3 Series Distortion Pedal Review

Wow great deal

I was very pleased with how it sounds with my fender guitar and amp!

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Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

I purchased this to serve as a backup to some more expensive drive pedals. As such, I didn't expect to really use it much. I knew it was based on the Rat, which is one of my favorite pedal circuits of all time. In short, once I tried it I was blown away. Seriously, this pedal is a "sleeper" and much better than appearance or price would indicate. So why not just use a Rat? For… read more starters, this pedal sounds like a Rat, but it hits the ears a little bit better and feels better under the fingers. I have the Proco Fat Rat, Dirty Rat, and also have the JHS Pack Rat. I actually prefer the 3 Series Distortion over all of them. The mids feel slightly smoother, and the bass response feels a little different to me (maybe just a tad more bass). The differences are slight, but enough to make me prefer the 3 Series Distortion over the others. Like I said earlier, it just hits my ears in a more pleasing way and responds a little differently. The 3 Series Distortion also stacks incredibly well with my Mini Ego Compressor and my Fulldrive 2v2. This pedal is also very quiet, even when being pushed with other drive pedals. In summary, this is a great pedal. Don't let the plain looks fool you - it's a steal at $. It has the toothy and gnarly Rat tone I love but with some improved feel and response. The build quality is excellent, the pots and switches feel great. I emailed JHS and they confirmed this pedal is based on the JHS All American. A wolf in sheep's clothing for sure.

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Just what I've been looking for.. Huge Rockin Distortion

I've been using an Overdrive pedal (not JHS) to try to get distortion out of my Fender amp (it has beautiful cleans but not much gain/overdrive), but even so the Overdrive pedal just made it louder. Finally i found this affordable JHS Distortion pedal made in USA, and it is fantastic. This is exactly what i should have been using years ago. Now my guitar has gone from just loud… read more to massive hard rock distortion, just such great tones and sound now. Makes your guitar and amp sound huge and overdriven tube sound even at lower volume levels. Just love it. Will really help my AC/DC Judas Priest Pearl Jam Led Zeppelin etc. Its exactly the sound i wanted. Some folks say it has some Rat sound, but not sure what the Rat sound is, but it really nails the hard rock or metal distorted sound in spades.

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Rat + in a smaller footprint box

Great sounding Rat pedal! It's the quintessential distortion sound. Set your amp at just slight break up and the distortion on the pedal between the 10-1 position and it's perfection. I would refer to it as a Rat plus. Simple, great sounding, set it and forget it. On a personal note not related to its operation: I like the fact it is all white, you can get creative and paint it… read more or throw stickers on it to make it your design.

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Budget All American Pedal

I missed the boat on the All American pedal when JHS built it, and as soon as I saw the "Filter" control on here I knew there had to be some Rat-type thing going on with the 3 Series Distortion (The JHS All American was basicallya modified Rat). I love Rat pedals, and this thing is like a Rat with a clipping option. Definitely worth the price of admission. Seriously considering… read more the Fuzz from this series as well.

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