also takes pride in their attempt to match the LM308 chip. This pedal lists for USD69 so when it reaches here (hopefully), it will remain affordable.

Pic: TCE

Winding

This happened only because I misplaced the last one which is not an EB winder. There are some of us who dislike winding strings using an external implement; we prefer winding it manually round the tuner post & tighten the remaining bit by hand-turning the peg. I do both, depending on the mood I'm in.

I appreciate this feature in string winders; the acoustic guitar bridge pin puller. This plastic is not as hard / harsh on pins. If you exert some force in pulling stuck pins, depending on the pin material, some cracking might happen. Would you pay almost $20 for a string winder? 

Greening

Spent time with the Ibanez RG7620 yesterday. Brought it to Beez for pots replacement & gave it a deserving clean up. It seems that, having spent quite some time in its case for more than five months, the grey finish is turning green. The hard case interior is doing this to the finish - comes from the glue of the lining. Someone said it's also due to the lining's artificial colouring that contains chemicals as well.

It's exactly the same effect that turns LP Silverburts into that green tinted gold-like hue. Also, not discounting the fact that light has something to do with it as well.

Pic: Talkbass

Rash

It's Tele Tuesday! Got this out for a re-string & some playing time. I like the tones from the Duncans here (Hot Rails / Hot Tele). Despite being a hot humbucker, the Hot Rails still manifests good twang at lower distortion settings. The neck pickup is one of the clearest sounding in all my Teles, perhaps it's benefitting from the 500K pots. A set of D'Addario 9s, of course.

This is kinda strange; I didn't know a rusty screw would leave a rash mark on the pickguard. It's like the surrounding area was infected by the rust. As you can see, I've replaced it with a new one. In fact, I  replaced all pickguard screws today. Confession: I'm actually not into the sunburst finish but when I saw this on a Tele, I just had to have it. This American Standard Tele is my first ever Fender bought in 1998 when Swee Lee was still located at the rear end of Level 3, Bras Basah Complex. The unit is now occupied by Art Friend's extension space. I simply favour the Tele more than the Strat when it comes to Fender - the reason why I have more Teles in the mean time. 

Purple Monday

Spent time with Miss Purple today. I had plans to swap the pickups out. These lack the bottom end punch for  heavy stuff. Then again, the Alnico Classic Pro was meant for some vintage-esque voicings with a hint of twang. After running it through some set ups, this guitar is actually good for distortion, just not the heavy type. The overall crunchy tones are just not meant for bass note peddling & chugging. So the ACPs will stay put for variety's sake.

Bound Esquire

This is quite the buzz in the mean time; Squier's Esquire. It's a fresh release with not much details to be had. Even the official Squire website has not featured this model (yet).

It's kinda special because it features a double bound body, it's something 'extra' that's not found in the Fender version. The dark wood fretboard (laurel) is the other difference. If these make it here (currently comes in 3 finishes - blue / black / burst), it should be in the $600 +/- bracket. Full model citation: Squier CV 60 Custom

Pics: Thomann